Debating remote work? Then why not talk about when workers are most productive?

HERE’S ANOTHER WRINKLE to the debate over remote and hybrid work — it’s called chronoworking.

That’s not a word that rolls off the tongue easily, and it was new to me when I read a BBC Worklife story about it titled The ‘chronoworking’ productivity hack that helps workers excel.

So, what is “chronoworking?” As BBC Worklife explains,

“Originally coined by journalist Ellen C Scott, chronoworking enables employees to ditch standard office hours and pick schedules that match their personal “chronotypes” instead – the natural time at which their bodies want to sleep. … 

Chronoworking isn’t new, yet it has attracted more attention since the pandemic, as remote and hybrid work has mainstreamed, says Dirk Buyens, professor of HR management at Vlerick Business School in Brussels. “No longer do we all spend an hour or so on a commute between the set times of around seven to nine in the morning, and we can truly understand when we are most productive and how to get the most out of our job.”

Getting in touch with your natural rhythm

THE KEY TO CHRONOWORKING is getting in touch with your body’s natural rhythm of when you are most productive and able to maximize your ability to accomplish things. That usually doesn’t always happen in a regular work schedule.

Forbes noted that, “chronoworking … aims to fit work schedules around an individual’s circadian rhythm and optimum times of productivity, rather than the traditional 9-to-5 model.”

For example, morning people are generally more efficient at the start of the day, but their performance declines as the day goes on. Conversely, late-night types often struggle to get up and work early. They’re at their best later in the day or in the evening, making them better suited to a later work schedule.

All of this is because there are four specific chronotypes according clinical psychologist and “sleep doctor” Michael Breus. According to his surveys:

• 55% of people find their peak productivity in the middle of the day (10 am to 2 pm);
• 15% are best suited to early-morning starts;
• 15% are better working late into the night; and,
• 10% have a more erratic circadian rhythm, which can vary from day to day.

Suiting schedules to your most productive time

THE TRADITIONAL SCHEDULE –the  9-to-5, eight-hour workday — is still the norm, however. As a result, many people must work outside their preferred hours of peak productivity.

In one 2024 survey of nearly 1,500 American workers, 94% of respondents said this was the case, and 77% said mandated standard working hours impacted their job performance. To cope, nearly half say they take a nap during the workday; 42% load up on caffeine to maintain energy; and 43% use stress-management techniques, like mindfulness.

The BBC also made this point:

“Workers, especially younger ones, like the idea of suiting their schedules to their most productive hours – but companies also stand to benefit from chronoworking, adds Prof. Dirk Buyens. Allowing staff to work when they’re at their best could boost performance and well-being, with a knock-on positive effect on employee retention. ‘If workers are happy and that their managers allow them to work hours that suit their needs, they are going to be more likely to stay at the organization,’ he says.

It’s not a widespread phenomenon. Many companies still find it unconventional; and it simply can’t work for others, like customer-facing businesses or those tied to outside factors, like stock market hours. Yet some firms without these constraints – often with globally distributed workforces – are introducing it. “

A discussion we should be having

HERE’S MY TAKE: I agree with all the surveys and insightful thinking that’s coming out about the merits of chronoworking.

One of the great things about remote work — and I have been doing so since 2010, long before remote work was cool — is that you can usually adjust your work hours to your other needs, and that probably includes when you are the most productive.

Chronoworking is another good reason to embrace the concept of working remotely

But I wonder — will chronoworking actually help to make the case for remote work, or, is it just another issue that will distract people from the debate about whether it’s a sustainable and beneficial work practice?

Chronoworking could create practical challenges, as Prof. Dirk Buyens pointed out to the BBC:

“As much as the approach grants workers independence and the ability to have a non-linear workday, team members still need at least some “crossover hours” for meetings and shared projects. They also need to be aware of each person’s individual working hours. Managers may struggle, both with overseeing staff output and also making sure they are available and supportive leaders at all times, Buyens adds.”

All of that is good to consider.

Crossover hours for meetings and shared projects is at the heart of why so many executives believe that hybrid work that gets people into the office at least some of the time makes more sense than a full-blown remote schedule.

