A spotlight on Ioana Lupu, ESSEC Business School, Mayra Ruiz-Castro, Queen Mary University of London, and Bernard Leca, ESSEC Business School, and their research insight on long working hours and their impact on individuals, included in the recently published Routledge-CoBS book The Employee and the Post-Pandemic Workplace: Towards a new, enlightened working environment.

Long working hours: fatality or opportunity for change? by CoBS Editor Aymeric Thiollet. Related research: Role Distancing and the Persistence of Long Work Hours in Professional Service Firms. Ioana Lupu, Mayra Ruiz-Castro, Bernard Leca. Organization studies, https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840620934064.

In the aftermath of the global pandemic, the traditional contours of the workplace have undergone a profound metamorphosis. This transformation has prompted a reevaluation of the expectations placed upon professionals and the impact on their authentic selves.

Professors Lupu, Ruiz-Castro and Leca’s research sheds light on a two-phase model of role distancing, offering invaluable insights into the challenges faced by modern professionals in reconciling their genuine identities with the demands of the contemporary workplace.

The Two-Phase Model of Role Distancing

In the pursuit of professional success, individuals often find themselves contending with the archetype of the “ideal worker.” This persona, characterized by unwavering commitment, long working hours, and perpetual availability for work-related responsibilities, constitutes the first key revelation of the research.

Firms and organizations, knowingly or unknowingly, expect their skilled professionals to embody this ideal worker identity. As individuals come to understand and react to this phenomenon, role distancing operates in two phases: employee apprehension and role redefinition.

Employee Apprehension: The Shift in Understanding

The first phase of role distancing, termed employee apprehension, encapsulates the pivotal moment when professionals undergo a transformative shift in cognition, emotions, and perspectives. It marks the realization that the professional role, as currently defined, is perceived as temporary and subject to change. This phase underscores the tension experienced by individuals as they grapple with the conflict between their authentic selves and the predetermined ideals imposed upon them.

Role Redefinition: Modifying Work Practices

The subsequent phase, role redefinition, represents a proactive response to the challenges posed by the ideal worker paradigm. Here, individuals consciously modify their work practices, engaging in negotiations with peers and organizations to establish a work-life equilibrium that aligns with their genuine identities.

This adaptive approach gains particular relevance in the post-pandemic workplace, where the boundaries between work and home have become more permeable due to the rise of hybrid work models.

Significance in the Post-Pandemic Workplace

As organizations navigate the evolving landscape of work dynamics, the importance of work-life balance and intrinsic motivation has taken center stage. The model of role distancing provides a crucial framework for understanding how employees grapple with an overwork culture. It underscores the need for a reflexive and agentic approach, enabling individuals to negotiate a more sustainable work arrangement.

This negotiation, often prompted by external events such as work-home tensions or personal losses, signifies a shift towards a more mindful and intentional engagement with professional roles.

Long Working Hours: Embracing the Cycle of Work-Life Balance

As a key takeaway, the researchers advocate for a fundamental change in how individuals, leaders, and organizations approach work-life balance. The call is for a cyclical perspective that involves continuous pausing and reevaluation.

Recognizing that priorities and motivations evolve across different phases of life, the researchers encourage a conscious and ongoing effort to pause, connect with one’s emotions, reassess priorities, explore alternatives, and implement meaningful changes in both personal and professional spheres.

Professors Lupu, Ruiz-Castro and Leca leave us with a compelling message — a call to carve out time in the relentless pace of modern society to reflect on priorities and motivations. The key, as emphasized, lies in continuously reconnecting with these personal threads, fostering healthier and more motivating work lives in an accelerated world.

Useful links:

• Link up with Profs. Ioana Lupu, Mayra Ruiz-Castro, and Bernard Leca on LinkedIn
• Browse and buy the book The Employee and the Post-Pandemic Workplace: Towards a new, enlightened working environment.
• Read a related article: Work-Life balance and our parents’ influence
• Discover ESSEC Business School and the flexible and intensive Master in Management programmes.

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