Remote work has opened the door for many changing workplace traditions, including changing the nine-to-five workday.
Key Details
- Hard workers and early risers are often associated with one another, but a recent study shows that most Gen Z employees prefer to begin their work at 6 p.m.
- In an Adobe study that sampled workers in the UK, U.S., and Japan, younger workers were found to be more productive in the evenings, Fortune reports.
- These younger employees prefer to work through the night and spend their downtime during the daylight hours.
- Only 6% of Boomers reported being productive from 6 p.m. to 3 p.m. compared to 26% of Gen Zers.
Why it’s news
Younger workers are reshaping the workforce in many ways as a new era of remote work changes how many companies view the office. Shifting the standard working hours is just the latest change Gen Z has brought in.
Gen Z is most likely to prefer working through the evening, and boomers are the least likely. Around 18% of millennials and 13% of Gen Xers prefer working from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Even with these changing preferences, workplaces still tend to favor early risers, Fortune reports. This may explain why the tendency to work through the night declines as workers age. Employees in more senior positions are more likely to start their day early.
However, remote work may allow more employees to work during the hours that best suit them. Younger employees are more willing than their older coworkers to quit a job in exchange for a more flexible employment opportunity. This could incentivize companies to be more accommodating.
Around half of Gen Z workers are already planning to leave their current jobs because of time and productivity conflicts, Fortune reports.
Flexible hours and an accommodating schedule are increasingly important to these young workers, yet few businesses are willing to update their hours.
Around 19% of U.S. businesses, 22% of UK businesses, and 12% of Japanese companies offer their employees flexible hours. This may be about to change. In just the last six months, a growing number of employers have started offering more flexible working hours, Fortune reports.
