Burnout or brilliance? Why the 90-hour week work debate is about more than just work hours in adland
Experts weight in on why the controversial 90-hour week debate seems to be far from being about numbers.
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"Time is a tool, not a cage," says Prathap Suthan, CCO at Bang In The Middle, while commenting on the controversial 90-hour work week debate which has resurfaced in workplace conversations in recent times.
The controversial 90-hour week debate seems to go beyond numbers in the ad industry; instead it reveals deeper nuggets about human potential, balance, and what it means to create in a world that is constantly evolving.
When Sandeep Goyal, Chairman of Rediffusion, first entered the advertising business nearly 40 years ago, 90-hour work weeks were the norm. "Back then, there were no Saturdays, no Sundays, no weekends," he recalls. "Ad agencies worked around the clock. Clients expected it, and agencies didn’t grudge it. To be honest, it was a way of life; part of the advertising turf. The pressure cooker environment wasn’t seen as unfair—it was exhilarating."
However, Goyal acknowledges that times have changed. "There are at least two or three new generations in advertising now. Their hopes, ambitions, and value systems are different. Demanding round-the-clock work isn’t just undesirable; it’s impossible." He believes that while clients have become more mindful of agency lives, the onus remains on boosting productivity. "No one ought to work weekends unless it’s an emergency. But during the weekday grind, productivity must rise. We lag behind our Western counterparts, where one person’s workload often requires three or four people here. Everyone wants a ‘team.’ That has to change."
For Suthan, the debate represents "a dangerous glorification of burnout." He stresses that, "One brilliant idea crafted in an hour outweighs a week of uninspired labor." Creativity, he insists, "strikes when least expected, often in moments of stillness or distraction, far from the office."
Even though Suthan doesn’t dismiss the intensity of advertising, he warns against one-size-fits-all models. "For some, work is passion, obsession, purpose. It occupies their mind 24/7—they work while eating, bathing, even dreaming. But this is deeply personal, not a universal template. Forcing everyone into the same mold erodes well-being and ignores individuality."
Jason Menezes, Founding Partner & Business Head, Motley, an independent creative agency, echoes Suthan's views and calls out companies chasing profits at the expense of brilliance. "The mindset of pushing for 90-hour weeks suffocates the spark they seek to cultivate," he says. Menezes underscores AI's limits and says, "AI can’t replicate human creativity or insight. The true measure of work lies in the value it creates, not the hours poured into it. Balance is not a luxury but a necessity. Exhaustion does not foster greatness. Inspiration does."
Advertising veteran Ashish Bhasin offers his perspective. "Half the deadlines we face are artificial. The world won’t fall apart if we take a little more time." Reflecting on decades in the industry, he says, "The advertising industry, being a service industry and deadline-oriented, already works crazy hours. I’ve spent most of my life working 70, 80, even 90 hours because that’s what the job then required. But the most important thing is balance. Spending time with the family is hugely important, including some of it staring at your wife if both of you so desire! What you do with your time is no one’s concern, least of all that of the senior most leader of the organisation."
For Bhasin, the focus needs to be on the quality of work rather than the hours put in. "If someone can deliver in 50 hours what another needs 90 for, why should the 50-hour person work more? Advertising is tough, requiring rigor and hard work, but management must prioritize employee well-being. Mental health and burnout are very real issues in the creative business."
Menezes highlights how breakthroughs rarely emerge from burnout. "True innovation needs creativity, sharp insights, and big-picture thinking. We built policies that worked for everyone, encouraging strategic thinking and a healthy work-life balance. Spending time with family, pursuing passions, and reflecting—those are where real sparks of inspiration happen."
Perhaps it’s time for the ad world to rethink its obsession with time. As Menezes puts it, "The brilliance of a diamond lies in its clarity, not in how long it was mined."
