Early in their careers, ambitious workers receive a lot of advice on how to succeed. One common piece of advice is to be the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave in order to show your boss how passionate you are about the job.
Brianna Doe used to feel that way too: About 10 years ago, when she was starting her career as a marketing professional, she would often come to the office early and work long hours “to demonstrate that I was driven, motivated, and interested in growing within the company.”
Do told CNBC Make It that she wanted to prove to her boss and others outside her department that she “could go above and beyond,” and felt that “the best way to do that was to be the first to arrive and the last to leave.”
That said, “in doing so, I also experienced an intense cycle of burnout.”
Looking back, Doe realizes that well-intentioned advice often comes with the caveat that working long hours indicates dedication to work at the expense of one’s personal time and life.
“There was never any work-life harmony in my life,” says Do, who now runs her own marketing company, Verbatim. “I think that’s an outdated way of thinking, especially in this new era of setting boundaries and prioritizing mental health,” she says.
Stacey Haller, lead career advisor at ResumeBuilder with more than 30 years of recruiting experience, agrees.
“I think people these days are wise enough to know that just because you sit in an office for eight hours a day doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a productive employee,” she says.
A better way to move forward
Instead, there are plenty of other ways to use your time to demonstrate that you’re passionate about your work and want to grow.
“Build relationships, find mentors, get to know your team,” Haller says. “Observe successful people, see how they work, what they do, and ask for their advice.”
Gen Z workers, in particular, are in a position to prioritize building work relationships that will serve them well for years to come, Haller says. “That’s what you should be doing in the office. Don’t focus on coming in early and staying late just to appear like you’re a hard worker. That’s not enough.”
This message also needs to come from the top: Do believes managers should reevaluate their expectations if they’re focused on how much time employees spend at their desks, rather than what they’re accomplishing and how they express their ambitions.
“If your new hire is doing a great job and says they want more opportunities and to be involved in different projects, that should say more than someone who’s stayed later than you,” she says.
That being said, Haller adds that it’s important to follow your team’s instructions about when to clock in and out.
Adhere to the culture: be punctual, don’t be late, don’t miss meetings, and “no lame excuses,” says Haller.
After all, she says, “If everyone’s there from 8:30 to 6, be there from 8:30 to 6. But showing up at 7 for a purpose that’s not visible to anyone but yourself is kind of weird.”
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