The 9-to-5 workday is dying, according to new research
Image: Maura Thomas
The modern workday is no longer strictly confined to the hours of 9am–5pm, according to a new report from Microsoft.
The company’s data, drawn from millions of global users of Microsoft 365's productivity apps (Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint, etc.), identifies a “seemingly infinite workday” with no clear start or finish for many knowledge workers.
- 1 in 5 meetings now happen outside the typical eight-hour workday, with meetings held after 8pm increasing 16% over the past year, Microsoft found.
- The average employee in Microsoft’s online ecosystem also sends or receives 50+ messages/day outside of core business hours.
Increased flexibility—or increased frequency?
Working outside normal business hours can be experienced differently depending on the situation. A separate study from Microsoft Research found remote workers often see their evening work hours as a valuable window for quiet, productive catch-up, but hybrid employees typically experience that same time as a source of stress.
The increase in off-hours work also isn’t explicitly tied to higher workloads for employees. Workers are now more distributed across the US and world than ever, thanks to the rise of remote work, with ~30% of all meetings in Microsoft’s ecosystem now spanning multiple time zones (up from 22% in 2021).
But…At the same time, a growing share of workers report having to work additional hours in recent months as companies reduce hiring, cut costs, and add more job responsibilities.
- Mentions of employee burnout on Glassdoor rose 32% last quarter compared to a year earlier, reaching their highest level since data started being tracked in 2016.
- 63% of US workers said they had recently been asked to take on additional responsibilities, according to a Gallup survey released last summer, up from 47% in early 2023.
📊 Flash poll: To all our working readers—how do you feel about the increasing shift away from a traditional 9-to-5 workday?
See a 360° view of what pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that if more employers truly embraced flexible schedules and allowed employees to work at the times that are best for them, the benefits would be a healthier and more productive, creative and loyal work force.
- Others contend that the trend away from the typical 9-to-5 schedule is a good thing, since normal doesn’t conform to most people’s lives or workflows, and the best hours for productivity vary from person to person.
- “The 9-to-5 Schedule Should Be the Next Pillar of Work to Fall” –Emily Laber-Warren, NY Times
- “It’s time to kill the 9-to-5 workday” –Rebecca Greenfield, Bloomberg
- “The case for a shorter workday” –Kate Morgan, BBC
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that innovations which empower people to work outside the normal 9-to-5 often end up not so much empowering workers as creating a situation in which too many people have precarious lives.
- Others contend that there’s no question it pays to disconnect from work after a long day, but employees increasingly are reluctant or ashamed to do so—even when encouraged by bosses—due to today’s “always on” work cultures.
- “Why The Debate About Remote Work Misses The Point” –Roger Trapp, Forbes
- “Our Bosses Tell Us to Unplug From Work. We Don’t Believe They Mean It” –Salvatore Affinito, Casher Belinda, and Timothy Kundro, WSJ
- “Flexible Work Was The Promise. The Infinite Workday Is The Reality” –Nirit Cohen, Forbes
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