Whatever Happened to 9-to-5?

Nearly three in five workers (59%) believe the traditional 9-to-5 work day is a thing of the past.

Forty-five percent of workers say they complete work outside of office hours; and 49% say they check or answer emails when they leave work.

A higher proportion of workers in age group of 45 to 54 (65%) and 55 and older (61%) agreed that the typical eight-hour work day was a thing of the past than any other age group. By contrast, only 42% of workers ages 18 to 24 say the traditional 9-to-5 workday is outdated.

Workers 55 and older also say that they don’t keep working (60%) or check/respond to emails (54%) outside of office hours—again higher than any other age group. Fifty-two percent of workers in the 18 to 24 age group say they do not keep working after business hours; and even fewer (41%) say they do not check or answer work emails outside of the office.

While similar percentages of men and women (58% and 60%, respectively) say the typical 9-to-5 workday is a thing of the past, men are still more likely than women to work and respond to emails once they leave the office. Forty-nine percent of men say that they work outside of office hours, versus 42% of women. Men are also more likely to remain tied to the office when they leave—54% say they answer emails outside of office hours, as opposed to 43% of women.

Getting a response via email from a co-worker or business partner can also depend on their profession. IT (68%) and sales (65%) professionals say they check or respond to emails after business hours.

The national survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder between May 11 and June 7, and included a representative sample of 3,244 full-time workers in the private sector across industries and company sizes.