Is the Hardcore Work Culture Back in Style? 7 Things HR Must Know

Are the pampered days of work over? Is the hardcore work culture back in style?

It’s looking that way, HR. And employees will be looking to you for answers about it.

If employees had the advantage in the workplace for the past few years — calling the shots on where, when and how they worked — employers seem to have come back into their own right.

“A lot of leaders are feeling pressure right now — economic uncertainty, competition, AI disruption,” says Doug Dennerline, CEO of Betterworks. “The instinct is to ‘tighten the screws’ and get more out of people. But that usually backfires.”

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Rebirth of Hardcore Work Culture

Some major companies, such as AT&T and Meta, have recently raised the bar on return-to-office mandates. They’re going old school, requiring five days in the office and leaning hard into performance metrics, visible contributions and commitment.

Specifically, AT&T’s leadership called for a “shift (that) can be characterized as moving away from an orientation on hierarchy and familial cultural norms and towards a more externally focused and competitive market-based culture.”

In other words, put your head down, work hard and get us ahead. Or else.

At Meta, leaders asked managers to put 15-20% of their lowest performers in the “below expectations” bucket (which is most likely ready to be dumped). Same concept, different approach: Perform, or else.

At Rilla, job candidates were told they need not apply if they aren’t willing to work at least 70 hours a week in person. Before they even apply, the hardcore concept is the same. Do more. Or else.

2. Hardcore Work Culture Explained

“I think of hardcore work culture as a ‘nose to the grindstone, no excuses’ mentality,” says Dennerline. “It’s about long hours, constant availability, and this idea that sacrifice equals success. In reality, it often measures effort by visibility — who’s online late, who’s in the office early — rather than outcomes.”

Of course, it looks different at every organization. Expectations can run the gamut — from long, billable hours and increased sales results to exhausting production outputs and increased customer retention results.

3. Hardcore Work Culture Can Lead to Burnout

Regardless of the reasons for the increasing KPIs, it’s probably not surprising that nearly two-thirds of employees experience some degree of burnout these days, according to research from Moodle.

The hardcore work culture can lead (and is likely leading) to negative consequences.

“The negative is pretty clear: burnout, disengagement and turnover,” says Dennerline. “People hit a wall, and when they do, performance drops fast.”

4. Another Side of Hardcore Work Culture

While it might seem that a hardcore work culture only harms employees, there are some potential positive sides. For one, employers expect positive business results with employees being able to collaborate more effectively.

“Some folks feel energized by the intensity — it can create short bursts of focus and urgency when needed,” says Dennerline. “But as a steady state? It’s not sustainable.”

5. Balance a Hardcore Workload

Like Dennerline said earlier, many companies have a growing demand and need to do more with less. But that doesn’t mean every employee needs to — or can — suddenly work excessive hours and forgo their lives. How?

“Make sure company goals are connected and transparent to keep people from wasting energy on the wrong things,” Dennerline suggests. “Managers also need tools to coach in real time, not just push harder at review season.”

6. Feedback on Hardcore Matters

When you demand more from employees, even when it’s temporary, you want to ensure they know you appreciate what they’re doing for the company and its success.

“Performance has to feel fair. Recognition and feedback should be consistent, not based on who spoke up last,” says Dennerline. “When employees know where they stand, why their work matters, and that they’ll be judged fairly, they can handle the workload and often go further.

“The companies that will win long term are the ones that measure by outcomes, not hours, and trust their people to deliver.”

7. Hardcore Alone Probably Won’t Survive

COVID changed the world of work. We aren’t going back. People can work from anywhere, anytime. So if companies with hardcore work cultures expect work outside of the office, they’ll need to offer flexibility in the office.

“Skills are global, and flexibility is now a baseline expectation. The best talent won’t sacrifice it,” Dennerline warns. “The companies thriving right now are the ones measuring work by outcomes, not hours or location, and giving managers the tools to coach and enable performance.”

To move past hardcore cultures, companies will want to create learning cultures. In that, employees become better equipped to make decisions and move work forward as quickly as possible.

“We can’t forget that trust, empathy, and fairness drive a lot of engagement. It doesn’t have to come down to control,” Dennerline says.