Bye 9 to 5, hello 10 to 4: Employees are reaching office late and leaving early, shows data

A recent survey from Owl Labs stated that 58 percent of hybrid employees admitted to checking into the office for just a few hours before leaving. (Representational image)

Before the pandemic, 9 to 5 (9am to 5pm) is a time slot that a majority of office-goers would consider as their working hours. After the successive waves of Covid, professionals shifted to remote work and since last year, major companies across the world have been pushing their employees to return to working from the office. While people are still warming up to the return to office mandate, according to recent data, working hours in the office have unofficially reduced by two hours.

The standard 9-to-5 workday has now transitioned to more of a 10-to-4 routine, traffic analysis firm INRIX Inc has discovered. Their 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard stated that fewer professionals are commuting during the morning hours, creating a new trend in daily traffic flow that witnesses traffic congestions during the middle of the day instead of the peak morning and evening hour snarls.

Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst who authored the INRIX report told CNBC, "We’re seeing less activity in the morning and evening but much more around noon."

Work-life balance takes centre stage

The report also highlighted how work-life balance is becoming a priority for a growing number of professionals across the world. It quoted David Satterwhite, CEO of Chronus, as saying that many employees have embraced the ability to work remotely and only come into the office when absolutely necessary. This means that workers may arrive late and leave early, thus showing up at the office only for a brief meeting before heading back home. The phenomenon, also called “coffee badging,” has become a widely accepted norm in workplaces.

A recent survey from Owl Labs quoted by Business Insider found that 58 percent of hybrid employees admitted to checking into the office for just a few hours before leaving.

The survey also found that a growing number of professionals have been preferring a healthy work-life balance, flexible hours, and mental health support to climbing the corporate ladder. Several of them have said that they do not want to spend more time at the office than necessary and if the option to work from home were removed, 66 percent of them would start looking for a new job that offered more flexibility. As per the Owl Labs survey, 39 percent of the employees would quit right away.