Always On, Always Working: can flexible workspaces help us switch off and end the infinite workday?  

By Jane Sartin, Flexible Space Association (FlexSA) Exec Director

Imagine a world where the clock never strikes five and the hours pass in an endless cycle of productivity. The modern eight-hour workday feels like it’s always been there, but it’s actually a relatively recent invention, a change that came after the gruelling 16-hour shifts of the Industrial Revolution.  

Once upon a time, six-day workweeks were the norm, until the likes of Henry Ford championed the five-day workweek in the 1920s. And the phrase ‘work-life balance’ didn’t even enter our vocabulary until the late 20th century. Yet today, as technology blurs boundaries and remote work stretches time, the feeling of an infinite workday looms larger than ever. The traditional workday has stretched beyond recognition. For some of us, it now feels endless!  

Microsoft’s Work Trend Index introduced the concept of the “triple peak day,” where a third productivity spike occurs around 10 p.m. It’s clear to see that work is creeping into personal time, blurring the lines between professional and private life. 

But why? And what does that mean for workers? 

The rise of the ‘infinite workday’ 

Working from home has brought a great sense of freedom, but it also increases the pressure to be constantly available.  Emails have long followed many workers outside of the office, with the rise of the BlackBerry two decades ago driving this.  For many people though, the enforced working from home during the pandemic created a much stronger sense of being always on duty.  

Slack’s Future Forum reports that 40% of knowledge workers struggle to disconnect at the end of the day. And Harvard Business Review points to the lack of physical separation between work and home as a major contributor to burnout and reduced productivity. The CIPD UK Working Lives Survey adds another layer of concern. They report that one in four UK workers feel their job negatively affects their mental health.  

The cost of an ‘always on’ culture is becoming obvious: our wellbeing and performance are suffering. When the laptop is always within reach, the temptation to just finish one more thing is hard to resist. Over time, this creates a cycle of overwork that feels impossible to break. The result being stress, fatigue, and a creeping sense that work never really ends. 

What flexible workspaces offer 

40% of remote workers struggle to disconnect after hours because of the lack of physical separation between work and home. And this is where flexible workspace is key.  

Flexible workspaces are environments designed to offer shared offices, coworking spaces, and on-demand meeting rooms. They provide a necessary physical boundary between work and home, without sacrificing flexibility. In this way, they can play an important role in helping workers establish healthier routines. 

By creating a dedicated space for work, flexible workspaces encourage people to switch off when the day ends. They help reduce the temptation to keep working late into the night. And more than that, they give people choice. Choice over where they work, how they work, and when they work. That sense of control matters because autonomy is vital when it comes to job satisfaction and mental wellbeing. In a study by the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 4,340 individuals found that job autonomy is positively associated with psychological well-being and job satisfaction. 

The importance of community and belonging 

Of course, wellbeing goes beyond work-life boundaries and choice, as do the benefits of flexible workspace. Flexible workspaces provide a sense of structure, community and belonging that goes a long way to keep people mentally healthy when it comes to their work.  

Companies are increasingly using these spaces to support wellbeing, reduce burnout, and improve team dynamics. For example: 

• Many tech firms are adopting coworking hubs to give remote teams a central meeting point. 

• Creative agencies use flexible space to encourage collaboration without the rigidity of traditional offices. 

• Start-ups use shared spaces to access professional environments without the overhead costs of long-term leases. 

When people feel part of a community, they’re less likely to feel isolated, which is another major contributor to burnout. Social.com reports that globally, 72% of employees report feeling lonely at least monthly. This is a stat flexible workspace can help change.  

Pushing back against being ‘always on’ 

Flexible workspaces aren’t going to single-handedly solve the burnout crisis. That’s a much bigger challenge that requires cultural and structural change. But they do offer a practical way to push back against the expectation of constant availability. 

When people have the freedom to choose where and how they work, it becomes easier to set boundaries. The ‘always on’ mindset isn’t sustainable. It drains energy and creativity, and makes recovery almost impossible. 

Flexible workspaces offer a small but meaningful step toward a culture that values balance and boundaries as much as output. They remind us that productivity doesn’t have to mean being online 24/7. And that’s a message worth spreading.