What is ‘microshifting’ and can it replace remote or hybrid model? New trend sparks buzz amid work-life balance debate

The traditional 9-to-5 workday is rapidly fading as employees — especially those in remote and hybrid roles — demand flexibility to structure their work around life rather than organizing life around rigid office hours.

This emerging trend, known as ‘microshifting’, allows workers to break their day into short, flexible blocks, signalling the next phase in the future of work. In such a setup, employees may log on early to clear email, take midday breaks for personal errands or appointments, and finish projects after dinner.

According to Owl Labs’ 2025 State of Hybrid Work Report, 65% of office workers want more schedule flexibility. Another survey, Deputy’s The Big Shift: US 2025, shows that microshifting is gaining popularity in service industries, particularly among Gen Z employees who are embracing shorter shifts to balance caregiving, education or multiple jobs, said a Forbes report.

What is microshifting?

Microshifting is the practice of dividing a standard workday into small, flexible blocks based on an individual's productivity peaks or personal needs, rather than adhering to a rigid, continuous eight-hour stretch.

This means that, unlike traditional flexible hours, which might let you start at 10 AM instead of 9 AM, microshifting allows employees the freedom to work in bursts throughout the day based on when they are the most productive or when life demands their attention, Forbes reported.

A person might work from 7 to 9 AM, take a break to work out and run errands, return for a few hours in the afternoon, then log back on after bedtime to wrap up.

In industries like hospitality and food service, this often translates to shifts of six hours or less. For knowledge workers, it's more about having autonomy over their schedule rather than just choosing where to work, the news report noted.

Why the traditional 9-to-5 model is failing?

The 9-to-5 model no longer serves the modern workforce as it is a relic of the Industrial Revolution, designed for factory floors where productivity of an employee was measured by hours clocked. This model is fundamentally ill-suited for the modern, complex nature of knowledge work.

Despite this incompatibility, many companies are pushing back by doubling down on return-to-office (RTO) mandates. This year, several global tech companies such as Microsoft, Infosys and Google have made it compulsory for their employees to work from office for a certain number of days in a week.

Even though companies are pulling workers back into the office, employees are pushing back by refusing to let the clock dictate their productivity and contribution to their companies.

How are employees pushing for microshifting model?

Employees are so keen on flexibility that they are willing to sacrifice their compensation for it. Owl Labs found that workers are willing to sacrifice 9% of their annual salary for flexible working hours and 8% of their pay for a 4-day work week.

For leaders, the message is clear: If microshifting is the future, they need to stop managing time and start managing outcomes. Prioritising trust over tracking or risk losing their top talent must be taken into consideration as flexibility in work has become a factor as valuable as compensation itself, the report by Forbes said.