Special Edition: The Identity Crisis of the 9-to-5

Special Edition: The Identity Crisis of the 9-to-5 Winter 2021

CANVAS Costa Mesa

The Identity Crisis of the 9-to-5

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Letter From the Editor

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Dear CEO, Sincerely, the Interns

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The Identity Crisis of the 9-to-5 – What happens to the office when we reexamine, reimagine, and redraft the social construct of the “normal” workday?

– Hear from the newest members of the workforce about their recent in-person, hybrid, and virtual work experiences and evolving expectations of the workplace.

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Editorial Credits

PLACELAB SPECIAL PUBLICATION

Letter From the Editor

Accelerating Out of the Unknown Over the past two years, we’ve learned a thing or two about resilience: how to absorb and adapt to any uncertainty thrown our way. Change is the new constant. After nearly 80 years of accepting the standard 9-to-5 workday, we have redefined how we work.

Thanks to the expansion of remotebased technologies, like Zoom, we were untethered from our desks with a sense of freedom that seemed to have no bounds (for as long as we had Wi-Fi).

We welcomed novel forms of autonomy, banking the time we saved without our long commutes, starting our days with a short stroll to the kitchen table, and managing to hold urgent meetings amid barking dogs and crying children.

We reexamined our relationship with the hustle and bustle of work, and in essence, put our livelihoods under a microscope and asked ourselves what was really important. This is what it looked like to collectively reshape the status quo.

US Bank Center, Seattle

@eqoffice

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www.eqoffice.com/PlaceLab

THE IDENTITY CRISIS OF THE 9-5

In this Special Edition, we invite you to reflect on the identity crisis of the 9-to-5. Come along on a journey that starts with an examination of productivity in the industrial era, and ends with soundbites from the next generation of voices in the workplace.

While none of us know exactly how things will pan out in the upcoming months, we do know that, if anything, we are ready for this next wave where the workplace is a destination.

With gratitude,

Riley Insko, Managing Editor

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The Identity Crisis of the 9-to-5

Library of Congress

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THE IDENTITY CRISIS OF THE 9-5

We must reexamine, reimagine, and redefine the social construct of a “normal” workday — and question whether there even is a norm.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended our work lives — demanding that many of us confront the well-established, publicly accepted notion that people work in offices for eight hours a day and five days a week. This once unshakable preeminence of the 9-to-5 was swept out the door, and started a worldwide debate between workers and employers over when, how and to what extent we will ever return to the “normalcy” we once took for granted.

In essence, we faced a crisis of identity for the standard 9-to-5. It has pushed us to reexamine, reimagine, redraft and redefine the social construct of the normal workday — and to question whether there even is a norm.

The Rise of 9-to-5 To set the stage for this debate over what our “return to the office” might look like, we must first explore how we arrived at the expectation that workers sit at their desks every day for a set amount of time.

The rise of the 9-to-5 owed its origin primarily to two industries: the manufacturing industry and the legal profession.

Back in the 1920s, the Ford Motor Company adopted the eight-hour workday and cut the workweek from six days to five days, all while keeping salaries constant. The American business magnate Henry Ford said famously of his move, “It is high time to rid ourselves of the notion that leisure for workmen is either ‘lost time’ or a class privilege.”

This unprecedented shift within the manufacturing industry, which had historically maintained a workweek of nearly one hundred hours, reportedly came with a significant boost in productivity. The resulting “win-win” benefits for both employees and employers made the changes hugely popular (after a period of disbelief and growing trouble with worker retention for Ford’s competitors).

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People were accountable for time present, rather than for the quality of their work and for their individual talents.

Shortly after, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 standardized the concept of a 44-hour workweek — and this was later mending this to a forty-hour workweek in 1940.

A key corollary was the idea of paying people based on the amount of time they worked — as opposed to the amount of work they produced — a convention that was bolstered by the concept of “billable hours,” which began to gain currency in the 1960s in the legal profession.

This standardization of the workweek and the “Time is money” approach of billable hours for salaried workers led to the rise of the 9-to-5 workday and simultaneously emphasized the expectation that time spent in the office had a direct relationship with how much they could produce. This had not always been the case. Essentially, it had only been in the last hundred years that workers had been expected, throughout their career, to be sitting at a desk during standard business hours.

The Shift Towards Autonomy The original purpose of the 9-to-5 workday was to increase productivity and wages relative to hours worked, while simultaneously decreasing employee burnout and exploitation.

