Companies take the reins (and the whips) again
- sciart0
- Jul 7
- 2 min read
Excerpt: "Shopify wants a product manager who can “keep up with an unrelenting pace.”
Solace, a healthcare marketplace, tells job seekers: “If you’re looking for work-life balance, this isn’t it.”
A job posting for a senior engineer at software company Rilla urges applicants “please don’t join” unless they are eager to work 70 hours a week—in person.
If you think free time is overrated, this is the job market for you. Corporate job listings this summer stress long hours, a competitive business environment and the importance of hustle.
It might seem impractical to recruit applicants with a pitch that loosely translates to “This is going to hurt.”
But we’re a long way from 2022.
Americans are facing months long job searches and competition from laid-off workers as companies shrink headcount.
Though the U.S. is still adding jobs every month, the pace of hiring has slowed and some of the country’s largest employers are cutting their white-collar workforces.
In the tougher environment, many applicants find that managers are taking a harder line. They’re not just reining in flexible schedules, remote work and perks that became staples of the previously tight job market. They’re warning prospective and new employees to get ready for the grind—and they’re not afraid to say it out loud.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin in February told employees that 60 hours a week was the sweet spot of productivity. The federal government warned staff this year of a new “performance culture,” insisting on “excellence at every level.”
People are logging into more meetings after 8 p.m. than they did a year ago, new Microsoft datashow.
“They’re testing the limits of what they can ask of their employees, knowing how hungry people are to work, and knowing they’re in the driver’s seat,” said Lori Reed, president of Reston, Va.-based recruiting firm Schechter Reed.
“The pendulum has swung, and companies are in control again.”'