In the 1980s everyone worked for the weekend, so was proclaimed a hit of the time.
Weekend work is becoming more common in some industries as layoffs increase and workers seek time to focus, free from the barrage of meetings and other distractions.
According to ActivTrak, which analyzed nearly 175 million hours worked by 134,260 anonymous users of its productivity management software worldwide, average hours worked on Saturdays and Sundays last year increased 5% to 6.6 hours. While only 5% of all workers toil on weekends, certain industries, such as technology and media, saw hours worked increase by 25% or more in 2022 compared to the previous year. There are two reasons for this: job cuts allowing more work for fewer employees, and the need to escape the constant interruptions of Zoom calls and Slack chats that are part of today’s increasingly hybrid workplace.
“With more layoffs, companies are doing more with less, so you see an increase in weekend work in shrinking industries,” said Gabriela Mauch, vice president of ActivTrak’s productivity lab, which studies trends in its data. sets. “As people become more comfortable with the flexibility, it’s acceptable to check out at 3 p.m. on Fridays and work weekends.”
The weekend shifts are the latest example of the collapse of long-held workplace norms due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as calls for more employee flexibility clash with some employers’ desire to see employees in the office more often. While remote work has liberated desktop workers in many ways, allowing many to get their work done whenever and wherever they want, it has also tied them to collaboration and communication tools that can distract them with constant notifications. Increasing recent downsizing in technology, media and other industries has also complicated the picture, putting additional pressure on workers, who are already battling record burnout rates.
The most common weekend warriors, according to ActivTrak data, were technology professionals in computer hardware and services, as well as media workers and those in the consumer goods space. All of these groups have increased their weekend hours over the past year relative to 2021, most by double-digit percentages. Tech companies have laid off more than 122,000 employees so far this year, according to tracker Layoffs.fyi, and industry leaders such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Marc Benioff have said their workforce needs to get more out of fewer employees. Musk in particular has advised employees to adopt a “hardcore” culture or leave the company.
Other sectors such as energy, catering and healthcare saw weekend activity fall. One theory behind the difference, Mauch said, is that industries with more creatives may put more emphasis on weekend work. Service-oriented industries also tended to extend their weekend hours. A broader government survey found that by 2021, Americans will spend just 1.1 hours at work.
The ActivTrak report also found that the average work day in 2022 was 10 hours and 9 minutes, determined by the time between the first and last activity on an employee’s computer. The time spent on concentrated work has decreased slightly over the past year, while the number of minutes spent on multitasking has increased by a similar amount. Workers were more productive and focused in the first half of the year than in the second half, with Tuesday being the most productive day.
“Every culture is different,” Mauch said. “In one organization seven hours of work may be appropriate, in others it is twelve.”
Source: LA Times
Andrew Dwight is an author and economy journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of financial markets and a passion for analyzing economic trends and news. With a talent for breaking down complex economic concepts into easily understandable terms, Andrew has become a respected voice in the field of economics journalism.
