The coronavirus has changed the concept of the workplace so much that it will irreversibly affect the future of many organizations. Many executives have had to create new and better strategies to successfully transition to remote work; create environments that help rather than harm our immune system; and develop rules for compliance with safety measures such as "social distance". Perhaps the most common change needed to address all of these challenges was a revision of work schedules to support lifestyle changes, minimize social contact, or meet new business demands. The traditional 9 to 6 pm working day is no longer the gold standard.
The pandemic has drawn attention to medical personnel, doctors, grocery store employees, couriers and other professions who often work without regular schedules. But in fact, non-standard schedules are common, and every organization that is redefining a workplace today should be aware of the merits and demerits of introducing a non-standard schedule. It can affect many important results for employees, both personal and professional.
We have studied153 academic articles on the impact of non-standard work schedules on attitudes, behavior, physical and psychological health of workers, as well as their professional and personal lives. As a result, we formulated four questions to be answered by employers who decide to revise work schedules:
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To conclude, organizations can take a natural approach rather than a mechanistic approach and allow employees to have greater influence over their schedules. There is already an example of discussion about where (eg at home) and how (eg via video conferencing) people will work after the end of the pandemic. But we still need to discuss when. We encourage leaders, along with teams, to think carefully about scheduling appropriate for them upon returning to their jobs.