Google’s 60-Hour Workweek Vs Versatile Working 

Is all of it work and no play for Google staff?

Because the competitors in synthetic intelligence (AI) heats up, Google’s management is making it clear that tough work – and plenty of it – is the important thing to staying forward.

However with co-founder Sergey Brin pushing for longer workweeks within the workplace, the tech big’s method has sparked debate over whether or not working more durable actually results in higher outcomes, or if it’s simply one other instance of the hustle working tradition going too far.

The federal government’s announcement to scrap the “Proper To Change Off” from its Employment Rights Invoice may see different UK corporations happening the identical route. Nonetheless, Startups’ distinctive analysis exhibits that almost all companies are rooting for versatile working to enhance office productiveness.

Google’s co-founders need staff within the workplace 60 hours every week

Brin hit the headlines final week when he urged Google staff to work 60 hours every week within the workplace.

In a leaked inner memo, Brin acknowledged that workers engaged on Google’s AI mannequin, Gemini, ought to attend the workplace “not less than” each weekday and that working 60 hours every week within the workplace is the “candy spot” for productiveness.

“Quite a few of us work lower than 60 hours and a small quantity put within the naked minimal to get by,” Brin wrote. “This final group shouldn’t be solely unproductive but in addition will be extremely demoralizing to everybody else.”

Brin’s newest announcement comes as Google tries to remain forward within the AI race.

“Competitors has accelerated immensely and the ultimate race to AGI is afoot,” he added. “I feel we have now all of the elements to win this race, however we’re going to must turbocharge our efforts.”

UK SMEs consider flexibility is essential to productiveness

Whereas Brin’s push for longer hours focuses on delivering outcomes, many UK startups consider that flexibility and a wholesome work-life stability can result in simply as a lot success – if no more.

Our analysis from the Startups 100 for 2025 survey revealed that 67% of companies consider that versatile working preparations positively influence productiveness, whereas solely 8% say that it negatively impacts productiveness. 

Furthermore, 31% of companies that reported feeling “extraordinarily optimistic” about future development additionally see versatile working as a significant contributor to productiveness, whereas 20% of those who aren’t optimistic consider that it has the other impact.

This, coupled with the truth that 52% of Brits would solely contemplate working for a corporation that provided versatile working as a typical, exhibits an evident desire for flexibility, whereas inflexible workplace mandates like Brin’s would possibly make it more durable to draw and preserve prime expertise.

The issue with “grind tradition”

Hustle and grind tradition promotes the concept relentless onerous work will result in success, however typically on the expense of work-life stability, psychological well being and wellbeing.

This inevitably results in stress and burnout, one thing that, in line with a report by Psychological Well being UK, considerably affected 91% of adults during the last yr.

So, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Brin’s feedback have been met with combined views. Whereas some have praised his dedication to driving the corporate’s AI efforts, others have criticised his method for encouraging overworking and a “hustle-centric mindset”.

Psychological well being educator Catherine Eadie wrote on LinkedIn: “What Brin is pushing isn’t productiveness, it’s efficiency overwork. It’s a badge of honour for management that wishes to extract extra from staff with out investing in higher working situations, autonomy, or real motivation.”

And whereas most UK startups help versatile work, our analysis additionally discovered that almost all companies can’t resolve if workers ought to have the correct to disconnect after work. Particularly, greater than 9 out of ten of our respondents mentioned they supported the federal government’s proposed Proper to Change Off (RTSO) legal guidelines, but 39% consider that it’s vital for workers to work past their contracted hours.

Albert Fong, Vice President at Kanarys, commented that it’s “unusual” for Google to “push for longer hours when the very AI fashions they’re constructing would possibly change their jobs”.

“The irony is stark: the decision for engineers to extend their workloads to assist enhance AI fashions that might replicate their work comes as generative fashions, skilled on huge swathes of web-sourced textual content and code, are being leveraged by corporations to automate engineering duties,”

“In essence, they’re successfully changing the very staff Google urges to take part.”