What Is A ‘Triple Peak’ Workday? Post-Pandemic Work Trends Emerge

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many aspects of work-life balance, workplace culture, and people's preferences.

For example, surveys show more and more people want their jobs to include remote or hybrid work options. What used to be an average 9-5 workday, or longer, is now more broken up.

Recent research out of Microsoft, titled "The Rise of the Triple Peak Day," found that the pandemic created periods of productivity outside of the typical office workday.

The data shows that workers are typically the most productive shortly before and after lunch. Now, a third period of productivity exists between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. There are some benefits to breaking up the workday into chunks.

As more work transfers to remote or hybrid, boundaries break between the office and home time. With this transition, workers break up tasks between meals, childcare, and chores, along with general breaks and responsibilities as needed.

“People are taking on additional day duties that they didn’t have before, whether it’s caring for kids and helping with schooling or being a caretaker to another family member,” said Gloria Mark, professor in the Department of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, and a visiting researcher at Microsoft.

Mark added that the additional tasks the pandemic forced people to take on have pushed people to work later hours.

The third period of productivity is not as strong as the other two. Still, it may allow for more productivity overall. Instead of sitting for long stretches of the day working, a more broken-up schedule could reduce burnout and fatigue.

According to Mary Czerwinski, a research manager for human understanding and empathy at Microsoft Research, stress reduction is another benefit.

It could also allow for midday naps. Some suggest these naps could improve productivity. An analysis from Gallup stated the U.S. could gain around $44 billion in lost revenue by providing workers with more time to rest.

In fact, many workers report napping during the day, at an average of 33%, according to 2020 findings from the career firm Zippia. When broken down by state, some states saw 67% of the workforce reporting taking naps during the day.

ProNappers CEO and founder Cara Moore told Fast Company that employers are hesitant to implement a nap-friendly environment. They resist even if it would help with overall productivity. She added that a break from the current 9-5 model could help make workplaces nap friendly.

“So many people we speak to have said that one of the best things about working from home is that they have been able to have a nap in the day and work more effectively afterwards as a result,” Moore said.

However, because of the work culture of many in the U.S., even implementing ideas like a four-day workweek, while gaining popularity, is still difficult. The question remains what exactly produces the most productivity with the least amount of burnout, fatigue, and stress.

Shamsi Iqbal, principal researcher on productivity and intelligence at Microsoft Research and Microsoft Viva Insights, warned the emergence of a tripple-peak workday must not turn into a 24/7 workday, saying, “If people are working all three peaks, that’s [also] a recipe for early burnout.”