Over the last few years, hybrid work has emerged as a preferred work style. This change has led to the idea of microshifting, allowing workers to complete their work duties during periods of time that align seamlessly with their personal schedules. This new way of working is all about productivity through focused work in sprints, then time blocks where you can focus on your personal life. Surveys have found that hybrid workers are picking up side jobs in record numbers. Almost a third of them maintain other responsibilities on top of their usual work.
Microshifting isn’t just a new workplace trend, it’s an indicator of a bigger change. As hybrid workers go to make flexible work a reality, so must the practice of adapting work schedules to accommodate personal lives. In fact, over a third (34%) of hybrid workers are currently spending four days a week in the office. That’s a huge increase from only 23% a year ago! This increasing visibility in real-world office spaces underscores the hybrid work happy medium that so many are looking for between home and the office.
Gen Z workers especially appreciate flexible work schedules, as 61% of them appreciate their workplaces giving them the freedom to set their own hours. Millennials—including many of our students—who are sometimes balancing two or three jobs while attending school, further appreciate the flexibility that microshifting provides. Three out of five employees—51%—say it’s difficult to make personal appointments during normal working hours, indicating a clear demand for more flexible workplaces.
Employees appear willing to make sacrifices for this flexibility, with many indicating they would forego as much as 9% of their annual salary for the privilege of choosing their hours. Microshifting has a stunning productivity opportunity. Since you’re saving time you would have spent commuting or desk-bound, that time can now be reinvested in fulfilling personal pursuits, while enhancing your ability to concentrate on work projects.
Notably, experts emphasize that this more dynamic schedule has the potential to improve productivity relative to a static nine-to-five work pattern.
“The boundaries of the workday are being redefined, and employers would do well to adapt.” – Anonymous Source
Microshifting is quickly catching on. This consistent and significant trend is upending our understanding of work-life balance and how we cultivate it. Flexibility is not just a good-to-have, it is increasingly an expected feature of today’s workforce.