Post by Trent Cotton

65% of workers want microshifting. The problem: HR may treat this like a scheduling problem. It's not. Owl Labs' 2025 State of Hybrid Work report found two-thirds of workers want to work in short, non-linear blocks based on energy and productivity patterns. And caregivers? Three times more likely to adopt it. Here's what most companies are missing: microshifting isn't about flexibility. It's about outcomes. The old model was simple: you rent someone's time, you own their calendar. But time ≠ results. And honestly, it never has. This is where I see AI changes everything. When you augment workers with AI to handle the transactional grind you free humans for the work that actually moves the needle. Strategy. Relationships. Judgment calls. The stuff that can't be done in neat 9-to-5 blocks. The teams that resist microshifting are usually the same ones measuring butts-in-seats instead of business impact. (Check out my little research backed rant on busy here: https://lnkd.in/eDA5JSGZ) They're terrified of what happens when they can't see people working. Meanwhile, the high performers? They've been doing this for years. One quote from the CNBC piece nailed it: "I earn a living based on outcomes. Nobody sends me a check for how many hours I work in a week." That's the future. For everyone, not just freelancers. AI makes it scalable. Outcome-based work makes it sustainable. HR leaders clinging to the 9-to-5 aren't protecting culture. They're protecting their own comfort with control. The companies that figure this out first will have their pick of the talent market. The ones that don't will keep writing think pieces about "quiet quitting." Check out the full article: https://lnkd.in/e92qKaT9