Part 2 | Benchmark Your Workforce: Workday Patterns

(This is part two of an ongoing series. Check here for weekly updates or sign up to be notified when each post is ready.)

Recently, we looked at AI adoption trends. Today, we show you how to compare workday benchmarks to your ActivTrak data by answering four questions:

1. How long is your organization’s average workday?
2. When do your employees start the day?
3. How many hours a day are your teams productive?
4. How long do your employees work without interruption?

Remember: The benchmarks below reflect observed behavior at a point in time — not a standard to hit or avoid. Industry, customer coverage requirements and team norms vary significantly, and all of those factors shape what a typical workday looks like for any given organization.

(New to ActivTrak? Sign up for a free trial to start collecting workforce data. You’ll have full access to Professional features for 14 days.)

1. How long is the average workday at your organization?

The finding: The workday is getting shorter — but that doesn’t mean less work.

The average workday declined from 8 hours 53 minutes in 2023 to 8 hours 44 minutes in 2025 — a 2% drop. On the surface, that looks like less work. But the reality is more nuanced. Work that once fit inside a fixed block is now spread across more flexible windows, often extending into early mornings and weekends when there are fewer interruptions.

Why it matters: Shorter days signal a shift in how work happens.

Shorter workdays often point to high efficiency, either because teams get more done in less time or spread work over more days. At some organizations, this shift includes Saturdays and Sundays. In a subset of employees who work weekends, many now devote 8 to 9 hours of their weekends to work — and they’re getting a lot done during that time. Saturday productive time increased 46%, while Sunday’s jumped 58%. And that’s not a small group logging extra hours. It’s a consistent, multi-year shift in how work fits into life.

How to compare your data: Use ActivTrak’s Team Comparison dashboard (available on the Professional plan):

• Navigate to Executive Summaries > Team Comparison.
• Change the Date Range to “Year to Date” and view the Screen Time Hrs/Day.

How to interpret the data:

• If employees work more than 8 hours 44 minutes: Your employees work exceptionally long days. This metric includes all work, including multitasking and busywork as well as productive time, and may signal hidden inefficiencies — meetings that run long, frequent interruptions or unclear priorities. Look for opportunities to streamline workflows and minimize distractions.
• If employees work significantly less than 8 hours 44 minutes: Your employees work shorter days compared to the current average. This could mean your teams are highly efficient. Or they may be at risk of underutilization and disengagement. If it’s the former, continue to provide support so they stay productive. If you’re concerned about the latter, revisit number two in the series intro to investigate further.
• If employees work close to 8 hours 44 minutes: You’re aligned with the current benchmark. The next step is optimizing how people use that time. Look beyond total hours to patterns across days and weeks to understand if work is shifting outside traditional schedules. And remember: Longer isn’t always better. Total screen time includes busywork and multitasking as well as productive time, and it’s important people aren’t putting in extra time unnecessarily.

2. When do employees start working?

The finding: Work is shifting to earlier.

Most employees now log in by 7:48 a.m., compared to 8:02 a.m. in 2023. That shift may look minor, but at scale it signals something bigger. This data suggests the workday is no longer anchored to a single, standard start time — yet another indication employees are taking advantage of flexible schedules to start when they have the most quiet or control over their day.

Why it matters: Start times show how much flexibility your employees have, and if they take advantage of it.

Start times are an important signal you shouldn’t ignore. They tell you a lot about employee preferences and productivity. For some, an earlier start allows for uninterrupted work before meetings begin. For others, it reflects a need to get work done before school drop-offs, commutes or personal obligations.

It’s important to pay attention to when your employees start their days, so you can adjust policies as needed. Surveys indicate at least 40% of employees will job hunt if they don’t get the flexibility they need — a finding that applies to in-office employees as well as hybrid and remote teams. In fact, 53% of fully in-office workers want flexibility in where and when they work.

How to compare your data: Use ActivTrak’s Workload Balance dashboard (available on the Professional plan):

• Navigate to Productivity Optimization > Workload Balance.
• Change the Date Range to “Last 365 Days.”
• Check the “Work Habits” column to view average start and end times.

