I think it's more a matter of expectations. I've worked OT non comp places that will still expect you to do hotseat outside of hours, deal with fires, or regularly come in early/stay late "lest you look like a slacker." This often isn't even institutionalized, but just some sort of weird culture that's built up around time spent "looking busy" corresponding in some inane way to being a productive employee. If you're making the choice yourself, fine. But if you're being pressured to work past that boundary, it may be as the parent poster said, a canary, if not for the whole company, but how the company culture will play in concert with your own personal choices/life balance.

Agreed - a push to confirm in a way that is not desirable creates the opposite effect. And this is actually pretty common - expecting folks to work on weekends, be available to reply at all times and so on.

Working beyond 40 hours is non-productive is a rhetoric I see often on Hacker news. And it always blows my mind. My life experience has been exactly the opposite.

The parent article does not state it as a requirement - more so as a nature of reality for the more ambitious folks in the startup vs. corporate category. I find exceptional folks in my company to be also very hard workers - by choice and not by force. And there are plenty who live a precise 40 hour schedule. Which is fine for both parties as long as that's what they want. What I find pretty ridiculous is the very common new-agey declaration that there is only one right way for everyone which is "40 hours of work" and anything else is just a waste of time. I think it is a very appealing life-style for many - but not a reality for many people who want to get ahead in their careers, are ambitious or are attached to the nature of their work. I see nothing wrong with that.

There's a risk in it though, and this is what I always try to stress. While I certainly accept there are many people who can work more hours, and do, (I do, if it's a project I care about) this can still set a precedent that "leaks" onto the other employees through that potentially subconscious expectation setting I mentioned. In short, you don't only have to worry about what you can handle, but if your behavior will put the rest of your team between a rock and a hard place.

This may be a "dangerous" thing to suggest, since I realize it edges on a "if no one does exceptional work we all look fine" mentality which certainly isn't productive, I just mean to stress that buying into 40< hours may have ripples in terms of legitimizing it as a Carte Blanche system, (Yes, this is a slippery slope argument, but having seen it pan out as I've described I'm less hesitant to lend it credence.) and as you say, an appealing life-style for many, or some, certainly might not be for all.

I advise you to take a read: http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-o...

Thanks - this was a dense but provocative read. Is the context that working those extra hours just gets you into the over-performing loser category and doing so for the psychopath organization (which has no loyalty to you) is all for naught in the end ?

I guess it depends on yourself only. But any extra hours you are giving to your employer, you are taking them from you. Even if you enjoy the work, you could be enjoying the work at home on a personal project (that may make you money, or famous), or gym time for your health, or family time, etc etc.

I'm not against doing some extra time if needed, but working overtime regularly with the 'I like my work' mentality is for me the wrong way of thinking, since anything you could be doing sitting at a desk for your employer outside the agreed hours you could be doing it for yourself.

While this makes total sense, there are in fact roles where working more makes you progress faster. I feel that this is less the case in programming roles. But, in many business roles, working more allows you to learn more about the business, which in turn allows you to contribute more. As long as you are in a meritocratic environment (as I was in), where results are rewarded with advancement/higher pay.