Dolly Parton
The 9-to-5 workday, which was the subject of Dolly Parton's "9 To 5" film and play is disappearing. Workers often work longer days checking emails and doing work from home, a recent Harris Poll found.
(Associated Press file photo)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - For generations, "nine to five" was such an accurate description of the office work week that it was a cliche -- a song, a movie, a way of life.
That's changing, according to a recent national Harris Poll of full-time, private sector employees. Instead, it is becoming, say, 9-to-3, and then 7-to-9.
The change allows some workers to enjoy richer personal lives because they can decide when and where they work. Others, however, find that they are never off the clock, or that their supervisors can change their schedules quickly and unpredictably, upsetting personal plans.
Either way, nearly 40 percent of the nearly 1,100 people interviewed said they continued to work outside of office hours. Half of respondents said they checked and responded to work emails before the workday started or after it was over, according to the survey done for CareerBuilder, the Chicago-based global human resource and recruitment firm. About 25 percent checked on work during activities with family and friends.
"Workers want more flexibility in their schedules, and with improvements in technology that enable employees to check in at any time, from anywhere, it makes sense to allow employees to work outside the traditional 9-to-5 schedule," said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder, in a news release.
"Moving away from a 9-to-5 workweek may not be possible for some companies yet, but if done right, allowing employees more freedom and flexibility with their schedules can improve morale, boost productivity and increase retention rates," she said.
Jenny Hawkins, visiting assistant professor of economics at Case Western Reserve University, said both societal and labor force trends have played a role in shifting away from the standard 9-to-5.
Many employees have demanded more flexible work schedules. Many employers have sought to meet this demand.
At the same time, she said some employers - in the name of flexible work schedules -- have misused the trend to create "an unstable work environment, " where the workload of employees increases, often without additional pay. Or employers choose to enhance profits by subjecting staffers to radically changing schedules that can upend workers' childcare arrangements or frustrate their efforts to take college courses while also holding a job.
"Getting flexibility doesn't necessarily mean you increase or you manage your leisure time better," Hawkins said.
Take Plain Dealer Business poll on the topic: Should employees be required to work more than the standard eight-hour workday?
The survey covered workers in the information technology, financial services, sales and professional and business services industries, which CareerBuilder said historically have had more traditional work hours. The online poll, taken May 14 to June 3, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.98 percentage points.
The survey also found:
- 20 percent of workers said work is the last thing they think about before going to bed.
- 42 percent said work is the first thing they think about when they wake up.
- Nearly 20 percent said they have a tough time enjoying leisure activities because they are thinking about work.
While both men and women tended to be tied to the electronic leash outside of work hours, men may find it harder to break away. The study found:
- Male employees were more likely than their female counterparts to work outside of office hours (44 percent versus 32 percent).
- Men were more likely to check or respond to work emails outside of work (59 percent versus 42 percent)
- Men checked more often on work activities while they are out with friends and family (30 percent versus 18 percent).
- However, female workers were more likely than male workers to go to bed thinking about work (23 percent versus 16 percent).
Hawkins said Millennials, those roughly 18 to 34 years old, who are now the largest generation in the labor force, favor flexible schedules. So do Gen Xers, those roughly 35 to 50, who are the second largest generation in the labor force, she said.
For example, Hawkins said most Millenials entered the labor market as technology made it possible for workers to no longer be tethered to their desks at work. She said this generation knows only of a labor force where free-lancers and contract workers are prevalent and stagnant wages have been the norm.
"The population who makes up the labor force has slowly evolved into demanding more flexibility to overcome pay," she said.
Hawkins said all these factors have contributed to the trend toward work flexibility.
Flexible hours are seen as being family-friendly, Hawkins said.
"As women have continued to enter the workforce, and with single mothers now maintaining nearly 25 percent of families with children, the demand for flexible schedules has increased," she said. "Additionally, around 40 percent of all families are now dual-workers, where a strict 9-to-5 workweek for both workers also is restrictive (for) vacation planning, etc."
Still, more time outside of work may remain an elusive goal for workers, regardless of age. The survey found most workers were checking in at the office outside of work hours.
- 31 percent of 18- to 24-year-old employees worked outside of office hours, compared to 50 percent of 45- to 54-year-old workers and 38 percent of workers ages 55 or older.
- 52 percent of workers ages 18-24 check or respond to work emails outside of work, versus 46 percent of workers ages 55 and older.
- 70 percent of workers 55 and older said they stay connected to the office by choice, compared to 56 percent of workers ages 18-24.
- Younger workers were also more likely than older workers to think about work before going to bed. Thirty-one percent of workers ages 18-24 versus 11 percent of workers ages 55 and above), or wake up thinking about work (59 percent versus 31 percent).