Dive Brief:
- A new survey from CareerBuilder found that nearly 3 in 5 workers (59%) believe the traditional 8-hour work day has taken its place next to the dinosaurs and Dodo birds.
- The majority seem to say that the work day is expected to be longer – or at the very least, more work is completed outside traditional hours. 45% say they complete work outside of office hours and 49% say they check or answer emails when they are away from work.
- Conducted by Harris Poll in the spring, the survey of 3,244 full-time private sector workers across industries also found that workers in age groups 45 to 54 (65%) and 55 and older (61%) agreed that the typical eight-hour work day was toast. Interestingly, only 42% of younger workers, ages 18-42, said eight-hour days no longer are the norm.
Dive Insight:
Smartphones and other technology are the key drivers in the extended work window, and there are plenty of experts who say it's not a good thing. But it is the new reality, and telecommuters and home-based independent contractors often blend work with home life.
It's no surprise that older workers (55+) are less prone to work (60%) or check email (54%) away from the office, while today's millennials have little problem going there, as 59% say they do both.
In the end, while many blame digital media for this negatively perceived cultural change, one question is whether the people doing the most work at home would have been in the office longer anyway (the type A workaholic of past generations). Additionally, with calls for many companies to trim costs ever since the Great Recession hit, many are expected to do more with less people, placing pressure on employees to work hard to get ahead. Either way, work efficiency (rather than length of time worked) has become an HR concern as of late.