One thing many workers are keen to leave behind heading into 2026? The 9-to-5 schedule. In its place, many are interested in adopting a practice called “microshifting.”
In Owl Labs’ 2025 State of Hybrid Work report, 65% of workers reported being interested in microshifting, defined as working in “short, non-linear blocks based on personal energy, responsibilities, or productivity patterns.”
“Microshifting appeals to employees not just as a scheduling preference, but as a way to reclaim control over their increasingly fragmented work lives,” Owl Labs CEO Frank Weishaupt tells CNBC Make It. “Employees are improvising solutions to reconcile the demands of their jobs with the realities of their lives.”
During the pandemic remote work boom, many workers had greater control over their time during their workdays. The interest in microshifting could represent interest in keeping that flexibility, particularly among those with some degree of remote or self-directed work, as it may be more difficult for office workers in traditional 9-to-5 jobs.
But microshifting isn’t an entirely new practice. Doug Gregory of Grand Rapids, Michigan, says he’s been doing it as a remote worker for decades, before it had that name, and even more so since the Covid-19 pandemic.
