Employees aren’t slacking off — they’re ‘microshifting’: This is how WFH boosts overall productivity

Work smarter, not harder.

A caller study has revealed that workers’ penchant for a elastic distant activity schedule continues good aft nan COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Video convention tech institution Owl Labs released its ninth yearly State of Hybrid Work report, uncovering that 65% are willing successful “microshifting” — described arsenic “structured elasticity pinch short, non-linear activity blocks matched to your energy, duties aliases productivity.”

This method allows workers to do their activity erstwhile they’re astir productive and not accent astir individual productivity, reimagining nan emblematic 9-to-5.

Microshifting entails splitting activity into chunks while knocking retired unrelated chores and errands successful nan in-between time.

Rather than sitting astatine a table and toiling uninterrupted for 8 hours, this method breaks up nan workday into short, aggravated spurts of productivity.

For example, possibly you spell done your inbox, past region to return nan canine for a walk; log connected early to get a caput start, past return a break for a workout class; aliases prime up nan kids from schoolhouse successful nan day and push emails to nan evening.

According to nan report, managers are much than 3 times (79%) arsenic apt to microshift their workday arsenic their subordinates.

Additionally, caregivers are almost much than 3 times arsenic apt to for illustration microshifting arsenic non-caregivers.

Gen Z and millennials are large fans of nan microshifting idea, pinch astir 7 successful 10 sharing that they would for illustration this activity style.

The study recovered that astir labor were consenting to springiness up 9% of their yearly net successful speech for elastic moving hours — and 8% for a four-day workweek.

“Microshifting is simply a awesome measurement for labor to equilibrium their individual responsibilities alongside work,” Kickresume cofounder and CEO Peter Duris told Fast Company.

“If you person nan action to activity microshifts, it could beryllium worthy discussing pinch your manager. This whitethorn beryllium particularly game-changing for parents aliases carers.”

Microshifting is viewed arsenic mini sprints of activity alternatively than a chance to slack disconnected and procrastinate. A bully extremity is to fig retired what clip of time you’re astir productive and do your astir important tasks then.

Previous research has shown that shorter, intentional activity intervals thief pinch attraction span and productivity, preventing cognitive fatigue and sustaining nan power to grind successful connected nan task astatine hand, and that hours clocked astatine activity don’t needfully adjacent productivity levels.

“Workplaces aren’t arsenic rigid and system arsenic they erstwhile were,” Duris said. “Flexibility is 1 of nan astir communal and sought-after perks successful a job, whether that’s having nan action to activity from location aliases moving elastic hours.”