New data suggests that workers are at their most productive on Tuesdays while they tend to take it easier on Mondays and Fridays. The report, compiled by Prodoscore, looked at remote workers’ working patterns through the pandemic and compared it to 2019.
The report found that on certain days employees work at their best, but it’s not even across the entire week.
The state of remote work
After a year has passed since workers shifted from the office to remote working locations, employees have embraced the new normal and adjusted their homes into makeshift work stations in the wake of the pandemic. Sure, there were some speed bumps along the way (and maybe even still) but for the most, it’s worked out in favor of the employee. The once-clamored better work-life balance is here; no commutes, more time with the family, and less time (or virtually none) spent at the office.
Remote working was once feared by employers but the pandemic has proven that the model can work. Workers have reported being more productive than ever. That combined with decreased expenses on real estate has companies rethinking opening the physical office again once workers can be safely welcomed back to the workplace, with many planning to offer a hybrid work model and some forgoing the office entirely.
If your company is weighing its options in the coming year on whether to embrace a hybrid work schedule, employers might have an idea of when it’s best to have their workers working remotely.
The middle of the week — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — tend to be when employees are at peak productivity, according to the study. Mondays and Fridays are not which resembles a similar mindset that was seen in the office.
All work and no play
Other findings solidified what some feared earlier in the pandemic — workers are working more than before. The average start time between Jan. 2020 and Jan. 2021 became earlier, from 8:24 a.m. to 7:46 a.m. The end of the day also adjusted by nearly 45 minutes, moving from 5:31 p.m. to 6:12 p.m. Productivity tends to fluctuate during the work day; workers are their busiest around noon, according to the data.
Additionally, the findings suggest that production at home contains swings based on the time of the year. Researchers said that the first five months of the pandemic were when workers were most productive, but dips were observed during the late spring and summer months. Thanksgiving saw a 36% decline in productivity when compared to the week and month before and after the holiday. However, this finding mimicked behavioral patterns seen in the office in 2019, the report said.
“This research and analysis underscores why business leaders need to prepare to embrace flexibility in the workplace,” Crisantos Hajibrahim, chief product evangelist at Prodoscore, said in a statement. “It further demonstrates the imperative for businesses to be able to accurately measure productivity to support the distributed workforce. As we navigate the changes in our work environment, productivity intelligence software becomes even more critical, allowing business leaders to make informed, data-driven decisions to help employees achieve their highest levels of performance.”
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