When Good Work Hurts: Untangling Work Ethic from Toxic Productivity

There are 525,600 minutes in a year — and still, it never feels like enough.

Many professionals today find themselves caught in a loop of doing more, faster — not out of joy or purpose, but out of expectation. What starts as a strong work ethic can quietly tip into something else: toxic productivity. And while productivity itself isn’t the problem, how we define and pursue it — individually and organisationally — matters.

What’s the difference between work ethic and toxic productivity?

A healthy work ethic is rooted in pride, reliability, and purposeful contribution. It includes:

• Dedication to quality

• Respect for time and commitments

• A desire to grow and add value

  
  

But toxic productivity is something else. It's a compulsion to stay constantly busy — driven not by values, but by pressure. It often shows up as:

• Feeling guilty for resting

• Measuring self-worth through output

• Neglecting boundaries in favour of “just one more task”

The tipping point often isn’t visible until the impact sets in: fatigue, resentment, reduced creativity, and ultimately, burnout.

Why does this matter in leadership and organisational culture?

In many workplaces, especially performance-driven ones, productivity is celebrated — sometimes without question. But when metrics outweigh meaning, we risk:

• Prioritising quantity over quality

• Ignoring emotional and mental strain

• Normalising unsustainable expectations

For leaders, this can create systemic blind spots. A culture of unspoken overwork may seem like commitment — until people quietly disconnect, disengage, or break down. Over time, teams begin to confuse exhaustion with excellence.

The hidden costs of overworking

Toxic productivity isn’t just harmful for individuals. It also weakens organisations. You might notice:

• More errors or oversights despite long hours

• Reduced collaboration and trust

• High turnover or low morale

Even well-intentioned feedback can backfire if it lands on an employee already pushed to their limit. Productivity without presence is not sustainable. And yet, few workplaces stop to ask: At what cost are we operating?

How can we begin to shift this?

For individuals:

• Notice when pride in your work turns into self-punishment

• Build in real rest — not just time off, but time to think and reset

• Redefine success beyond output: what did I learn, how did I lead?

For organisations and managers:

• Model balance — not performative wellness, but real structural change

• Challenge assumptions about responsiveness and availability

• Create space for reflection, not just reaction

Final reflection

Toxic productivity doesn’t arrive with a warning sign. It arrives quietly — disguised as dedication.

And yet, reclaiming a healthy relationship with work is possible. It starts with asking different questions:

• What’s driving this urgency?

• Who does this pace serve?

• What might leadership look like with more space, not less?

  
  

True effectiveness isn’t measured by how much we do — but by how intentionally, sustainably, and humanely we do it.

Jasmine Gill EMCC-Accredited Executive & Leadership Coach www.evolvexplore.com