by Alyshia Hull
- Linda Le wanted to be challenged at work but not at the expense of her mental health so she quit.
- Le got another recruiting job elsewhere that provides flexibility, PTO, and a four-day workweek.
- She now has a healthy-girl job and she’s proud of Gen Z for making the workplace healthier.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Linda Le, a 24-year-old recruiter based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I used to work for a recruiting company where working long 60- to 80-hour weeks was glorified. The culture was all about hustle.
As a recruiter, I screened and sourced candidates as well as help them revise résumés and prep for interviews.
It felt like being the last one out of the office and choosing not to take vacations was a good thing. Then when I did take PTO, I was really just on call and could never truly unplug.
On a normal day, I was working 12 to 15 hours a day. I worked early mornings, nights and weekends just to keep up with the workload. I also had a two-hour commute to and from work, and right when I got home I went to bed.
Even though I performed well for the company, my mental health always felt like it came second. I’d come home from work and cry every single day. There were times where I felt like I was suffocating and couldn’t breathe.
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