9-9-6 Work Schedule: What HR Should Know About Employee Impact
72 hours of work a week has long been an outlier reserved for crisis mode, but some companies are adopting it as standard practice.
The 9-9-6 work schedule is making its way from China's tech sector into American workplaces. In this model, employees work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., 6 days a week, totaling 72 hours. Some U.S. AI startups have recently adopted this approach, viewing extended hours as necessary to compete in what they call "the AI race."
The schedule is problematic.
- Research shows that 88% of workers already experience some level of burnout, with 60% reporting high levels
- The World Health Organization warns that working more than 55 hours per week increases the risk of stroke and heart disease. At 72 hours weekly, the 9-9-6 schedule far exceeds these thresholds.
For HR professionals and company leaders, the adoption of extreme work schedules raises questions about employee wellbeing, legal compliance, and whether exhaustion actually drives the innovation it promises.
Understanding the 9-9-6 Works Schedule and Its Origins
The 9-9-6 schedule originated in China's tech boom, where companies like Alibaba and ByteDance made it standard practice.
Defining the 9-9-6 Work Schedule and Industry Trends
The 9-9-6 schedule has employees working twelve hours per day 6 days a week, nearly double the standard American workweek.
As it became more common in China several years ago, workers pushed back online, leading the country’s Supreme People's Court to rule that the practice is illegal. Nonetheless, some U.S. workplaces, particularly in Silicon Valley, have started to embrace it. Certain AI startups, for example, have adopted the model, arguing speed is essential to compete globally. The underlying assumption is that whoever works longest gets there first.
That logic presumes exhaustion doesn’t diminish innovation. Research suggests otherwise.
The Impact of 9-9-6 on Mental Health and Wellbeing
The 9-9-6 work culture increases psychological distress and job burnout.
Burnout Risks Associated with extended work hours
Studies link prolonged overwork to concentration problems, memory deficits, and impaired decision-making. Employees experience anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Physical symptoms follow cardiovascular problems, gastrointestinal issues, chronic headaches.
The costs compound quickly:
- Burned out employees drag down team morale and collaboration
- Absenteeism rises as health deteriorates
- Presenteeism increases, with bodies at desks but minds elsewhere
- Turnover accelerates as top performers seek sustainable environments
When your best people start looking for the exit, the competitive advantage from long hours evaporates.
Distinguishing Crisis Mode from Unsustainable Schedules
Some industries have legitimately intense periods. Tax accountants face crunch time in March and April. Retailers manage holiday rushes. Software teams push toward product launches. These temporary sprints, when managed properly with recovery time built in, differ fundamentally from making 72-hour weeks permanent.
Temporary high-intensity work followed by recovery allows employees to sustain performance without long-term health consequences. The body and mind can handle short bursts of stress when rest follows. What they cannot handle is relentless, unending demand with no respite.
Organizations considering extreme schedules need to ask honest questions. Is this truly temporary, or are we calling something "temporary" that's been going on for months? Have we built in recovery time, or do we plan to move directly from one crisis to the next? Are we understaffed and using long hours to compensate, or is this genuinely exceptional demand?
The answer to managing high-workload periods isn't adopting 9-9-6. It's understanding how to support employees through genuinely intense periods while maintaining boundaries that protect long-term wellbeing and productivity.
How HR Can Address Challenges of Extended Work Hours
When organizations face high-workload periods, HR's first responsibility is ensuring legal compliance and employee protection.
Legal and ethical considerations for hr teams
The Fair Labor Standards Act requires overtime pay for non-exempt employees working beyond 40 hours. Companies can't simply classify everyone as exempt to avoid this, since misclassification triggers Department of Labor investigations, back pay requirements, and potential lawsuits.
State laws add complexity. For example, California requires daily overtime for work exceeding eight hours and double time beyond 12 hours in a day. Many states with worker-friendly labor laws impose similar requirements that make extended schedules expensive if not managed carefully.
Beyond compliance, there's duty of care. Even during legitimately busy periods, employers are responsible for providing psychologically safe working conditions. The key is transparency about duration, clear endpoints, and planned recovery periods.
The business case for protecting employees during intense periods is clear. Organizations that manage high workload times poorly face increased healthcare costs, expensive turnover, and reduced productivity despite longer hours. Replacing one employee typically costs 50% to 200% of their annual salary, which means that short-term gains from extended hours get wiped out by long-term costs.
The Role of EAP Programs in Supporting Employees Under High Workload
During legitimately intense work periods, Employee Assistance Programs become critical infrastructure for preventing temporary stress from becoming chronic burnt out.
Using eap services to rpovide mental health support
Employee Assistance Programs provide confidential, professional support for work-related stress, personal challenges, and mental health concerns. Most offer assessment services, short-term counseling, specialist referrals, and 24/7 crisis hotlines. Unlike permanent 9-9-6 schedules that guarantee burnout, temporary high-intensity periods paired with EAP support give employees tools to manage stress effectively.
