Nearly two-thirds of UK office workers say their fixed working hours do not consistently match the times they feel most energised, according to research from instantprint.
Key takeaways
- Review meeting times as well as start and finish times.
- Protect focus periods and give employees scope to organise demanding tasks.
- Treat chronoworking as an approach to explore, rather than proof of a productivity gain.
The survey of 2,000 UK office workers found that 58% work to set start and finish times. Meanwhile, 41% said they postpone demanding tasks because they feel mentally flat when those tasks are scheduled.
A generational gap in the working day
Gen Z respondents were most likely to report a disconnect between their working hours and natural energy peaks, at 74%. The figure was 68% among millennials, 55% among Gen X and 42% among Baby Boomers.
There were differences between sectors too. Some 71% of marketing, advertising and creative services workers reported a mismatch, compared with 67% in IT and technology, 59% in financial and professional services and 48% in public administration.
These are employees’ reported experiences. They do not establish that changing working hours alone will improve performance, and factors such as caring responsibilities, commuting, workload and autonomy may also shape how people experience the day.
Ultimately, flexibility should not just be about where people work. It should also be about helping them do their best work when they are most equipped to do it.
Practical changes to explore
The findings add to the discussion around chronoworking: organising tasks around individual patterns of alertness and energy. For HR teams, this could mean reviewing how work is scheduled without necessarily changing contracted hours.
instantprint recommends asking employees when they feel most productive, reviewing recurring meetings, protecting time for focused work and allowing complex or creative tasks to be scheduled during higher-energy periods where operational needs permit.
For managers, the practical question is whether the team calendar supports concentration and collaboration. Testing small changes and reviewing outcomes can help avoid assuming that everyone works best on the same timetable.
About the research: Findings are from an instantprint survey of 2,000 UK office workers. The supplied release does not specify fieldwork dates. Read the findings and Workplace Energy Check.
