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If you believe in work-life balance, Kevin O'Leary doesn't want you on his payroll.

“Nine-to-five only [people], they don't work for me, I can tell you that,” said the outspoken investor in a YouTube video. (1)“I hope they work for my competitors.”

In the description, O'Leary explains that remote work has rendered the typical nine-to-five working day“obsolete” and that it doesn't matter what your work hours are as long as you“go above and beyond for your organization.”

The Shark Tank star isn't the only one pushing hustle culture on ordinary workers. His co-star, billionaire Mark Cuban, once encouraged workers and entrepreneurs to,“work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it all away from you.” (2)

But in an era where burnout is a growing concern, and the backlash against hustle culture is gaining steam, is his no-excuses approach a recipe for success, or a fast-track to losing top talent?

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Hustling is no longer cool

As millionaires and billionaires continue to glorify the grind, everyday workers seem to be on a different page.

A 2024 Angus Reid survey found that 61% of Canadians aged 54 years and up report general happiness with their lives. (3) On the downside, 36% of Canadians expressed feeling unhappy - a number that's doubled since 2015. Further, Statistics Canada data indicates dwindling life satisfaction, with only 48.6% of Canadians aged 15 and older reporting feeling happiness in 2024, dropping from 54.0% in 2021 - a trend that's significantly higher among younger adults and racialized Canadians. (4)

A shift like this could be the result of growing awareness of the mental and emotional burden of stressful work. A 2023 Express Employment survey revealed that 35% of Canadian employees experience excess stress and anxiety, with many indicating overwork and lack of support as the main reasons. (5) A separate Harris & Partners poll from this year found that 76.3% of those polled claimed employment-related pressures or financial stress having a negative affect on their mental health in the past year. (6)

For many, the financial incentives of sleeping at the office and skipping weekends with family is simply not worth it. Ford's 2024 Trends Survey found that 52% of Canadian adult workers said they would be willing to take a 20% pay cut to achieve a better quality of life. (7)

With this in mind, there are ways you can improve your life satisfaction and strike a better balance between your personal and professional life.

Read more: Here are 5 expenses that Canadians (almost) always overpay for - and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you?

Work smarter, not harder

If hustle culture is unappealing to you, there are several ways you can strike a better balance in your work and personal life.

Acquiring new skills - whether through online courses, certifications or mentorship - can open doors to higher-paying roles, allowing you to earn more without extending your work hours. Switching careers or joining a new industry altogether could also help you boost your hourly wage, rather than working overtime at your current job.

Though, you would have to sacrifice a year or two of your time to get the proper education or training for a transition like this. But it may be worth it, depending on your goals.

Achieving financial security through passive income is another way to live a more fulfilling life. For instance, if you earned $20 to $30 an hour, or a salary equivalent to that, and invested $10,000 in a dividend stock or real estate investment fund with a 6.55% dividend yield, you would receive $655 in annual dividends. This investment may allow you to cut back 20 to 30 hours of work every year.

However, if you're already financially secure and live a modest lifestyle with little to no debt, you could consider flexible work and contract work arrangements to pick your own hours and spend more time with your family.

None of these strategies are likely to make you a millionaire or billionaire, but higher quality of life and seeing your loved ones more often could make the paycut worthwhile.

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Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

YouTube (1 ); AOL (2 ); Wealth Professional (3 ); Statistics Canada (4 ); HR Reporter (5, 6 ); Ford (7 )

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

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