So why not add chronoworking to the remote discussion as well?

If we’re going to be sorting out how people should work for maximum benefit, a discussion around when they can be the most productive seems like something we should be having as well.

Other trends and insights …

And if you need your weekly fix of AI news … 

• Tech spending shifts to meet AI demand, forces a ‘reshuffling of skills’ for workers (From ComputerWorld.com)
• Exactly how GenAI can make us better colleagues (From FastCompany.com)
• Google pauses AI tool Gemini’s ability to generate images of people after historical inaccuracies (From TechCrunch.com)
• Why ChatGPT answered queries in gibberish on Tuesday (From ZDNet.com)
• 84% of employees are confused about what AI is – despite using it (From Unleash.ai)

ALSO: The headline in Fortune says it all — Gen Zers are treating employers like bad dates: 93% ghost interviews and 87% have not even shown up for their first day of work. Indeed surveyed some 1,500 businesses and 1,500 workers in the UK “and found that job ghosting is rife, with 75% of workers saying they’ve ignored a prospective employer in the past year.”

I RARELY TOUT other blogs. That’s mainly because it’s a dog-eat-dog world and other bloggers are probably never going to tout me or The Skeptical Guy.

And on the rare occasions that I do have something nice written about me, the author of said good tidings usually changes their mind, reverses course, and then does something very un-nice to make up for it.

So it goes.

But recently I found a fun and quirky blog that has a title that just makes you want to read it — Manage Like a Medieval.

The subtitle is what pulls you in: Enlightening Lessons from the Dark Ages for the Modern Corporate Warrior.

The About section tells you all that you need to know about this blog and is worth checking out. But here’s a little background that should give you a feel if this blog is for you:

“Manage Like A Medieval is created for modern managers who enjoy seeing how what they do today reflects what happened in the past.

When working in a modern corporation stresses you out, it can be helpful to know that this has all happened before. Crazy boss? Demanding clients? Chaotic organization? Yeah, it’s all been done. Some things never change. You can learn a lot about today by looking back to yesterday. More importantly, you can prepare for tomorrow. History doesn’t always repeat, but it often rhymes.”

I REALLY LIKE THIS BLOG, and that’s because “it can be helpful to know that this has all happened before.” It’s also educational, especially for those who don’t have a good sense of history and could use a little perspective on how today is reflected in things that have happened in the past. 

Want some examples? Here are a few recent posts that I found interesting:

• Abelard and Heloise – Doomed Workplace Romance. “Everyone knows that a workplace romance is a risky bet, but @SHRM says that 27% of American workers have been in a relationship with someone from their job. Back in 1116, Abelard and Heloise met on the job and fell in love. Then things went downhill.”
• Basil The Bulgar Slayer Needs Balance. “Basil The Bulgar Slayer was like a manager who exceeds all of their goals but has low employee engagement scores.”
• The Jacquerie – Jacques Bonhomme Sticks It To The Man. “Today, different kinds of employees get treated differently. When Jacques Bonhomme tried to stick it to The Man in France in 1358, he found out that different kinds of peasants got treated differently.”

Here’s one more thing the people behind this blog have to say about it in a section titled “Why would anyone visit this site?” —

“This is meant to be fun.

If you’re 1) interested in history and 2) want to think more about modern work but 3) find most business books a bit dry and 4) have a relatively low bar for humor, then come along and enjoy the ride. It’s free. There is no “premium tier” or monthly fee. If you’re looking for all the answers, you probably won’t find them here. But if you’re looking for a new way to think about the questions for why work works how it works, then you might be in the right place.”

It’s pretty good stuff, and you can also find Manage Like a Medieval on X (aka Twitter) as well. 

ONE LAST THING: Given the never ending number of books, blogs, and other writings about management that you can find everywhere, I was also struck by the fact that this blog takes a different twist on management than I have ever seen before.

If for no other reason, that makes Manage Like a Medieval  a great read in my book.  

Readers: I’ve been writing a version of this wrap-up for 20 years — from Workforce.com to TLNT.com to Fuel50 and now here. Let me know what you think at johnhollon@yahoo.com.