80% of employees struggle with this hidden workplace bias. Here’s what employers can do
These standard office practices could be making life difficult for the majority of employees.
Are You a Morning Lark or Socially Jet-Lagged? Why Workplaces Need Chronodiversity Now
Are You a Morning Lark or Socially Jet-Lagged? Why Workplaces Need Chronodiversity Now
Picture this: It's 7:45 a.m. in the office. One colleague bounces in, fresh from the gym and emails, cheerfully asking if everyone's "okay" amid the quiet. The rest clutch coffee like a lifeline, brains still booting up, silently cursing the 8 a.m. meeting—and that perky early bird. At least they snagged parking and the last decent brew.
Which are you? The dawn warrior or the one wondering why no amount of willpower makes you feel alive this early? Those gripping their mugs aren't weak—they're socially jet-lagged. Up to 80% of us jolt awake via alarms before our bodies are ready. That's not a discipline fail; it's a design flaw in how work is structured.
Coffee isn't a crutch for the lazy. Our reliance on it screams that standard work hours ignore human biology.
Picture this: It's 7:45 a.m. in the office. One colleague bounces in, fresh from the gym and emails, cheerfully asking if everyone's "okay" amid the quiet. The rest clutch coffee like a lifeline, brains still booting up, silently cursing the 8 a.m. meeting—and that perky early bird. At least they snagged parking and the last decent brew.
Which are you? The dawn warrior or the one wondering why no amount of willpower makes you feel alive this early? Those gripping their mugs aren't weak—they're socially jet-lagged. Up to 80% of us jolt awake via alarms before our bodies are ready. That's not a discipline fail; it's a design flaw in how work is structured.
Coffee isn't a crutch for the lazy. Our reliance on it screams that standard work hours ignore human biology.
Neurodiversity Includes Your Internal Clock
Neurodiversity gets buzz for ADHD or dyslexia—valuable, but incomplete. True neurodiversity spans the full spectrum of nervous system wiring: cognition, emotions, senses, movement, speech, and circadian rhythms. Yet workplaces rarely address how sleep-wake cycles shape our energy and focus.
Think of it like biodiversity: Neurodiversity and chronodiversity (varied internal clocks) are essential for a thriving ecosystem. Ignoring them stifles talent.
Neurodiversity gets buzz for ADHD or dyslexia—valuable, but incomplete. True neurodiversity spans the full spectrum of nervous system wiring: cognition, emotions, senses, movement, speech, and circadian rhythms. Yet workplaces rarely address how sleep-wake cycles shape our energy and focus.
Think of it like biodiversity: Neurodiversity and chronodiversity (varied internal clocks) are essential for a thriving ecosystem. Ignoring them stifles talent.
The Tyranny of "Normal" Time
Societies enforce neuronormativity (acting "neurotypical") and chrononormativity (pretending to be a morning person). Unquestioned office myths include:
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Early arrivals signal ambition
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Morning replies prove professionalism
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Meetings favor bosses' peak hours
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Leaders show up early
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Reviews reward butt-in-seat time
Late chronotypes "mask" with grit and caffeine, just like neurodivergent folks hide traits to fit in. The toll? Exhaustion, depression, heart risks, and metabolic issues—plus massive healthcare costs.
Research shows chronotypes distribute evenly: ~30% early birds, 30% intermediates, 40% night owls (skewing later in young adults). Most endure chronic social jet lag, racking up sleep debt and foggy thinking. Neurodivergent groups like those with ADHD (75-78% evening types) or autism face it worst—not from laziness, but biology.
Societies enforce neuronormativity (acting "neurotypical") and chrononormativity (pretending to be a morning person). Unquestioned office myths include:
-
Early arrivals signal ambition
-
Morning replies prove professionalism
-
Meetings favor bosses' peak hours
-
Leaders show up early
-
Reviews reward butt-in-seat time
Late chronotypes "mask" with grit and caffeine, just like neurodivergent folks hide traits to fit in. The toll? Exhaustion, depression, heart risks, and metabolic issues—plus massive healthcare costs.
Research shows chronotypes distribute evenly: ~30% early birds, 30% intermediates, 40% night owls (skewing later in young adults). Most endure chronic social jet lag, racking up sleep debt and foggy thinking. Neurodivergent groups like those with ADHD (75-78% evening types) or autism face it worst—not from laziness, but biology.
The Chronodiversity Tax: Everyone Pays
Industrial-era schedules weren't built for real bodies. Night owls labeled "unmotivated" suffer most, but early risers burn out on late demands too. It's a paradox: Biology's majority gets treated like cultural misfits.
Industrial-era schedules weren't built for real bodies. Night owls labeled "unmotivated" suffer most, but early risers burn out on late demands too. It's a paradox: Biology's majority gets treated like cultural misfits.
Building Chrono-Inclusive Workplaces
Shift to holistic inclusion, drawing from frameworks like The Canary Code by Ludmila Praslova. Prioritize outcomes over optics with these steps:
Shift to holistic inclusion, drawing from frameworks like The Canary Code by Ludmila Praslova. Prioritize outcomes over optics with these steps:
Empower Participation
Involve employees in schedule design. "Optional" 9 a.m. meetings wreck night owls' days—lived experience spots these pitfalls.
Involve employees in schedule design. "Optional" 9 a.m. meetings wreck night owls' days—lived experience spots these pitfalls.
Measure Outcomes, Not Timestamps
Productivity rarely clocks in at 8 a.m. A brilliant 3 a.m. report trumps an empty inbox. Ditch "responsiveness" as a metric; focus on results.
Productivity rarely clocks in at 8 a.m. A brilliant 3 a.m. report trumps an empty inbox. Ditch "responsiveness" as a metric; focus on results.
Deliver Real Flexibility
Question every time rule:
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Can it be async?
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Must it be morning?
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Does everyone need to join live?
Self-determined schedules let larks and owls peak when ready.
Question every time rule:
-
Can it be async?
-
Must it be morning?
-
Does everyone need to join live?
Self-determined schedules let larks and owls peak when ready.
Ensure Justice and Transparency
Apply rules evenly—no perks for execs only. Spell out expectations: No hidden bias toward "executive hours" for promotions.
Apply rules evenly—no perks for execs only. Spell out expectations: No hidden bias toward "executive hours" for promotions.
Use Valid Metrics
Early parking doesn't equal dedication. Assess output, not presence.
Normalize chronodiversity: Stock late-day parking/food, adopt chronoleadership (see Camilla Arnold's book), and build for all rhythms. Ditch the coffee-fueled grind—unlock talent instead.
What if thriving at work meant aligning with your biology, not fighting it?
Early parking doesn't equal dedication. Assess output, not presence.
Normalize chronodiversity: Stock late-day parking/food, adopt chronoleadership (see Camilla Arnold's book), and build for all rhythms. Ditch the coffee-fueled grind—unlock talent instead.
What if thriving at work meant aligning with your biology, not fighting it?