Welcome to the Era of the 10-to-4 Workday

Recent report based on traffic patterns sees a shift in when employees head in to the office
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 5, 2024 9:45 AM CDT
Welcome to the Era of the 10-to-4 Workday
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/grinvalds)

One of Dolly Parton's most famous tunes may need an update. A "Global Traffic Scorecard" for 2023, released earlier this summer by traffic-data analysis firm INRIX Inc., says that traffic patterns reveal a "new normal"—basically, a workday that's no longer a 9-to-5, but more like a 10-to-4. "There is less of a morning commute, less of an evening commute, and much more afternoon activity," report author and transportation expert Bob Pishue tells CNBC. That afternoon movement has been dubbed the "midday rush hour," which has led to increased congestion during the peak middle-of-the-day and evening slots.

More telecommuting and more flexible schedules set up during the pandemic seem to be part of the driving force behind this phenomenon, with employees who are "accustomed to the flexibility of working from home and may only come to the office when absolutely necessary," according to David Satterwhite, head of the employee-engagement software firm Chronus—a practice also known as "coffee badging," in which workers show up at the office for just a few hours each day, per CNBC.

It's a practice that some experts say isn't a great one. "That is the worst of all worlds," the London Business School's Lynda Gratton tells CNBC. "They are still doing the commute but not putting in the hours at the office." Still, it doesn't look like this trend away from the 9-to-5 will cease anytime soon, especially since younger workers have become used to the new normal, according to University of New Orleans business instructor Mark Rosa. "This is dyed into the economy here now," he tells Audacy. (More workplace stories.)

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