The Workweek Is Becoming the Workweekend

Weekend Warriors

The post-pandemic popularity of remote work has pushed American workers into unprecedented territory. Living rooms, coffee shops, and even seaside resorts have become workplaces for many. But remote schedules have also pushed workers into a different territory typically avoided by traditional workplaces: weekends.

A recent study of 134,260 employees across 900 organizations found that the average employee works 6.6 hours on the weekend, which is up 5% since 2021. In a similar study, Microsoft’s (MSFT) Work Trend Index found that weekend work was 14% higher in March 2023 than in 2020. The tech giant has also experienced more activity on its Teams app later at night.

What’s Going On?

On the plus side, working remotely allows for some flextime during the week, where workers can run errands or hit the gym in the middle of the workday. But the tradeoff for this flexibility is that more people find themselves opening their laptops on Saturday and Sunday.

The line for when people were officially “on the clock” became blurred during the height of the pandemic, and this trend of working on the weekends has continued. This could also be contributing to rising levels of worker dissatisfaction, as taking two full days off has been shown to boost energy levels and help people feel happier.

Is It Worth It?

The world is collectively rethinking the traditional work-life lifestyle and trying to find the best fit. Remote or hybrid schedules appear to be a more popular alternative, even if it means working a few weekend hours.

With that in mind, it’s still important to make sure your personal downtime is being respected. Thanks to cell phones and countless other ways to communicate instantly, there can be a lot of pressure to be available 24/7. But regardless of your work schedule, it’s still important to maintain clear boundaries with your employer and take time off as needed.

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