Hi {{ subscriber.first_name }}, The 9–5 is gone. And what replaced it is worse. Microsoft calls it the infinite workday: emails at 6 a.m., meetings after 8 p.m., weekend check-ins, and no room to think. In this article, I’ll unpack Microsoft’s global findings and share five high-impact moves to break the chaos before your team burns out (or walks out). The Infinite WorkdayAccording to Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index, we’re now living in an infinite workday. Here’s what they found across 31 countries and 31,000 employees:
This isn’t just about workload. It’s a culture problem, and it’s crushing focus, energy, and performance. The Workday Has No BordersImagine an employee who starts their day with Teams notifications before breakfast. They attend 9 meetings, receive 275+ notifications, then check email again at 10:45 p.m.—just to stay “on top.” That’s not high performance. That’s cognitive fragmentation. Microsoft found that 58% of people are struggling to find time for focused work, and that lack of deep time is directly correlated with stress, missed deadlines, and burnout. This is the cost of being constantly available: You lose the ability to do important work, not just urgent work. What This Signals to Your TeamWhen leaders send emails at midnight, they may think they're being productive. But here’s what your team actually hears: “If I’m not always on, I’m falling behind.” “Rest is for people who don’t care enough.” “Presence equals value.” That’s not a performance culture. It’s a fear culture. In fact, the study revealed a hidden third productivity peak between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., as employees try to catch up on their actual work after a day of meetings. This is unsustainable... and avoidable. Five Bold Moves to Break the Infinite WorkdayHere’s how great companies are protecting performance without sacrificing energy: 1. Reclaim Deep Work WindowsUse data to block high-focus hours company-wide. Why it works: Microsoft found that employees who had protected focus blocks were 53% more likely to report higher job satisfaction and creative output. 2. Model Hard Stops from the TopSet clear expectations about email and availability. Why it works: When leadership changes behavior, adoption increases 2.4x across the organization. 3. Reward Output, Not Online TimeReplace activity dashboards with outcome-based metrics. Why it works: In performance reviews, people with flexible structures and clear outcomes consistently scored higher on value-added metrics. 4. Train Managers to Fix the Workload FlowEquip mid-level leaders to protect time and energy. Why it works: Teams who decluttered 20% of recurring tasks saw a 27% lift in team morale and time recovery. 5. Use AI to Offload Low-Value AdminLet AI do the admin. People should focus on thinking, leading, and creating. Why it works: Microsoft Copilot use cases show a 1.2 hour/day time savings per employee on average. Final ThoughtThe 9–5 didn’t evolve, it vanished. But infinite workdays don’t lead to infinite results. They lead to fragmentation, disengagement, and attrition. Leadership means protecting the capacity of your people. Not just pushing for more output. Andrea Petrone CEO Whisperer | Top 1% Executive Coach and Speaker in the UK | Founder of WCL. You need more? Here are other ways to get value from what I do: 1) Do you like what you read? Share this newsletter with your friends and colleagues 2) Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? 3) Watch and listen to the "The World Class Leaders Show" podcast and leave a review (it helps bringing better guests!): 4) Do you want me to speak at your next event, coach you or your team? Book a call with me here |