Americans working from home have regained the 60 million hours they spent commuting to the office each day. They are now using that time to get more sleep.
This is a lesson learned from a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The study analyzed data from the U.S. Time Use Survey to find out what U.S. workers spent their time doing when they weren’t stuck on crowded trains or stuck in traffic. Key Findings: Employees reduced total work hours and significantly increased the amount of time they spent sleeping and leisure.
A study by Professor Nick Bloom of Stanford University found that while many companies are trying to persuade their employees to return to the office, about 15% are still working fully remotely and 30% are using hybrid schedules. I’m here. While employees may use their commuting time to work instead, the researchers found that if other activities, such as laundry or exercise, replaced them throughout the day, the overall time spent at work would increase. was found to decrease.
“The findings lend credence to various reports that employees prefer flexible work arrangements. By reducing commuting, people can spend more time on other activities such as child care and leisure time. from,” the report’s authors wrote. “For those who want to work from home, this added benefit of telecommuting will be an important consideration for the future of flexible working arrangements.”
Younger workers were more likely to spend more time in leisure, such as going to bars and restaurants and exercising, while older workers were more likely to do household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for children. . All groups got more sleep. This finding alone is good news for the well-being of American workers, as chronic sleep deprivation causes serious health problems.
Alexia Cambon, research leader for human resources at consulting firm Gartner, says that just because employees are working less hours doesn’t necessarily mean they’re less productive. “It doesn’t really matter how many hours you record if you’re working from 9 to 5 or how many hours a day you’re spending on a very energy-draining activity — be a high performer. You can’t, and you’re not going to get engaged.