How to interpret the data:

• If employees start much earlier than 7:48 a.m.: Your workforce may be leaning into flexibility in a healthy way. This is especially true if earlier starts are paired with strong productive time, reasonable end times and healthy utilization. (These metrics are also available in the Workload Balance dashboard.) But if early starts also come with long days, frequent weekend work or high overutilization, the pattern may indicate a need to redistribute work.
• If employees start much later than 7:48 a.m.: A later start is not a problem by itself. It may reflect your industry, customer coverage needs or team norms. If your Workload Balance dashboard is predominantly green, your schedule may already fit the business. If not, run a test to see if a quieter early window for focused work improves productivity.
• If employees start close to 7:48 a.m.: You’re aligned with the benchmark. This suggests your team’s habits match broader workplace patterns. The next step is to look past the average and identify which groups get the best results from their schedules. Compare start times with productivity trends and focus time to see whether schedule flexibility is improving outcomes or just shifting hours around.

3. How many hours a day are your employees productive?

The finding: Productivity is rising, even as the workday shrinks.

While workdays are shorter, overall productivity is up. Employees now average 6 hours 36 minutes of productive time per day — a 5% increase from 2023 to 2025. This is a strong indication that employees are more intentional about how they spend their time, even as total hours decline.

Why it matters: Working smarter is the goal, but many employees still face pressure.

More productive time in fewer hours signals clearer priorities and more efficient workflows. However, there’s a catch. More productivity doesn’t mean less stress or greater well-being. Nearly 40% of employees feel pressure to increase productivity due to rapid changes and shifting workloads. The data suggests that pressure often shows up as fragmented workdays — bursts of productivity sandwiched between multitasking and interruptions. It’s important to look at the big picture.

How to compare your data: Use ActivTrak’s Organization Insights dashboard (available on the Professional plan):

• Navigate to Executive Summary > Organization Insights.
• Change the Activity Period to “Last 30 Days” and look at the Avg Productive Hrs/Day column.

How to interpret the data:

• If average productive hours are above 6 hours 36 minutes: Higher productive time may indicate strong performance, or it might signal pressure or overutilization. Look deeper. Are employees maintaining healthy focus time and reasonable work hours? Or is productivity driven by longer days and constant activity? Sustainable productivity should not come at the cost of burnout.
• If average productive hours are below 6 hours 36 minutes: Lower productive time may point to inefficiencies such as excessive meetings, unclear priorities or time lost to low-value tasks. Identify where work is breaking down. Then look for opportunities to reduce friction, whether that’s streamlining workflows or clarifying expectations.
• If average productive hours are close to 6 hours 36 minutes: You’re aligned with the current benchmark. The next step is optimization. Break down productive time by team, role or work pattern to identify where performance is strongest — and where to improve. Focus on increasing the quality of work time, not just the total amount.

4. How long do your employees work without disruption?

The finding: Overall productivity is improving.

Productive session length — the amount of time employees work without interruption — increased 13% to 27 minutes 30 seconds. This means individual bursts of disruption-free work are getting longer. Rather than working longer hours, employees are finding ways to work more intentionally.

Why it matters: Focus is the foundation of productivity.

Long productive sessions show employees have the space to think, execute and make progress without constant disruption. Protecting them is one of the best ways to improve output without increasing workload. Yet nearly half of employees say their work feels chaotic and fragmented, making this a critical metric to monitor.

How to compare your data: Use ActivTrak’s Focus & Collaboration dashboard (available on the Professional plan):

• Navigate to Productivity Optimization > Focus & Collaboration.
• Under “Uninterrupted Work Sessions,” look at “Productive (mins).”

How to interpret the data:

• If productive sessions are significantly higher than 27 minutes 30 seconds: Your teams likely have strong focus habits. That’s a competitive advantage. The next step is to protect it. Identify what’s enabling long productive sessions — whether it’s disciplined meeting schedules, async communication or workload balance — and reinforce those behaviors across teams.
• If productive sessions are significantly lower than 27 minutes 30 seconds: Your teams may face frequent interruptions. Dig deeper to see if excessive meetings, constant messaging or unclear priorities are keeping employees from making meaningful progress. Reducing even a small number of disruptions helps improve efficiency.
• If productive sessions are in the range of 27 to 30 minutes: You’re operating within a strong benchmark range. Now focus on consistency. Identify which teams or roles achieve the longest uninterrupted sessions and replicate those conditions more broadly. Small gains in productive time compound quickly across the workday.

Stay tuned for additional guidance on weekend work, collaboration and more

Workdays aren’t just shortening — they’re getting more efficient as employees gain flexibility in how they use their time. The more you support them, the more productive they’ll be.

This is why it’s so important to use work data when making decisions.

Moving forward, we’ll explore additional State of the Workplace benchmarks to help you make the most of every opportunity. Follow along as we look at the latest trends in collaboration, multitasking, utilization patterns, work locations and more.

Did you miss part one? Read it here: Benchmark Your Workforce: AI Adoption.
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