[codenerdz]

I would love to be able to find the following information without seeming to be afraid of working hard:

"How often do you expect your employees to work extreme hours in order to be competitive in your company?"

If the culture of the company supports 60-80 hour weeks, it may not be apparent in a job interview... and even if it doesn't, asking this question incorrectly may paint you lazy or unwilling to put in time if(hopefully infrequently) necessary

[SatvikBeri]

You pretty much have to ask this of employees who would be at your level, not the employers. Even honest bosses can have a bit of a misconception as to how much their reports work, or they'll come up with a quick estimate that's based off of nothing.

[Tichy]

If you are unwilling to work 60-80 hour work weeks, what is the point in lying about it? Would you make an exception for some companies?

[codenerdz]

There is a difference between working 60-80 hour weeks all the time vs putting in a week of crunch time that happens rarely. Latter is oftentimes inevitable, whereas the former is a sign of poor time management IMHO.

There was nothing in my question about lying, It just seems that is very tough to emphasise your dislike of constant 60-80hr weeks and still be able to convey the fact that you wont shy away from a late night work when absolutely necessary.

[nandemo]

That's why the author writes "How often do you expect...". Of course you can choose a different wording if you want to be clearer. Also, note that this happens in a face-to-face conversation, so you can always gauge the reaction of the interviewer, qualify your question, etc. I usually ask "how are your working hours like?", and add that I'm used to working overtime and weekends -- that not only avoids the impression you mention, but also makes the interviewer more likely to be honest in their answer.

By the way, I wouldn't call someone who doesn't want to do overtime "lazy". For instance, just because I'm "used" to working long hours doesn't mean that I'm indifferent to it.