Last summer, the Robert Half firm surveyed American workers on their work schedule, and the verdict is in: 73% of employees with a “fragmented” schedule, which is the alternation of personal and professional tasks, say they have seen an increase in their productivity.
The survey refers to “windowed work”. Many parents (78%) said that this type of work made them more productive, yet 66% of those without children said the same thing.
In addition, there appears to be a “generational” factor in the appreciation of this type of arrangement as the percentage of those who feel more productive with a fragmented schedule declines with age:
- 78% of 25-40-year olds feel more productive with a fragmented schedule;
- 68% of 41-54-year olds feel more productive with a fragmented schedule;
- 61% of those 55 years and over feel more productive with a fragmented schedule;
Paul McDonald, Senior Executive Director of Robert Half, indicates:
« Whether it is windowed work or an alternative schedule, people are happier and more productive when they have control over the time and place in which they do their work. Providing employees with this flexibility will be very important when organizations begin to prepare for their return to the office. »
In conclusion of the press release, the Director of Robert Half recalls some good practices of working remotely, to ensure to maintain the workers’ productivity in the long term.
« Communication is key to ensuring everyone is aligned with the same priorities, projects stay on track and colleagues all feel motivated and accountable to achieve business goals. »
Other tips include identifying high-productivity hours, establishing large windowed work – one hour or more, the time to dive in and complete certain tasks – and share your calendar with your colleagues to ensure you are joined in a timely manner.
On a personal note…
This survey should not surprise anyone. Before the pandemic, companies that experimented the compressed 4-day week, for example, reported productivity increases offsetting the reduction in hours worked. Think of the famous experiments of Microsoft Japan and Perpetual Guardian, which each implemented a formula of 4-day weeks.
However, personally, I must admit that I had always doubted that more work could be done… by working less. In my opinion, a fragmented schedule made concentration more difficult since we had to constantly make the effort to return to interrupted work.
After seven months of the pandemic, experimenting with a fragmented schedule, where I had to alternate between work and child care at home all summer long, I must admit that there was productivity. And this, despite all compromises and acrobatics to bring home family and professional tasks in the same schedule.
At the end of the day, I see that I have done a similar workload to the previous year in a much shorter period of time. I must admit that I was wrong all along! Is the system sustainable in the long term? Perhaps that is the question that remains to be decided!