Before the pandemic, though, the very opposite seemed to be the case. Employers and, by extension, employees at many companies, had arrived at the conclusion that “butts in seats” was the key to higher productivity.

If the boss worked forty hours, the employees worked forty-five hours, just in order to impress. They received and answered emails

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Hughes Center®, Las Vegas

at all times of the day to cultivate the appearance of being continuously responsive, whether inside or outside established business hours. The green, “active” icon on office instant-messaging applications provided a visual signal that we were always connected and forever engaged. This all contributed to a work environment where people were held accountable for the time they could be shown to be in the office, rather than for the quality of their work and for their individual talents.

office employees who had been given the privilege of working flexible hours. They insisted that employees must be “physically together,” and argued that “some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions.” The arrival of the novel coronavirus, however, created a mass social experiment, challenging the assumption that being present in an office guaranteed higher productivity. At the start of the lockdowns, many companies feared that employees, left at home to their own devices, would shirk their responsibilities. Their fears, however, turned out to be unfounded.

In fact, in August last year, about five months after quarantine began,

Then our lives changed. Almost a decade ago, executives like Marissa Mayer, then CEO of Yahoo, were calling back into the

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94% of employers surveyed were able to report equal or higher productivity than before the pandemic.

industry to industry. Studying “the hows” across a broad swath of potential approaches may help, however.

We experimented, and we got better productivity. So why go back? As it turns out, it’s not that simple. Returning to the office has proven to be more complicated, and unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fitsall approach. Instead, we must look to industry leaders, evaluate the available strategies relative to our individual business, team and function needs and ask the right questions before we can chart a viable course.

As for the next generation in the workforce, a recent survey we conducted among college-aged interns (we present the results of the survey below) indicates that some young professionals already have some experience with the office; 60% of the respondents had attended internships either in person or through a hybrid office/remote approach.

How Companies Have Navigated Recalibrating our relationship with work and the office is still a work in progress.

New entrants to the workforce, returning workers and employers may not all agree on the ideal working schedule. The formula we eventually decide on may differ greatly from role to role and

Their survey responses suggest that those whose internships included a remote element greatly appreciated the freedom, autonomy and trust that this afforded.

Those who had no option at all to go into an office, on the other hand, reported that they suffered from isolation, poor communication and a lack of mentorship.

It’s clear that attracting, onboarding and retaining new talent will require careful consideration of the pros and cons of in-person, hybrid and remote options, and flexible hours.

We have tasted what it is like to have better work-life integration and to prioritize our overall wellness, and this has changed the market for the 9-to-5 for good.

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From now on, to attract and retain talent, employers are called on to crunch down on a host of new variables: average commute times, home office ergonomics, and productivity and remote collaboration solutions.

Meanwhile, employees may have more influence than ever before in redefining the normal workday. According to the most recent column from the chairman and CEO of the Gallup organization, Jim Clifton, “When the pandemic wanes and something close to ‘normal’ returns, we conclude that there will be a 37% reduction of in-person days worked per week for those 60 million employees who can work from home.”

And similarly, in a FlexJobs survey, 27% of respondents reported that they would be willing to take a cut in pay of as much as 10% to 20% to retain the benefit of working remotely or in a hybrid environment. We have tasted what it is like to have better work-life integration and to prioritize our overall wellness, and this has changed the market for the 9-to-5 for good.

From now on, as they balance productivity, cost and revenue, employers are called on to crunch down on a host of new variables: average commute time, work-life

balance, home office ergonomics, task and productivity tracking, and remote collaboration software. To attract and retain talent, they must re-evaluate the relationship of these factors with pay packages. They must now juggle not only with shifting laws, role requirements, business needs and safety concerns that have emerged out of the pandemic, but with their employees’ wants and needs.

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So … Now What?

The office is not dead. Instead, we have a unique and compelling opportunity to reinvent our relationship with it. Today, the office is reemerging as a platform where company culture can be expressed — for working, learning, educating, connecting, setting purpose and for building community. It is no longer just about physical space. It has undergone a transformation, as a place for cooperation, mentorship and professional development.

By applying a “humanity forward” lens, we reimagine the full potential of in-person collaborative spaces – allowing them to be used more effectively as a tool for individuals, not a 9-to-5 archetype.

Beyond the edifice itself, the future of the workspace is more deeply rooted in the individuals, companies and working communities that seek common space to thrive.

