Recently, Elon Musk made a stir by sending out a 1 a.m. email to Tesla employees laying off 7 percent of them and telling the rest to work harder to save the company and the planet. Electric vehicles, he explained, had to become more affordable to achieve Tesla’s “mission of accelerating the advent of sustainable transport and energy, which is important for all life on Earth.” So, essentially—have another latte and get back to work saving the planet. The business media reaction was mixed, with many saying that pushing employees this hard is bad for employees and for the bottom line.
This challenge tends to be exacerbated in the legal profession. In our world, working long hours is an accepted way of life. But do these hours really benefit anyone? And can they actually lead to something more than just exhaustion?
