Working 9 to 5 ain’t no way to make a living

TWO thirds of 9 to 5 workers would prefer their day to start and finish earlier, a poll by Yougov has revealed.

The most popular choice was an 8am-4pm – chosen by 25 per cent of the 1,965 people quizzed. Another 13 per cent wanted an 8.30am9.30pm day and 10 per cent favoured 7am to 3pm.

Those with no children or with grown-up children were equally likely to want an earlier day as those with schoolchildren.

But the pattern shifted for people who lived in London – and those in their late teens and early 20s.

Early starts were less favoured by these two groups, with 19 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds saying they would like to start work after 9am compared with just nine per cent of people aged 54 to 65. Londoners were also statistically likely to prefer a later start, with 27 per cent preferring their day to start after 9am compared with 12 per cent in the rest of the South and 13 per cent in the North.

“This could be down to a combination of London’s younger population, which is more likely to prefer a late start, or the overcrowding on much of the London transport system during rush hour,” the report said.

An earlier survey carried out by Timewise found that 90 per cent of adults disliked the standard 9am-5pm day.

Previous studies have suggested that young people feel more tired if they do not get enough sleep than older people do.

Scientists have debated whether this means older people do not actually need as much sleep.

But a study published earlier this year in the journal Neuron found that older adults have simply adjusted to the side effects of being sleep-deprived.

Figures also suggest that people tend to work fewer hours per week than they did 20 years ago, dropping from an average of 31.6 a week in 1998 to 31.