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Some AI startups are taking the workplace back to the dark ages, adopting the Chinese "9-9-6 work schedule" in which employees toil from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., six days a week from Monday to Saturday. Asian companies are known for overworking their employees, causing unmanaged chronic job stress, then burnout. When burnout is unaddressed, it can lead to karoshi, the Japanese term for death from overwork.
Here's Where The 9-9-6 Work Schedule Is Happening
Despite efforts to encourage work-life balance and flexible working hours, a recent trend among some businesses in the U.S. has employees working an intense and demanding "9-9-6 schedule," cutting into the weekend. Experts are calling the 9-9-6 week culture, which has employees working 72 hours per week, corporate abuse.
While the 9-9-6 schedule is most well known in China, some U.S. voices are insisting that more companies should introduce it if they want to stand out. But experts argue that this overworking schedule leads to burnout and stress and has a negative impact on work-life balance.
A body of research shows that long work hours are even more dangerous. British researchers report that employees who put in more than 11 hour workdays are 67% more likely to have a heart attack. And employees who work more than 54 hours a week are at higher risk of dying from karoshi.
Yet America's top business leaders work relentless hours. Apple CEO Tim Cook sends emails as early as 4:30 a.m. Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer reportedly clocked up to 130 hours a week, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is known to work 120 hours a week.
Ramp just published a new analysis of corporate spend data, showing that the 9-9-6 workweek isn't just chatter anymore. It now has a measurable footprint in San Francisco's business activity. According to the report, employees in San Francisco are working Saturdays. The analysis shows that the evidence is showing up in receipts in Saturday restaurant takeout and delivery spending from noon to midnight.
The findings show that the trend has been identified in San Francisco and showing smaller trends in New York and other tech hubs, roughly a quarter the size of San Francisco's and mostly limited to late-evening meals after 8 p.m. But the 72 hour work week isn't just tech. The trend indicates that the surge spans across sectors, not just AI startups and software companies. While Ramp's customer base skews tech-forward, this pattern suggests the 9-9-6 mentality may be permeating a broader range of San Francisco-based businesses.
I spoke by email with Ramp's Economist, Ara Kharazian. He told me that the Bay Area has always been a place where like-minded people can hone their craft. He says in this case, the craft is building a fast-moving startup that can beat the competition.
"I've heard from a lot of folks who are worried this trend will hit their workplace," Kharazian states. "To them I say, breathe easy. Focus on doing good work. This trend transcends industries, but we are not headed for a world where workers across the country are expected to put in 60 hour weeks just to keep their job."
Nevertheless, Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder at Kickresume, warns that such an intense and demanding schedule is likely to lead to burnout. "Our recent research has shown that work-life balance is a top priority for job seekers, and some generations prioritize it over compensation," Duris explains. "Hectic 72-hour working weeks aren't necessary to have a thriving business -- instead, prioritizing employee well-being might be the secret to a successful workplace where people actually want to work hard, do their best and stay with the team long-term."
How Employees Can Deal With The 9-9-6 Work Schedule
Duris shared with me his tips for employees and businesses on how to prioritize and improve work-life balance and prevent stress, exhaustion and burnout.
- Set clear boundaries.
To avoid burnout and becoming overworked, Duris insists that it's important to establish clear boundaries for yourself like logging off on time, only working your contracted hours and not answering work emails outside of working hours. "It may not always be a negative thing to work overtime, but if your schedule is already busy and hectic, keeping a clear boundary between work and personal life may be the best way to avoid burnout." - Communicate with your manager and your team.
If you feel overwhelmed with work, Duris advises it may be best to talk to your manager and your wider team about your concerns. He believes your manager may be able to offer support and your colleagues may be able to take some tasks off your to-do list. - Take your breaks.
Duris recommends that you make sure you take a break from your computer, especially when you're super busy with work, is important. And he stresses the importance for taking your full lunch break, plus a few minutes to stretch and walk around during the day to help you stay calm.
How Employers Can Deal With The 9-9-6 Work Schedule
Duris insists that businesses also can help prevent burnout and stress in the workplace. Below are several steps he believes leadership could take to help prioritize staff well-being.
- Keep track of your team's workload.
"As a manager, it's important to keep track of which tasks your teams are working on. If you notice that one team member has a lot of work piling up, it may be worth delegating some tasks to other team members if they have less busy schedules." - Provide mental health support.
"Offering mental health support to your team is a great way to check in on them and make sure they're not experiencing burnout and stress. Mental health first aiders (MHFA) can help make sure your team gets the help and support they may need." - Encourage a healthy work-life balance.
"Promoting a healthy work-life balance encourages your team to prioritize their well-being, which can help prevent burnout. Building a culture that supports using paid time off and logging off on time may help reduce stress amongst employees. This kind of company culture also helps attract and retain top talent."
A Final Wrap On The 9-9-6 Work Schedule
For now, Kharazian suggests that the 9-9-6 trend is constrained to what he calls a subculture of firms that are tapping into the excitement of building something new and wanting to work at it all the time. Nevertheless, most experts agree that job productivity and success are dependent on finding a healthy work-life balance instead of a profit versus humanity proposition.
With the 9-9-6 work schedule gaining popularity, finding the healthy balance will continue to be a problem in 2025 unless employers make significant changes with their workplace practices, overtime demands and inefficient meetings. The challenge for companies is to provide a work culture that blends productivity and profitability with humanity and wellness rather than an unrealistic work schedule that treats employees as robots instead of human beings.