Chronoworking: learn about the working day based on the circadian cycle

the term chronoworking has been gaining prominence, especially after the increase in debates regarding regular working hours.

Discover the Chronoworking concept

With each passing day, we have observed the emergence of new working day models, and the reason is always the same: productivity.

Some companies have adopted a full home office system, while others are opting for a hybrid system: 3 days a week at home and 2 in person. Companies that are adept at more drastic changes are opting for reduced working hours.

Whatever the new model, the central idea is usually to meet the demands of workers who are dissatisfied with the traditional model of 8 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week.

Cases of depression, anxiety, burnout and even physical health problems caused by overwork have played an important role in this change.

It is a fact that it is necessary to find ways to improve the work experience, making it more comfortable and viable for the employee.

The chronoworking concept is a bold idea, but it makes sense considering everything we've talked about so far.

This is because, chronoworking is nothing more than an idea of a working day that considers the circadian cycle of each employee.

There are workers who are more productive in the morning, while others are more productive in the afternoon, and the idea of chronoworking is precisely to allow each person to carry out their work at the time that is most comfortable for them.

What are the advantages of Chronoworking?

As we saw previously, the chronoworking concept is bold for current working hours models.

This is because, considering that the “normal” thing these days is to spend 8 to 10 hours at the company, each person working the shift that yields the most may seem disorganized or even unfeasible.

However, we must consider that, although it may seem strange for the current job market, chronoworking offers advantages that could be the solution to many of the problems common to the corporate environment.

Let's look at some of them below:

Increased productivity

Who has never sat in front of the computer for hours, unable to work, and then, right after lunch, things started to flow perfectly? The opposite is also quite common.

The fact is that if each person could work at the best time for their own cycle, productivity would certainly be greater, since less time would be wasted “trying” to work when the brain is not performing at its best.

Satisfaction and trust

Handing in work with the feeling that it could be better shakes anyone's confidence.

But with tight deadlines and frequent demands, it is practically impossible to perform tasks at times when we are performing adequately.

With chronoworking this is resolved, as the worker performs their tasks at a more comfortable and productive time for them.

What about the disadvantages?

Like any innovative model, chronoworking also faces some obstacles that may make it, in the eyes of many, an unviable proposition. See what these disadvantages are.

Difficulty in establishing a routine in the company

If Julia works best from 7am to 2pm, Patricia from 10am to 4pm, and John from 5pm to 10pm, how could the company's schedule work for all of them?

Each person is unique, and chronoworking takes this into account, but when it comes to a corporate environment, routine is essential to facilitate processes, so it ends up being difficult to respect the best working hours for each employee.

Plural teams? With chronoworking it's not so simple

When reading the disadvantage above, you probably thought that resolving the workday issue is simple, after all, everyone just needs to do their work within their own schedule, right?

But, if we consider that a large part of the tasks in companies require teamwork, how would it be possible to form plural teams if we would end up separating different people?

Chronoworking is about the journey, but we must remember that the circadian cycle is linked to lifestyle, therefore, it ends up interfering with the profile.

Therefore, by betting on chronoworking, the chance of forming teams with people with very similar profiles would be higher. When plurality is prioritized, this can become a problem.

Is the Chronoworking concept viable for today's job market?

At this point you already know the advantages and disadvantages of chronoworking, which allows you to form a particular opinion on the subject.

But, thinking about a general aspect: is chronoworking viable for the current job market?

Although it presents significant advantages in solving an important part of the satisfaction problems with the corporate environment, the disadvantages of this idea still weigh heavily.

This is because the application of chronoworking requires companies to place employees at a higher level of importance than traditional processes.

Furthermore, managers would have to develop schemes to ensure an adequate routine, in addition to forming strategic teams.

So, although it is difficult to implement, we cannot consider that chronoworking is impossible or unfeasible.

But, perhaps it is a bold idea for the current market. So, it is worth letting the idea of reduced working hours start to move forward to get chronoworking off the ground.

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Roberta

I am a member of the O Administrador team and I produce content about career, personal finance, financial education, productivity, and professional development. My goal is to share clear and practical information to help readers with their day-to-day decisions.

June 26, 2024

Development