The traditional 9-to-5 workday has often given way to flexible, hybrid schedules tailored to personal needs. However, new research from Cornell University shows that working non-traditional hours—including evenings and weekends—can harm 21st-century workers' motivation and satisfaction.
"Even if you're still putting in 40 hours a week, you're encroaching on mentally designated free time or vacation periods, which can make your job feel less enjoyable," says Kaitlin Woolley, associate professor of marketing at Cornell's Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.
Woolley and Laura Giurge, assistant professor of behavioral sciences at the London School of Economics and former Cornell postdoctoral researcher, explore this in their paper "Working During Non-Standard Work Time Undermines Intrinsic Motivation."
The duo examined how non-standard hours affect job satisfaction and motivation for both professionals and students. "We suspected that the freedom to work anytime might also influence our feelings about the work itself," Woolley explains.
In one experiment, researchers approached Cornell students studying in a campus library on President's Day. Half were reminded it was a federal holiday; the others weren't. Intrinsic motivation and enjoyment ratings dropped 15% for those reminded, who found their material less fun, engaging, interesting, and enjoyable.
Another study tested full-time employees with a calendar reminder on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Job enjoyment fell 9% that holiday Monday compared to a typical Monday, despite similar tasks.
A third survey compared Tuesdays (typical workdays) to Saturdays. Participants reminded it was "a weekend day" reported even lower satisfaction on Saturdays, with the effect stronger in the reminder group.
Woolley and Giurge attribute this partly to "collective leisure"—shared downtime with friends and family.
"The true value of weekends or holidays is that everyone gets time off together," Woolley notes. "We recommend managers create 'weekend shifts' so teams share the load."
With work-life balance in focus, employees often struggle against performance pressures. "Managers must foster boundaries," Woolley advises. "Awareness is growing, helping people shape jobs and lives accordingly."
Read more: 3 ways to stick to your schedule when working from home
