Published on: May 12, 2025 at 7:59 pm
It’s difficult for workers to retain productivity and morale while trying to adapt to unfamiliar schedules. But discussing preconceived notions about work schedules with the boss and colleagues can help.
Academy of Management Scholar Abbie Shipp of Texas Christian University, who coauthored an Academy of Management Review article related to this topic with TCU colleague Hettie Richardson, said that she has two pieces of advice for people in such a situation.
1. Number one is awareness.
- “When I talk to people about how they think about their time, oftentimes people aren’t even aware of their assumptions,” Shipp said. “My coauthor Hettie and I laughed after I provided our view of things happening outside of business hours. She said, ‘That’s so funny. My mom was a teacher, so I don’t think about work as Monday through Friday, eight to five. She worked evenings and weekends, so I learned from her that you work when the work needs to be done. You take breaks when you need a break.’”
- In contrast, Shipp said that her mom worked in a doctor’s office Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 4:30. These different histories explained how she and her coauthor viewed “work time” very differently.
- “If you can build that awareness of what your view of time is, the schema in which you think about the hour, the day, and the week, etc.,” Shipp said. “That’s very helpful, because you’re bringing to the surface what you think is right and wrong in your view of the world and maybe causes some conflict with other individuals.
- “It isn’t necessarily right or wrong—it’s just your experience, so number-one is awareness,” she said.
2. Shipp’s second piece of advice is to talk about the challenges of adapting to the new schedule and situation with other people.
- “If you’re an individual, talk about that with your team; if you’re a leader, ask the people on your team, ‘What are some of your assumptions about time?’” Shipp said. “That’s a complicated question, and so the easy way to do it is to start asking people about when and how they like to work: ‘Where did you get those ideas? When do you get frustrated with other people’s schedules or deadlines?’
- “Really bring that to the forefront, not just your own assumptions, but also talking about it in work groups, asking, ‘Where do we have potential for conflict?’ and then ‘How can we compromise?’” she said. “Maybe you like to leave at 5:00, whereas I like to stay till 7:00; if we’re going to do work together, let’s make sure meetings end at 5:00 for you, but then please don’t expect to contact me until later the next morning since I’ll get there later than you.
“That seems so simple, but people oftentimes don’t talk about it and don’t know their dominant view; that can lead to resentments and conflicts, which are all preventable if we just talk about how we think about time at work.”
A sample of Shipp’s AOM research findings:
- Subjective Time: What It Is and Why It Matters at Work
- Paths to Retaining Employees Who Go the Extra Mile
