Many of us feel pressure to always be “on,” feeding into what’s often called hustle culture - the idea that constantly working is the key to success.
While being dedicated is a great quality, hustle culture can easily slip into overworking. And for a lot of people, that leads to burnout - a chronic feeling of overall physical, mental and emotional exhaustion that can cause fatigue, sleep disruption and tension headaches.1
In this article, we explore how hustle culture links to burnout, how the mindset is changing across different countries and regions, and why a good work-life balance is so important for your overall health.
We also feature insights from Dr Pablo Vandenabeele, Clinical Director for Mental Health at Bupa, who talks about ways to recognise, manage and prevent burnout as someone with a busy lifestyle.
Hustle culture and burnout
Employees in many industries have faced growing physical and mental demands in order to show their commitment to work and achieve career success.
Companies might expect employees to be available to answer emails 24/7, while others have adopted working arrangements that go beyond the typical nine-to-five. However, hustle culture has also given rise to unhealthy working patterns in some places.
This includes some companies in China adopting the controversial ‘996’ pattern - which involves a rotational workforce working 9am until 9pm, six days a week - or companies in the US expecting employees to work over 70 hours each week.2
Consistently working at such a high level without time to rest and recover can raise your cortisol levels, which can contribute to weight gain, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar (and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes).3
It can also lead to increased rates of burnout. For instance, research indicates that in Singapore, 68% of Gen Z employees experienced burnout due to work in 2024.4
While in Australia, a survey found that one in two workers had experienced burnout between 2024 and 2025, with 38% reporting inappropriate workload as the primary cause.5
Dr Pablo Vandenabeele, explains that “When you’re working long hours without enough rest, you often don’t realise you’re feeling burnout until it is too late. It helps to regularly check in with yourself so you can spot any early warning signs of burnout, such as:
- any changes in your sleep pattern lasting more than a couple of days
- changes in your appetite
- difficulties with concentration and maintaining focus
- losing interest and enjoyment in activities.”
68%
of Gen Z employees in a Singapore survey experienced work-related burnout in 20244
Recognising the need for balance
Being ambitious and driven are positive qualities that many people aspire to.
In the workplace, it can help you set and achieve your goals, giving a sense of accomplishment that can boost your mental health and make work more enjoyable.
However, when we feel the desire or pressure to be ‘always on’, this can make us prioritise work while overlooking after our health and wellbeing.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is important for your career in the long run, as burnout resulting from a lack of rest can have adverse effects on your work performance and productivity.6
Recognising this, some countries and regions have been pushing back in response to growing hustle culture burnout.
In a recent survey, 34% of employees who took part across the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain said they would look for a new job immediately if their company introduced US-style working practices like longer hours or fewer holidays.7
While in the UAE, there has been a movement over the past few years towards looking after mental health and resilience, with Sharjah and Dubai introducing initiatives like a four-day work week to improve people’s work-life balance and stave off burnout.8
“It’s important to recognise that persistent high levels of stress are likely to be damaging to your mental and physical health,” says Dr Vandenabeele. “Even with a busy schedule, you should make sure that you have regular periods of downtime for physical exercise and other forms of relaxation.”
“Burnout resulting from a lack of rest can have adverse effects on your work performance and productivity.”
-Dr Pablo Vandenabeele
Strategies for better work-life balance
Here are some habits and techniques you can adopt to maintain a better work-life balance and help keep you at your best when working long hours:
Take microbreaks
- Microbreaks are short activities that you can do during a working day to break up sedentary behaviours like sitting for a long time.9
- You could do a standing stretch at your desk, take a brief walk around your home or office, or do a breathing exercise at your desk.
- Spend two to three minutes on one of these activities every 20 to 30 minutes to help you work in short bursts and support your concentration.
Set digital boundaries
- Setting digital boundaries creates more separation between your work and home life.
- This can help you avoid the negative impact of screen exposure on your sleep and allow your body to ‘switch off’ more effectively.
- You could turn off notifications on your phone or laptop after a certain time, or leave work devices in your office in the evening.
Make time to actively rest
- Making the time for active rest allows you to properly disengage from work, helps prevent burnout and can improve your resilience.
- The important thing is knowing rest isn’t just about sitting on the couch watching TV - Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith popularised the idea of seven types of rest that can restore different areas of our lives: physical, mental, emotional, social, sensory, creative, and spiritual.10
- You could spend time socialising with friends, practice mindfulness through meditation, or engage in a creative hobby.
- Exercise can reduce stress, alleviate anxiety, boost mood, and promote a sense of wellbeing, all of which are important to support your day-to-day life.
The key to a healthy work-life balance is to adjust how you view success and consider that rest, sleep, mindfulness, social connection, and physical activity are all just as important as your productivity at work.
With this shift in mindset, you may even find that you are more productive and focused in work because you’ve made the time to look after your physical and mental wellbeing.
Finding support for a busy lifestyle
Work is important for providing structure in our daily lives, and for many people it gives a sense of purpose and fulfilment.
However, it’s also important to keep family commitments, nurture social connections, get enough sleep, and eat a balanced diet.
When a career is prioritised above all else, many of these important parts of our lives can be neglected.
This is particularly relevant for professionals that travel or have relocated internationally, who might be managing the stressors of moving, living and working abroad with less access to support and social relationships from back home.
“Moving or working abroad can make it challenging to maintain a support network, leading to feelings of social isolation,” says Dr Vandenabeele. “It’s important to understand this risk and try to establish new support networks while maintaining your existing social networks as best you can.”
How to manage negative impacts of hustle culture
If you are feeling the effects of hustle culture and notice your wellbeing being affected by your level of work, it helps to reach out to friends and family, or your doctor.
Maintaining a trusted support network means you can seek advice for work-related stress, and can help you spot any early warning signs of burnout.
For Bupa Global customers, when you need professional guidance to prevent or manage work-related burnout, we’re here to provide support. Visit MembersWorld to learn more about your policy benefits and to explore your Blua digital health services, including virtual appointments with a doctor.
In episode one of our A Moment in Health video series, host Dr Karan Rajan chats to Emma Harris, a globally mobile CEO, about the health crisis that transformed her approach to work and wellbeing. Together they explore stress, rest, and the cult of busyness.
