# The 60-hour week backlash

- **Episode:** [183](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/183.md) (2025-03-27)
- **Type:** interview
- **Tags:** 60-hour-week, backlash, work-culture
- **Time:** 23:50–26:29 (start 1430s)
- **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/183?t=1430](https://truthliesandwork.com/183?t=1430)

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[23:50] Leanne Elliott: We're seeing a lot of the opposite. We're seeing, you know, Google saying we want a 60-hour work week, demanding people get back into the office. The Curve Group operates on a hybrid, you know, hybrid policy. So much coming out the complete opposite, and that's what's needed for performance, for productivity, collaboration, for innovation. Where do you stand on these arguments? How do you feel about these, these opinions coming out into the world?
[24:15] Jeanette Ramsden: The listeners will not be surprised in the fact that I, um, don't condone it. I think it's exactly the opposite of what we want, and actually it's not what I'm seeing in my clients, actually. Um, whether it's just because we are UK-centric, I think there is a global, um, issue Here. Um, uh, but the reality is, is, um, with, you know, 5, soon to be 6 generations of workforce coming in and talent's becoming more and more difficult to attract and retain, any employer— my advice is any employer, um, that is, um, the media are calling this, this masculine energy. Yeah. Um, uh, you know, it, it's, it's— you're not going to attract the best talent and you're not going to retain them. And actually, um, we thought— talk about authentic leadership— people will nod at you and say yes, yes, yes, but actually underneath it all, they will become more and more, um, distant and not engaged with you. And that's exactly the opposite to what you really want. Um, and just on that sort of masculine energy piece, you know, anything that's sort alienates any part of your workforce is not good. What we want is high EQ from our leaders. And anything that's sort of condoning a 60-hour working week where people can't get a work-life balance, quite frankly, we get burnout, sickness as a result, et cetera, et cetera. The HR implications just go on and on and on, and I think it's forcing our government's hand to sort of bring in some rather difficult and things that I quite fear employment practices because we've got the shift to people going to the 60-hour working week, asking people to work more and more hours, etc., etc
[26:24] Leanne Elliott: Jeanette, what changes are the government bringing in and why are you afraid of them? Can you give us an example of maybe something that's coming in?