These comprehensive services recognize that personal challenges compound work stress. An employee managing eldercare arrangements during a product launch faces dual pressure. EAP resources help prevent that combination from becoming overwhelming.
Management consultation is often overlooked but valuable during intense periods. EAP professionals advise supervisors on addressing performance concerns that may stem from stress, supporting both the employee needing help and the manager trying to provide it without making things worse.
measuring the effectiveness of hr and eap interventions
During high-intensity periods, data becomes essential for spotting problems before they cause lasting damage.
- Track EAP utilization rates, employee satisfaction scores from pulse surveys, absenteeism patterns, and turnover rates, especially among high performers.
- Review healthcare claims data for stress-related conditions. These metrics reveal when temporary intensity is becoming unsustainable.
- Numbers alone don't tell the full story. Anonymous feedback mechanisms let employees report workload concerns without fear. Regular check-ins during intense periods show leadership is paying attention.
Early intervention requires spotting warning signs and training managers to recognize these signals and respond appropriately.
Most importantly, measure whether interventions work. Establish baselines before implementing changes. Track whether stress management programs or expanded EAP services help employees navigate intense periods without burning out.
3 Strategies to Promote Sustainable Work Practices
The difference between manageable intensity and toxic overwork comes down to leadership choices.
1. leadership's role in creating sustainable work environments
Even organizations that don’t fall into the 9-9-6 trap can inadvertently send the wrong message. Executives who send emails at midnight during normal periods create expectations that make temporary crunch times unmanageable. Leaders who model boundaries consistently make occasional busy periods the exception rather than the norm.
How work gets valued matters. When organizations celebrate outcomes rather than hours worked, the focus shifts to accomplishment instead of endurance.
Sometimes what looks like a temporary crunch is actually chronic understaffing. Leaders need to examine whether extended hours compensate for inadequate resources.
Companies serious about sustainable intensity build recovery time into project timelines. After a product launch, reduce meeting schedules. Following tax season, require time off. One approach recognizes human limits. The other denies them.
2. Building Resilience and stress management programs
Build resilience before crisis hits, not during it.
Organizations that offer stress management workshops before crunch time give employees tools they can use when pressure increases. Waiting until burnout sets in means intervening too late.
Train managers to spot warning signs early. Declining performance despite longer hours signals a problem. Increased irritability indicates stress is becoming unmanageable. Supervisors need skills to address these concerns before they escalate.
Make EAP resources visible and accessible. When executives acknowledge using support services during challenging periods, it normalizes getting help instead of toughing it out alone.
3. Promoting employee engagement despite long hours
High engagement during challenging periods requires autonomy and transparency, not additional hours.
Employees who understand why intensive periods are necessary and how long they'll last maintain motivation better than those kept in the dark. Clear communication about duration and recovery plans builds trust.
Acknowledge the difficulty rather than pretending extended hours are sustainable. This honesty contrasts sharply with 9-9-6 culture, which frames relentless overwork as opportunity.
Give employees control over how they complete tasks during high-pressure periods. Autonomy creates ownership, while micromanagement creates resentment.
How Ulliance EAP Helps Employees Manage Stress and Work-Life Balance
Ulliance takes a comprehensive approach to employee wellbeing that recognizes the difference between sustainable intensity and destructive overwork.
We work with organizations to build cultures that support wellbeing proactively, helping HR teams identify risk factors and develop strategies before temporary intensity becomes chronic burnout.
This approach helps organizations avoid the trap of schedules like 9-9-6 by building sustainable practices from the start.
When you partner with Ulliance, our Life Advisor Consultants are always just a phone call away to teach ways to enhance your work/life balance and increase your happiness. The Ulliance Life Advisor Employee Assistance Program can help employees and employers come closer to a state of total well-being.
Investing in the right EAP or Wellness Program to support your employees will help them and help you. Visit https://ulliance.com/ or call 866-648-8326.
The Ulliance Employee Assistance Program can address the
following issues:
• Stress about work or job performance
• Crisis in the workplace
• Conflict resolution at work or in one’s personal life
• Marital or relationship problems
• Child or elder care concerns
• Financial worries
• Mental health problems
• Alcohol/substance abuse
• Grief
• Interpersonal conflicts
• AND MORE!
References:
Breaking Down Burnout in the Workplace; Mayo Clinic Press; Dr. Stephen Swensen & Dr. Tait Shanafelt
https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/mental-health/breaking-down-burnout-in-the-workplace/
Optimizing for Employee Well-Being: A Holistic Approach for HR Leaders; SHRM Labs; Quentin Gause https://www.shrm.org/labs/resources/optimizing-for-employee-well-being-a-holistic-approach-for-hr-leaders
The '9-9-6 Work Schedule' Could Be Coming To Your Workplace Soon; Forbes; Bryan Robinson https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2025/08/04/the-9-9-6-work-schedule-could-be-coming-to-your-workplace-soon/