A new Microsoft study adds to the growing evidence that the workweek will never be the same as before the pandemic. Microsoft Teams chats (outside of the typical workday) increased more than any other segment early in the pandemic, mainly between 6 pm and 8 pm. Even though the worst of the pandemic might be over, the phenomenon called the “triple peak day” persists, and employees show no signs of returning to the traditional 9-5 workdays.
What is the Triple Peak Day?
White-collar professionals used to have two production peaks during the day: just before and right after lunch. However, the pandemic forced many individuals to work from home, creating a third peak in the hours leading up to bedtime. Microsoft researchers have termed this behavior the “triple peak day”. Although not everyone sneaks in a few emails or an hour of serious work at 9 or 10 pm, many employees do. According to the research, about 30 percent of those surveyed took advantage of the hours before bedtime to get a little more work done.
Why Does it Matter?
The triple peak day demonstrates how the blurring of work and life when workers operate remotely has resulted in a massive increase in meetings and an overall extension of the workday by an hour or two. People are not simply working differently — they are working longer and less efficiently on average.
According to the Microsoft graph, nearly the same number of people work at 10 pm as at 8 am. The study’s coverage delves into people using more flexible schedules to carry on their assignments, possibly after the kids have gone to bed. While these may seem valid reasons for working so late, the research also considers the drawbacks of work hours overlapping with typical non-work hours.
In the opinion of bestselling author and journalist Derek Thompson, it shows that we need a more profound philosophy of work and time. Modern managers must find a better balance between forcing employees to be present at specific times (for example, for virtual meetings) and allowing them to work autonomously.
These days, our late-night micro workdays are a manifestation of benign flexibility. They are also the result of inflexible supervisors jamming the day with meetings to the point where workers have to add a work night to get their work done.
The appeal of remote work is exemplified by the triple peak day — the ability to work whenever your schedule and energy levels allow. That promise, however, can only be fulfilled if staying productive late at night is a conscious decision. It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that the return to the keyboard between 9 pm and 10 pm is beneficial to their team.
Early burnout results from working all three peaks at the same time. According to research, breaks are essential for productivity and well-being.
What To Do About It
According to Microsoft’s research, the onus is on the workplace leaders to keep employees in check. Many organizations still organize meetings for hours during the day. In a 2022 MIT-Sloan study, organizations that outlawed meetings three days a week saw a 73 percent increase in output.
Cutting the total number of meetings rather than just corralling them into specific days is a complementing but probably more difficult measure. This can be tough because it frequently necessitates finding polite ways to inform individuals that they have been squandering everyone’s time.
Almost every company would benefit from devoting at least one or two days a week to uninterrupted attention and no meetings. Having a group reassess whether a meeting is genuinely necessary is preferable to having a meeting that could have been summarized in an email.
Also, supervisors should inform their staff of the triple peak day’s potential risks. Managers working with teams on stated rules is one strategy to combat the constantly active mentality. It is also wise to verify the rules with those who may feel compelled to labor 24 hours a day to keep up.
Finally, the researchers suggest that you might mean setting your emails to send just during business hours if you enjoy working late. This relieves the burden to respond at all hours when activity is not required.
The Triple Peak Is Not All That It Seems
Working late isn’t something new, and people have worked late for decades. However, the triple peak day gives “burning the midnight candle” a new meaning. What’s different now is that almost every workforce sector is merging home and work duties. For example, writers, programmers, consultants, and researchers now set their hours based on their personal preferences and workload. Employees are working later into the night than ever before, which could lead to unhealthy work-life practices if there are no limits. However, one cannot dismiss the triple peak day phenomena as a threat to healthy working habits either, as, for many, it remains central to their productivity. The answer — as in everything else — lies in finding the right balance.
