Work trends come and go, and the post-pandemic period has been filled with a dizzying array of weird and wonderful fads.
Remember coffee badging? In response to return to office (RTO) mandates, some workers began to come into the office purely to swipe in, be seen, and then head right back home again where the real work gets done.
We’ve also seen super commuting, another response to RTO mandates. A study from Stanford found that post-pandemic, there has been a surge in long-distance commuting, with the amount of people traveling 75 miles or more per day increasing by 32 percent.
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Workers may also remember the rise of the HENRY, an acronym standing for high-earners, not rich yet. That’s despite the fact that 31 percent of American households bring in six figures or more. But due to the high cost of living and rising prices, those at this income level often don’t feel well off, despite being bigger earners on paper.
Another trend you might remember is quiet quitting. This is a behavior that arose as a result of worker dissatisfaction. Typified by employees deciding to do the bare minimum and no more, it’s really just another way to explain a lack of engagement with a job or workplace.
According to a Gallup report, employee engagement declined by 21 percent in 2024. This may not seem like a big deal on the surface, but it matters for a number of reasons. Gallup estimates that lost productivity as a result of low engagement cost the global economy $438 billion in 2024, for example.
Additionally, $9.6 trillion, or a 9 percent increase in global GDP, would be added to the economy if the global workforce was fully engaged.
“Engaged employees produce better business outcomes than disengaged employees — and engaged teams have a measurable impact on organizational performance,” the report’s authors say.
Microshifting on the rise
Now, as Gen Z employees increasingly enter the workforce, their influence is being felt. In the second quarter of 2024, Gen Z accounted for 18 percent of the labor force, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
This cohort just pips Baby Boomers at 15 percent, and while Millennials and Gen X still make up the largest share of the labor force at 36 percent, and 31 percent respectively, Gen Z’s wants and needs are being strongly heard.
This is a generation that wants more purpose-driven and inclusive work. They prioritize their mental health, and expect their workforces to be flexible. And as a result, Gen Z is ground zero for a whole new set of workplace trends.
One such trend is microshifting.
According to a new study from Owl Labs, this is a “structured approach to flexible working where employees work in short, non-linear blocks based on personal energy, responsibilities, or productivity patterns.”
Through surveying 2,000 U.S. workers, the study found that 63 percent of workers think employers should have better strategies and increased flexibility for employees managing their time between work and other responsibilities. Those could include childcare or eldercare, for example.
As a result, Gen Z workers are throwing the traditional 9-5 out. Instead, they prefer to get their work done according to their own agendas.
That’s generally categorized as bursts of work at varying times of the day and can depend on their own preferences for how they like to get the job done. Caregivers, such as parents, are almost more than three times as likely to try microshifting than non-caregivers.
Some people get their best work done in the morning, while others are night owls; microshifting leans into this, and is a trend that’s all about the personalization of an individual’s effort. The job gets done, albeit on their own timeline.
Side jobs
Another factor may be influencing this generation’s love of non-linear work patterns too. The survey also found that 28 percent of workers have an additional job or a side hustle.
Twenty-two-percent of workers have one additional job, with 6 percent saying they are managing two or more. Gen Z is the cohort which is significantly more likely to have additional jobs than their older counterparts.
The reasons? Money is the biggest motivator for 40 percent, but a sizable 23 percent are doing a second job because this one represents their ‘true passion’.
