ServiceNow CFO Urges Focus on Sustainable Work Habits
Business leaders should prioritize recovery time to model sustainable performance standards for their organizations.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Remote Work
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ServiceNow president and CFO Gina Mastantuono warns that excessive work hours set a negative standard for employees. The leadership perspective emphasizes the necessity of recovery time for maintaining high performance in business operations.
Why it matters
Executive work habits directly influence company culture and retention by establishing the expected pace of operation. Modeling sustainable schedules helps prevent burnout in demanding corporate environments.
ServiceNow maintains a market capitalization of $157 billion, an enterprise scale that highlights the impact of its executive culture. Recent discussions noted the contrast between sustainable recovery and extreme work practices like 14-hour days with only 4 hours of sleep.
The players
Gina Mastantuono
The president and CFO of ServiceNow, a cloud-based platform company that automates enterprise IT operations.
ServiceNow
A cloud-based platform provider with a $157 billion market capitalization that facilitates digital workflows for large enterprises.
The details
Mastantuono suggests that integrating recovery time is essential for high-level decision-making and leadership effectiveness. By drawing parallels to athletic training, she argues that the ability to make real-time adjustments and adapt to changing circumstances is a skill sharpened by sports participation. Executives are encouraged to model sustainable habits rather than the extreme work schedules that historically defined corporate endurance.
Timeline
October 2026: Gina Mastantuono participated in a panel discussion in Santa Barbara, California.
Market Landscape
This shift in executive philosophy marks a departure from the historical culture of long-duration corporate work hours. It signals an industry-wide pivot toward viewing employee recovery as a strategic component of long-term operational resilience.
Business owners should assess whether internal communication or leadership behavior unintentionally rewards burnout over sustainable performance. Evaluate whether current operational demands require staff to adopt habits that are ultimately incompatible with long-term productivity.
The takeaway
Sustainable leadership requires the active integration of recovery periods to maintain high-level decision-making capabilities. Monitor your management team to ensure they are modeling habits that support long-term staff retention rather than temporary intensity.
Further reading
Learn more about evolving workplace standards at the Remote Work section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Entrepreneur.
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Do you believe working long hours is necessary to prove your dedication to an employer?
