Working Hours: Are We Doing This Right?

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Alright, let’s get into the great debate that creeps into every workplace conversation: work hours. Are we truly that productive for eight hours straight? Or are we holding on to conventions that no longer fit?

I’ve been in corporate for long enough to have experienced both ends of this spectrum. In some jobs, workers are chained to their desks from 9 to 5, as though it is a sign of loyalty. Others? They punch out as soon as they’re eligible, regardless of whether they’ve achieved their goals. So, what’s the sweet spot? And should we even have one?

The Old School: 9 to 5 Hustle

In the old days, work was work. You punched in at nine, punched out at five, and that was it. This model made sense when people were doing repetitive work on assembly lines or shuffling paper in offices. But in an era of technology and flexibility, doesn’t a strict eight-hour workday feel… a little off? If you’re in a creative role, sometimes you just hit a flow and get all the work done in half the time.” Other days, you’re dragging. So why the rigid hours?

Flexibility Isn’t All a Buzzword

Let’s get real, a lot of us have those “power hours” where we’re on fire — slaying emails, completing projects, knocking every task out like a boss. But for the rest of the…