As workers worldwide have faced challenges balancing work and personal life, 63% have thought about changing jobs due to stress at work in the United States, according to a VoiceNation survey. Some have switched to more flexible jobs, while others have adopted workplace trends like coffee badging, shadow policies, and quiet quitting, which employers do not appreciate.
However, an emerging work trend known as 'chronoworking,' which emphasizes flexibility tailored to individual work styles, could benefit everyone involved if implemented thoughtfully.
What is Chronoworking?
According to the BBC, journalist Ellen C. Scott originally coined the term chronoworking, which connotes a productivity technique that allows employees to forego traditional office hours and instead choose schedules that align with their chronotypes or circadian rhythms.
Circadian rhythms refer to the natural patterns at which individuals sleep, wake up, and reach peak productivity. Chronoworking offers increased flexibility as employees can arrange their work schedules to align with their personal needs and productivity patterns. According to a Ted Talk by American clinical psychologist and sleep doctor Michael Breus, approximately 55% of individuals experience peak productivity between 10:00 and 14:00 hours, 15% prefer early-morning starts, 15% work better late at night, and 10% have an erratic circadian rhythm that varies from day to day.
Traditionally, most workers adhere to standard nine-to-five work schedules despite variations in their circadian rhythms. Therefore, from a neuroscience and biological standpoint, chronoworking appears logical and particularly common among self-employed individuals and solopreneurs.
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How is Chronoworking Beneficial?
Workers who align their tasks with their circadian rhythm often experience increased productivity and perform tasks more efficiently. This alignment can enhance motivation and job satisfaction, potentially reducing feelings of stress and burnout. According to corporate wellness consultant Tawn Williams, individuals can promote a harmonious balance of mental, physical, and emotional well-being by scheduling work tasks during optimal times, resulting in improved productivity and overall job satisfaction.
Moreover, adopting this approach to work can enhance focus and empower workers to feel greater autonomy over their schedules. According to Dirk Buyens, professor of HR management at Vlerick Business School in Brussels, the concept of chronoworking particularly appeals to younger workers who value the flexibility to align their schedules with their most productive hours, as reported by the BBC. Beyond individual workers, Buyens suggests that companies can also reap benefits from this method. Allowing employees to work when they are most productive could increase overall output and enhance employee well-being, potentially leading to improved employee retention rates and creating a positive ripple effect within the organization.
Downsides of Chronoworking
While the chronoworking trend emphasizes flexibility, it also introduces challenges, particularly for teams with shared tasks or overlapping work hours. Team members must have some "crossover hours" to facilitate meetings and project collaboration. Maintaining effective communication requires awareness of each team member's working hours. Additionally, managers may face difficulties in monitoring staff productivity and ensuring the availability and supportiveness of all team members to the team and its leaders at all times.
Companies can address these challenges by implementing adaptive strategies. For instance, the CEO of London-based jobs platform Flexa, as reported by the BBC, shared that all 17 employees practice chronoworking. To maintain communication, the company mandates that all staff be online during core hours from 11:00 to 15:00, collectively tackling shared tasks. Additionally, some companies utilize software to record meetings for employees who are unavailable at the time, bridging the gap of asynchronous work.
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