The century-old practice of returning to the office for eight hours a day and five days a week has been challenged. With a global pandemic forcing us to reevaluate every step, we know there is no going back to the way things were. There is no single road ahead. A restaurateur will require a different plan from a tech CEO, and a human resources director will have different imperatives from those of a software engineer. We must ask the right questions to reconstruct the future of the office in the context of our own business needs.

Today, the office is reemeerging as a platform where company culture can be expressed — for working, learning, educating, connecting, setting purpose and for building community.

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Playa District, Los Angeles

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Dear CEO, Sincerely, the Interns

Willis Tower, Chicago

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What Next Gen Talent Wants You to Know Echoing across our LinkedIn newsfeeds and driving discussion on our conference calls is a central theme: talent acquisition and retention are key drivers in shaping plans for returning to the office, or rather, in moving toward a new form of work altogether. One way to gauge our bearings is to listen to the voices of new entrants to the workforce.

In a recent survey of college-aged interns, we asked questions to draw out the good, the bad, the why and the how of interns’ involvement with post-pandemic work, to bring you fresh perspectives on how young professionals think and feel.

Who better to ask about the future of work than new talent, taking their first steps into the business world? In the years to come, those who, as yet, have little work experience outside the pandemic era will be in a position to shape the norms of work life in the light of their unique experiences today. And even before that, their needs and wants will influence today’s executives to reshape the rules to attract and keep them.

Survey Demographics

Format of Internship

Survey Taken: Fall 2021 Age of Respondents: 18-24 years Average Education Level: Junior in College (emphasis in responses below added by author)

In-Person 26.7% Hybrid 33.3%

Virtual 40.0%

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The Good Each internship format, whether in person, virtual or hybrid, has positive qualities. The hybrid group, however, appears to be the most satisfied. Some form of hybrid working structure seems the most promising as we move forward; however, as we’ll see, there are also compelling reasons to hold on to certain aspects of the office. Here is what interns have to say: VKCC, Irvine

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What did you enjoy most about your experience?

IN-PERSON: • “I absolutely loved being in person … I feel it is crucial to be in the office for a while to get a sense of the firm’s culture, meet your colleagues properly, pick their brains when you both have downtime, etc. I learned so much in such a short amount of time from being in person at the office.”

• “Going into the office really helped me focus and get

more work done. It also made me feel closer to my team, as we interacted more.

Also, edits to projects were done much faster since we all sat by each other.”

• “I was able to watch how business was done in the office and listen in on multiple different people during meetings to learn different styles of work and management.”

ADVANTAGES OF THE VIRTUAL FORMAT: • “Flexibility to do other • “Not having to travel to things: part-time job, take and from work every day” care of housework, help friends and all while still • “Being able to have some getting work done” freedom and flexibility in my program” ADVANTAGES OF THE HYBRID FORMAT: • “I loved having a virtual the entire duration designated workspace of my internship; however, where I could be with I still was able to connect other people. But I also with her weekly.” appreciated the flexibility and see so much value in • “I loved being in person keeping hybrid as an because it allowed me to option for my future roles.” meet new people and connect with the employees • “I learned a lot better in and other interns in the person, as we had the office. I also got a better choice to meet in person in feel of what work would be conference rooms. This like and got to utilize the allowed me to feel more amenities the offices engaged and immersed in offered. Overall, I liked being the subjects we were hybrid because it gave me discussing. My mentor was flexibility in my schedule.”

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The Bad Overwhelmingly, poor communication and coordination, lack of training and mentorship, isolation and missing out on office camaraderie were common themes for those who were working away from the office — suggesting that the office can still play an important role in a postpandemic world. Here is what interns have to say about why they didn’t appreciate working remotely:

US Bank Center, Seattle

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What did you feel you missed out on?

DOWNSIDES OF THE VIRTUAL FORMAT: • “I feel that I missed a • “I feel that with an assigned great deal from it being mentor, virtual was great, online. There was little however, if I were in person communication from my I think I would have had the team, I constantly felt as if ability to have multiple I were forgotten about and mentorship opportunities I had very few projects to and further expand on work on.” connections.”

• “My learnings were • “Being completely virtual impacted by having very lowered my productivity, little communication between and I felt like I was kind of my boss and other team isolated.” members. Additionally, there were not a lot of projects I was able to work on as it felt like no one wanted to train me.”

