The Shift Towards Personalized Work Hours

The 9-to-5 workday is a relic that’s holding us back. This model dates back to the industrial revolution when factory workers needed set hours to keep the machines running. But we’re not living in an industrial age anymore, so why are we still working like we are? 🤔 A Quick History Lesson 🤓 In agrarian societies, work was dictated by the seasons and daylight hours, not the clock. Farmers worked in bursts, with periods of intense labor followed by rest. This natural ebb and flow is much closer to how our bodies and minds are designed to work. The 9-to-5 grind? It’s the complete opposite of productive. David Graeber nails it in Bullsh*t Jobs: “Huge swathes of people spend their days performing tasks they secretly believe do not really need to be performed.” This is the essence of why the traditional workday is flawed. Here’s Why the 9-to-5 is B.S.: One Size Doesn’t Fit All: People have different peak productivity times. Some are early birds, others are night owls. Forcing everyone into the same schedule ignores individual work rhythms and can actually decrease productivity. Burnout Central: The rigid 9-to-5 can lead to burnout. Long commutes, lack of flexibility, and the pressure to perform within set hours can take a toll on mental and physical health. Stifles Creativity: Creativity doesn’t adhere to a schedule. Forcing creative processes into a 9-to-5 framework can stifle innovation and lead to mediocre outcomes. Ignores Personal Life: Life doesn’t stop outside work hours. The 9-to-5 doesn’t accommodate personal responsibilities and emergencies, leading to stress and work-life imbalance. Graeber again: “We have become a civilization based on work—not even ‘productive work’ but work as an end and meaning in itself.” So, what’s the alternative? Flexible Schedules: Let people work when they’re most productive. Boost efficiency and job satisfaction by honoring individual work rhythms. Outcome-Based Work: Focus on what gets done, not when it gets done. Measure success by results, not hours logged. Compressed Workweeks: Think four-day workweeks or compressed hours. Studies show shorter workweeks can actually boost productivity and well-being. Core Hours: Set core hours for meetings and collaboration, but allow flexibility outside of those times. The future of work isn’t about clinging to outdated models. It’s about embracing flexibility, fostering creativity, and prioritizing well-being. The 9-to-5 is dead; it’s time we move forward. How do we break free from the 9-to-5 grind and create a work culture that actually works? 👇

At exactly 5 p.m., a former colleague stationed himself near the exit, shouting "goodbye" to colleagues leaving. He wanted to make sure our boss knew who stayed beyond regular hours and who left promptly. This strategy was deliberate; employees, especially women, felt pressured to avoid leaving exactly at or just before 5 due to fear. Many women in the office began stashing their purses and coats in the restroom to avoid appearing as though they were leaving but rather taking a brief bathroom break. The lengths we went to hide the fact that we had lives and obligations outside of work were ridiculous. Now, despite having personal laptops and phones that blur the boundaries between work and personal life, the pressure to "stay late" continues. And so, people find it challenging to juggle responsibilities such as school pick-ups, evening activities, or simply making dinner alongside their #workload. This should not be.  A #flexible workday, anchored by core hours (such as 10 am to 4 pm), allows people to connect with colleagues while acknowledging that they may not be available outside these core hours. This empowers employees to manage their workload according to their personal schedule, fostering a healthy #worklifebalance without needing to hide their life from work. 

“Rush hour,” as we knew it, is apparently over. While it’s imperfect, I see this as a good thing. Before flexible working became a thing, it was standard to face bottleneck traffic in the morning and early evening at the same daily. Now that workers have much more autonomy over their schedules, (or may not be working in person at all) and there's been a significant drop in public transportation use, those trends have shifted considerably. Many employees are aiming to be in the office less and are engaging in “coffee badging,” which means they might rush into the office for a meeting or event and then rush back out. As a result, we’re seeing more of a “midday rush hour” now and less predictability around traffic patterns. Anecdotally, I’m seeing that workers are structuring their in-person time around their familial obligations, something that wasn’t a possibility when I was raising my kids. My son, for example, commutes after he drops my granddaughter off at school and, when needed, he'll race back at 3pm to pick her up. On those days, he works additional hours after bath and bedtime. I know many employers aren’t thrilled about this. But with the direction childcare costs are going (up, up, up!), and with many workers having now gotten a taste of a more flexible lifestyle, they will likely now choose the job that offers flexibility, incentives, creative opportunities and building a career that fits the family unit. If possible, I’m all for it. #flexiblework #hybridwork #workfromhome #WFH #remotework https://lnkd.in/eGE98wwx