As companies shifted their operations remote overnight, employees began working at their own pace, at their own time. At the time, many reports had come up that the future of work would be flexibility in terms of working hours and location. And as per a latest report, that has started happening.
Bye bye 9-to-5
The standard 9-to-5 workday has now transitioned to more of a 10-to-4 routine, according to a 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard by INRIX Inc, a traffic analysis firm. This shift means fewer people are commuting during the early hours, creating a new trend in daily traffic flow.
With fewer people hitting the road in the early morning or evening, traffic congestion has now shifted to the middle of the day. A CNBC report quotes Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst who authored the INRIX report, saying, "We’re seeing less activity in the morning and evening but much more around noon."
Surprisingly, the number of trips made around noon is now almost equal to those at 9 am and 5 pm What was once a lull between morning and evening traffic has transformed into a peak period of congestion.
Work-life balance takes center stage
The report also quotes David Satterwhite, CEO of Chronus. He says that many employees have embraced the ability to work remotely and only come into the office when absolutely necessary. This might mean arriving late, leaving early, or coming in for a brief meeting before heading back home.
This trend, often called “coffee badging,” has become widely accepted as employees pop into the office for short stints and then continue their workday elsewhere. A recent survey from Owl Labs found that 58 percent of hybrid workers admitted to checking into the office for just a few hours before leaving.
These days, more workers prioritise work-life balance, flexible hours, and mental health support over climbing the corporate ladder. Many are reluctant to spend more time at the office than necessary. In fact, if the option to work from home were removed, 66% of workers said they would start searching for a new job that offered more flexibility, according to Owl Labs. Of those, around 39% would quit right away.
In January this year, a study conducted by Randstad also revealed that workers prioritise work-life balance over salary when evaluating potential job opportunities. According to the study, 57 percent of employees would reject a job offer if it negatively impacted their work-life balance.
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