DOWNSIDES OF THE HYBRID FORMAT: • Because everyone was • “I feel like I completely on a different schedule, missed out on not being in most of my meetings the office. I tried, and was were still virtual -- which successful, to be able to go was disappointing. I wish into the office and arrange my team was more in-person meetings … But I coordinated on when they felt that if I wasn’t meeting were coming in and when people in real life I wouldn’t they weren’t. I felt like I be able to make a sound missed office comradery impression.” because it was empty a lot of the time.”

• “As we were still part virtual, I feel like we missed out on • “It was harder to create fun intern activities that informal mentorship other intern years were able relationships because often to do in years past -- like go the office was not full and it to on-site visits.” is more challenging to connect organically with people over Zoom.”

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The Why

Ranking: What is the Office for?

We learn that young professionals highly value the flexibility that working remotely for a portion of their work-life provides, but we also see from interns’ negative experiences that the office still plays a vital role. And so, we are forced to ask: What is the office for?

Collaboration

Productivity/ Focus Space

Culture

To answer that question, we requested that interns rank the various benefits of being in an office. The results demonstrate that fostering collaboration, encouraging productivity and instilling a company culture emerge as the top priorities — and that they are likely to remain important aspects of working life after the pandemic.

Place to Gather/…

Mentorship

Other

The How So far, we have inferred how young professionals will want to work, based on the good and bad experiences they have shared, but we wanted to hear their own views on the subject. Here are perspectives on how new entrants to the workforce want to influence the future of work:

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Share one thing you would like your future company’s CEO to consider when making decisions about the future of work, especially when keeping young professionals in mind.

• “A hybrid system provides the flexibility and accommodations for disabled people, parents and people who may just have other things going on in their lives. Productivity is higher, and you can get the same, if not even more, work done, but they can do it on their own time. It gives teams even more autonomy and builds trust.”

• “I would say each person should be allowed to work from home for a certain percentage of the time -- e.g., 35% of the time. You would also have to set your schedule for remote work in advance (e.g., saying I work remotely on Tuesday and Thursday, except around holidays). This would allow for flexibility to work from home but also help teams coordinate and make sure that people come into the office.”

• “I think placing teams next to each other in the office is important.

I also think allowing for flexibility in when people want to come back [is important], but try[ing] to coordinate so that your whole team comes back together. It would not have been nearly as helpful if I were in the office but my whole team was at home.”

• “I would advise them to maybe shorten the workweek. With the COVID experience, I think we have all realized we can be a lot more productive without the traditional five-day, 9-to-5 workweek. I would advise having work Monday to Thursday. I think company activities/”field trips” and program amenities are other things that would make people excited about going back to the office and enable further connection and synergy.”

• “I really think they should consider hybrid workplaces as a permanent practice. COVID has proven that people are capable of getting work done, even in a fully virtual situation.

Because of this, having a hybrid workplace will allow people to have more freedom in their schedules and will allow them to stay home whenever needed and come in whenever needed.”

• “It is important for young professionals to go into the office in order to start building a reputation for their career.

Additionally, you should allow everyone to go into the office if they are willing.”

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It All Comes Down to Trust The pandemic gave young professionals, and the world, a taste of what life could be like with more flexibility in their work life. Fundamentally, the No. 1 theme emerges as trust — reliance on professionals to get their work done when and where they reasonably need to, and granting them the freedom to choose what meshes best with their lives, while ensuring their productivity.

training and mentorship, the isolation and the lack of collegiality. It is likely that the office will continue to serve an important role of nurturing collaboration, increasing productivity and cultivating a company culture in the post-pandemic world.

Ultimately, if young professionals have their say and CEOs listen, hybrid models of work will win out, providing both some flexibility to be out of the office and some structure within.

This generation of new talent stands at a crossroads, and if employers don’t act swiftly, these young professionals could become a “Lost Generation.” Interns working fully remotely lament the poor communication and coordination, lack of

Fundamentally, the No. 1 theme emerges as trust — reliance on professionals to get their work done when and where they reasonably need to, and granting them the freedom to choose what meshes best with their lives, while still ensuring their productivity.

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1740 Broadway, New York City

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Editorial Credits Editor in Chief

Lauren Sozio Managing Editor

Riley Insko Editorial Advisor

Rosabel Tao Staff Writer

Michael Chua Copy Editor

Victoria Elliot Editorial Administrator

Joanie Edgerly Illustrator

Jing Wei Photography

Bethany Paige Chris Ozer Hannah Rankin Meagan Villescas Meron Menghistab North Park, San Francisco

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