9 to 5 Office Worker Will Become a Thing of the Past

In your personal life, when attending to business or working on side
projects, how often do you spend 8 consecutive hours in front of a
computer? It doesn’t make sense because we lose the ability to
concentrate effectively within a few hours.Everyone goes through
alternating periods of high and low mental acuity. There are days
when I work on personal projects for well over 8 hours, but the time
is always divided into multiple sessions. I might spend a few hours
coding a design, a few hours writing, and a few hours reading feeds,
moderating comments, and responding to email.

I work this way because it aligns with my mental energy cycle. Any
more than 3 hours in front of a computer and my eyes start hurting
and I become restless. I lose the ability to do my best work.
Instead of forcing myself to continue, I switch to an activity that
allows my mind to recharge. These breaks maximize productivity by
eliminating down periods. It’s counter productive to force work when
the mental energy isn’t there.

The Problem with an 8 Hour Work Day

A continuous 8 hour work day is a relic of the past. It makes sense
for physical labor and manufacturing work, but with information
workers it doesn’t account for the mental energy cycle. The ability
of a factory worker to think analytically is irrelevant, he’s either
cranking widgets or he isn’t.

In the case of the modern information worker, nearly all tasks
involve creative or strategic thinking. The way someone answers an
email or interprets a piece of information can differ drastically
depending on his or her energy level. Nobody does their best work
5:30 in the afternoon after they’ve been sucking down coffee all day
to stay awake.

I can’t speak for all workers, but I’ve observed that productivity
levels generally peak twice a day — first thing in the morning and
shortly after lunch. The most productive period is the beginning of
the day. People are capable of creative tasks like writing and
solving complex technical problems. After a couple hours of intense
work, energy levels drop and workers downgrade to less demanding
tasks like responding to email and tinkering with existing
creations. Towards the end of the cycle, the mind is so cluttered
and drained that workers resort to “work related activities” that
appear productive but don’t contribute to the bottom line. The
afternoon cycle is similar but the productivity peak isn’t as high.
For different people the peaks and valleys will vary, but overall
I’d estimate only 3-4 hours a day could
be classified as highly productive.

This number isn’t caused by slacking. You can’t force an information
worker to be highly productive when the energy isn’t there. Workers
can try their hardest, but the work just won’t have that creative
edge. The low ratio of highly productive hours to total hours worked
is the result of the continuous 8 hour work day.

When workers reach the low energy part of the cycle, they can’t
recharge with a non-work activity. The only option is office
purgatory. You can’t be highly productive because you’re mentally
fatigued, but you can’t recharge because the 8 hour work day
requires the appearance of constant productivity. The result is
millions of unproductive workers trapped at their desks when they’d
rather be doing something else.

Alternative Work Arrangements

The obvious solution to this problem is planning around the mental
energy cycle by breaking the work day into multiple segments. The
traditional office setting doesn’t accommodate this because there
are few available recharge activities. People can’t do household
chores, run errands, or engage in recreational activities without
leaving the workplace.

Some companies have tried to make the work environment more
accommodating by offering meals, fitness centers, and special areas
for relaxation. Although these amenities are certainly an
improvement, they’re expensive for employers and only partially
satisfy employees.

The solution that makes the most sense is a remote work arrangement
because it reduces employer costs and allows employees to adjust
their work schedule to their mental energy cycle. When a worker
becomes mentally fatigued, they can go off the clock and engage in
recharge activities that are personally productive like exercise or
relaxation. When energy returns, the worker can start working again
at a high level, effectively cutting out the low productivity period
of the cycle. Employers don’t pay for unproductive time and
employees get to work in a more natural pattern that adjusts to
their personal lives.

Why isn’t everyone doing this already? Many workers already are, and
as commutes get worse and communications improve, the number will
continue to increase. Of course there will always be a need for
officeworkers in businesses (like doctor’s offices and law firms)
that require daily customer interaction, but for most companies it
really isn’t necessary.

There is also the argument that people need to collaborate in
person. This is steadily becoming less essential. Most office
communications are already done through email or instant messager.
Face to face meetings are certainly necessary, but for the vast
majority of lower and mid level employees meetings are the exception
and could be conducted via phone/video conference or condensed into
one or two days a week.

Another common objection is that employees will abuse remote work
arrangements by slacking off. I’m inclined to believe that most
adults value their employment enough that this isn’t a problem. In
cases where supervision is required, web cams and other technology
can used to monitor a worker.

I suspect the real reason remote work arrangements are still the
exception is inertia. Companies are used to doing business in the
office and are reluctant to change. There is also the presence of
office politics. If one person is given a remote arrangement,
jealous employees will complain. Doesn’t it make sense to give
everyone what they want and save a boat load of cash on office
space?

I may only be a kid in his 20’s, but I can tell when something just
makes sense. I perceive an increasing number of people are noticing
the same phenomena. Forty years from now we’ll be telling our
grandchildren about the olden days when everyone’s mommy and daddy
went to work in an office.