Work woe: "I want to chronowork, but my manager won't let me"
In this edition of Work Woes, an advice column for the world of work, we hear from someone who'd prefer to work an early shift, but their boss says no.
Welcome to Work Woes, a new series I’m testing. Each edition I’ll take someone’s work-related problem and dish out some advice, asking additional experts when more than one view is handy. Every problem will be anonymised, because I don’t want anyone to get in trouble at their job, and I hope that some of the woes will receive advice that’s helpful to other people in other roles and situations, too. Let’s get into it…
The work woe:
“I read about chronoworking and it spoke to me. I know I would work better if my day started earlier; maybe starting at 6am and finishing at 3pm. I’m a total early bird. I’m so much more productive in the morning and think more clearly pre-lunch, and I start to flag by the afternoon. At the moment I work a 9 to 6, and after 3pm I’m useless. I can’t focus and all I want to do is sleep or faff about. I’ve told my manager this, but he refuses to let me change my hours. He says it’s important for everyone to be working at the same time and won’t budge. What are my options?”
The advice:
First of all, I feel your pain. I am decidedly not an early bird, which I learned only after doing multiple years of 6am to 3pm shifts… which mostly left me sleep-deprived. I’m still not entirely sure what my chronotype is (probably because I’ve never been left entirely to my own devices, with no need to be up at a certain time), but I know just how challenging it is to force yourself into a working routine that doesn’t work for you.
I shared this work woe with Molly Johnson-Jones, CEO and co-founder of Flexa, and the very first thing she said was to make sure you - and you, the person reading this - give yourself a break: “Remember it’s completely normal to be less productive at certain times of the day - whether that's post-3pm or first thing in the morning.” This might not be an issue for you, as early rising tends to be prized in our current culture (see: The 5am Club and all the ‘successful’ daily routines that kick off at 4.30am), but it’s easy to feel like a failure when your energy levels don’t align with the norm. To anyone reading this who relates, assure yourself that it’s okay: you’re a human being, not a machine, and human beings have natural fluctuations in energy and focus throughout the day. You are not doomed to be less successful just because you don’t wake up at the crack of dawn (or you do, but your boss doesn’t approve).
Anyway, on to the practical stuff. Molly recommends giving the flexible working hours conversation another shot, but with an angle of collaboration. “Work together to find a level of flexibility which works for both your needs,” she suggests. “Perhaps propose trialling a 6am-3pm schedule for one day a week, such as Fridays when afternoons tend to be quieter anyway.” I’d add to that: think about how you working earlier might actually benefit the business. Are there certain responsibilities that you could pick up first-thing in the morning that would help make everyone’s day smoother?
Make sure that ahead of that chat, you have answers to all the questions and concerns that are going to come up. Molly advises: “Research companies with flexible hours (like Virgin Media O2), which you can cite as real-world examples of successful approaches. It can also be useful to put yourself in your boss’s shoes, so you’re prepared to address his key concerns. For instance, be ready to acknowledge that working 6-3 enables you to work concurrently with your colleagues most of the day (addressing his priority). But also highlight how working 6-3 will create a two-hour window free from distracting notifications, which will boost your productivity. Being as prepared as possible will help you to feel more confident and get the most out of the conversation.”
As with any flexible working arrangements, it’s a good idea to pose the changes as a ‘trial’. This way, it doesn’t feel like such a commitment for your boss (meaning an easier ‘yes’) and you can prove that this set-up really does work better. “Agree on a review date (ideally about 3 months later) to discuss your performance and the possibility of making a permanent change to your working hours,” Molly recommends. “Being able to see the success of working flexible hours firsthand might also convince your boss to let you work flexible hours throughout the entire week.”
Now, here’s where Molly and I diverge on our advice. Molly says that if your boss is still not willing to compromise, it might be time to look for another job. She recommends searching for an employer that offers a working setup that aligns with your needs, perhaps using Flexa, which is a website that verifies companies’ flexible working practices.
My view is: that might be the right choice for you, and if you’ve been waiting for a nudge to change up your work, you go right ahead and follow Molly’s wisdom. But if you actually love all other parts of your job apart from this one sticking point, I think there are other actions you can take first. The main one is shifting around your day in a more task-based way, and using a tool like timeboxing to structure your work day according. If you know that you’re more able to focus in the mornings, you could frontload your day so that all your deep work is planned between 9 and 11, then shift your less mind-intensive tasks into the afternoon - think spreadsheet filling and email clearing for after 3pm, when you know you’ll struggle to do anything else.
I would also use the time that is within your control to align more closely to your body clock. Okay, so your boss says your work day has to start at 9am. That doesn’t stop you from waking up at 5 and bashing out all your non-work tasks before clocking in - your workouts, your life admin, your reading and recharging, whatever you fancy.
Finally, if you work from home and don’t mind being a bit sneaky, block out your calendar from 3pm to 6pm with a ‘meeting’ and go have a nap. How would they know?
Got your own work woe?
If you’ve got a work-related issue, I want to hear it (and try to resolve it, with additional expertise when needed). You can ping your problem to workingonpurposenews@gmail.com. Don’t worry, you will remain anonymous.
Eat Sleep Work Repeat
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