In today's always-on world, the "infinite workday" has quietly taken over—creeping into dinners, weekends, and even that quaint concept known as a "vacation."
Remember when the workday ended at 5:00 pm?
In today's always-on world, the "infinite workday" has quietly taken over—creeping into dinners, weekends, and even that quaint concept known as a "vacation." With smartphones in every pocket and teams spread across multiple time zones, work now follows us everywhere. Microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index confirms what many leaders already sense: work is no longer confined by time or place—it's always on.
The data is striking. By 6:00 a.m., 40% of workers are already checking email. During core hours, employees are interrupted every two minutes by meetings, messages, and alerts. And the day doesn't end at dinner—nearly a third of workers are back in their inboxes by 10:00 p.m. Weekend work is also on the rise with nearly 20% of employees checking email before noon on Saturdays and Sundays. While the flexibility to work anytime, anywhere can be empowering, it also brings legal, operational, and cultural challenges that employers ignore at their peril.
The infinite workday isn't just stretching schedules – it's stretching people thin. Microsoft's data shows that one in three employees say the pace of work has made it impossible to keep up. Half of employees and leaders describe their work as chaotic and fragmented.
A major driver of this...
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