1. Do you think you will ever have an extreme job? Are you sure? Explain. 
2. Why do you think the number of extreme jobs has risen? 
3. Do you think organizations should encourage extreme jobs, discourage them, or completely leave them to an employee’s discretion? 
4. Why do you think people take extreme jobs in the first place?

Before Barbara Agoglia left her job at American Express, she was spending 13 hours a day working and commuting. She also had to be available via cell phone 24/7. The last straw came when she didn’t have time to wait with her school-age son at his bus stop. Carolyn Buck also has an extreme job. She usually works more than 60 hours a week for Ernst & Young and often has to travel to India and China.Agoglia and Buck are not alone. Most U.S. adults are working more hours than ever, but one group in particular stands out: those with extreme jobs—people who spend more than half their time working and commuting to and from work. More than 1.7 million people consider their jobs too extreme, according to a recent study.What accounts for the rise in extreme jobs? It’s not entirely clear, but the usual suspects of globalization, technology, and competitiveness are high on everyone’s lists.

As extreme as Agoglia and Buck’s jobs may seem, U.S. workers may have it comparatively easy. Most surveys indicate extreme jobs are worse in developing counties. A 2006 Harvard Business Review study of managers in 33 global companies indicated that, compared to U.S. managers, managers in developing countries were more than twice as likely to have extreme jobs.

For those who hold extreme jobs, personal life often takes a back seat. Forty-four percent take fewer than 10 vacation days per year. Many individuals with extreme jobs see society changing into a “winner takes all” mode, where those who are willing to go the extra mile will reap a disproportionate share of the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.

Why do people take extreme jobs (or allow their jobs to become extreme)? A 2006 study suggested that, for both men and women, the number one reason for working long, stressful hours is not pay. Rather, it’s the rush they get from doing stimulating or challenging work. As one Asian manager said, “Building this business in markets where no one has done anything like this before is enormously exciting. And important. We’ve built distribution centers that are vital to China’s growth—they contribute to the overall prospects of our economy.”

Although this sounds good, the situation is more complicated when you ask holders of extreme jobs about what their jobs cost them. Among them, 66 percent of men and 77 percent of women say their job interferes with their ability to maintain a home. For those with extreme jobs who have children, 65 percent of men and 33 percent of women say it keeps them from having a relationship with their children. And 46 percent of male and female extreme jobholders say their jobs interfere with having a strong relationship with their spouse. About half the members of each group say it interferes with their sex life. “I can’t even fathom having a boyfriend,” says one extreme jobholder. Another, Chris Cicchinelli, was so concerned about being out of touch with work during his honeymoon that he got a satellite phone. Even that didn’t help. He ended up cutting his 10-day honeymoon to 5 days. “I had major anxiety,” he said.