The workplace has undergone a sea change since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when offices and employees have been forced to adopt a remote work style. It started the Great Resignation, silent pause and messy workwhere employees are in control of their work lives.
But three years later, as business has largely returned to normal, employees increasingly have to juggle a new burden: weekend work. While recent developments in the workplace have generally favored flexibility and prioritizing employee well-being, a tight labor market and the widespread adoption of remote work technology have forced some of the a work week that never ends.
On average, workers put in more hours on Saturdays and Sundays last year than in 2021, according to a report by ActivTrak, a workplace software company. Only 5% of all people surveyed work on the weekend in 2022. Their working time increased by 18 minutes to an average of 6.6 hours.
But for other industries, the number of weekend hours has increased significantly. In the tech industry, the number of weekend hours increased by 31% to 11.5 hours on average, while media workers put in 53% more hours on weekends, to an average of 10.7 hours .
ActivTrak’s report identifies employees at computer companies and media businesses with the largest gains in weekend work hours in 2022. The technology industry is particularly affected by layoffs at these companies. like AmazonAlphabet Google, Salesforceand Twitter. Since the start of 2023, more than 122,000 tech workers have been laid off from more than 400 companies, according to the layoff tracker, Delete.fyi.
The report identified two causes of weekend labor. First, mass layoffs, especially in tech, make it necessary for employees to pile on more work to make up for the shortfall in headcount. Second, employees trying to escape virtual calls and meetings in the hybrid workplace increasingly find that the weekend is the only time they can work without interruptions.
“As companies downsize and try to do more with less, it’s possible that work goes beyond the 5-day work week and into the weekend,” Gabriela Mauch, vice president of ActivTrak’s productivity lab, speaking luck. “We tend to see a lot of experimentation as companies start to realize that their way of working needs to be uniquely suited to their business and their people.”
The report from ActivTrak looked at data collected from 134,000 employees in 2021 and 2022 to examine trends in productivity, technology, and worker well-being.
The telecommuting option benefits workers by saving them money weekly commute time and productivity improvement. But the hybrid work did not come together successfully—some women struggling to draw boundaries when in hybrid schedules and workers may lose the things they desire in their professional life such as autonomy and connectivity.
The report also highlights trends in the digital workplace, once touted as the “new normal,” which have become simply “normal” as employees have more permanently adapted to changes over the past few years. .
“Over the past 3 years, flexibility has become more and more acceptable and for some, this means opting for a shorter weekday and shifting part of the work to the weekend,” he said. Mauch.
Even with greater flexibility in work style, employee well-being remains at risk. Burnout among American workers continues at an alarming rate 89% by 2022. And while the companies are there more proactive to help their employees get the support they need, even high-level executives struggle similar struggles.
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