A recent hire at one of the largest US companies has shared on Reddit their surprise at the demanding work culture, which extends from early mornings to late nights. The employee, who prefers to start work upon arriving at the office, says colleagues are already sending emails and Slack messages as early as 6–7am.
Early Mornings, Late Nights Take a Toll
“It feels like I’m the odd one out for not being ‘on’ before the day even begins,” the employee wrote. The work culture continues late into the night, with team members sending messages around 9–11pm. “It’s honestly stressing me out. I’m not as enthusiastic about the job as they seem to be, but I also feel pressure to keep up so I don’t end up with bad performance reviews or even risk being laid off,” they added.
Reddit Users Share Their Experiences
Other Reddit users offered insights on navigating such schedules. One user explained, “I work 8 hours spread out over 16 hours each day. Just cuz you got something from me at 8 am then again at 10 pm doesn’t mean I worked that entire time. In fact, it’s probably a sign I didn’t work enough during the day due to appointments, exercise, house work, etc.”
Another user highlighted the challenges of remote work expectations: “I do that too but my manager is not happy. Managers seem to expect WfH to be us just sitting at our desk for 8 hours straight doing work, exactly like in the office.
It fits my schedule better to work in between doing house work. And my previous manager was okay with it as long as I met my deadlines.
Eventually with the new manager our WfH days went 2 to 1 and now to 0 because the manager needs to feel in control.”
With flexible work arrangements increasingly common in corporate America, employees are finding themselves balancing productivity expectations with personal well-being. Experts suggest setting clear boundaries and communicating with managers to avoid burnout in high-pressure environments.
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