Biting Off More Than You Can Chew at Work: Measuring Individual Perceptions of Cultural Hard and Excessive Work...

Previous research attributes differences in working styles (e.g., diligence, excessive hours) primarily to individual traits or values, such as workaholism, neglecting cultural context. This research introduces cultural work ideals-subjective perceptions of societal expectations about work-and distinguishes between perceived cultural values of (a) hard work (i.e., efficiency, high quality, wise time use) and (b) excessive work (i.e., long hours, high quantity, constant work prioritization). We develop and validate the Individual Perceptions of Cultural Hard and Excessive Work (I-CHEW) Scale across six diverse North American samples (N = 1,902), including full-time employees, business undergraduates, MBA students, and alumni. Psychometric analyses support the I-CHEW's reliability and validity. As hypothesized, perceiving a cultural ideal of hard work predicts beneficial outcomes (e.g., lower cynicism, higher engagement) beyond individual, organizational, and cultural factors. Conversely, perceiving a cultural ideal of excessive work predicts negative outcomes, including greater emotional exhaustion, reduced well-being and job satisfaction, and poorer physical health.