Are you most productive first thing in the morning, coffee in hand, or late in the evening with the quiet of night? According to a report by Adobe, your answer may depend on which generation you come from. As our chart shows, while the ‘norm’ for all age groups resides in the traditional 9-6 office working hours, it’s not the case for everyone, and Gen Z in particular is made up of employees that don’t match the status quo.
According to The Future of Time report, 63 percent of Millennials, and 62 percent of Gen Z, agree with the statement, “I feel pressure to be working during office hours, even when I know I won’t be productive”. What’s more, people in younger generations appear to be more likely to say they feel the pressure to be available online, with 57 percent of Gen Z respondents saying they had to be contactable at all times of the day, even early morning or evening, in contrast to just 39 percent of Boomers and 47 percent of Gen X.
This is important because 56 percent of Gen Z workers, and 49 percent of Millennials planned to switch jobs in the past year, partly fuelling the Great Resignation. Reasons cited for the decision included the desire for a greater work-life balance, to be more in control of their schedules, and to be able to work remotely.
The 9-5 average workweek has now moved up to 45 hours on average, according to the report, with more people working longer hours than they did before the pandemic. This may partly be attributed to toxic productivity, as the HuffPost writes. However, there are also upsides to the new ways of working, such as flexiwork, which Fortune reports has been shown to “increase productivity, as well as job satisfaction.”
