5 Ways ‘Night Owl’ Workers Can Thrive

The hallways were quiet. No one was tapping on their smartphones; no incoming messages were pinging. It was exactly the kind of solitude that focused work requires. But the employee wasn’t behind the closed door of his office with strict orders not to be disturbed. Nor was he working remotely from home, alone while his kids attended school and his wife worked at her own job. His surroundings were peaceful because this was the middle of the night.  

Though most of the global business world works when the sun is shining, not everyone performs at their best during those hours. Roughly 15% of workers, or more than one in ten, have a genetic predisposition that causes them to be more alert, productive, and mentally acute after the moon has risen. “Firms should be thinking about deliberately investing in the capabilities of night owls,” says Roger Philby, global leader of the People Strategy and Performance practice for Korn Ferry based in London. 

Experts say the business environment has never been more conducive to leaders and night owls getting the most from each other. Globalization, gig and remote work, and the 24-hour business cycle have created more opportunities for people to work when they are at their best. Understanding this development can help leaders elicit more and better performance and productivity from talent. Our experts suggest five ways to do that. 

Communicate how you work best.

Flexibility doesn’t just pertain to remote or office work anymore. Firms are moving towards microshifting and asynchronous work, which can work in night owls’ favor, says Karrin Randle, an associate client partner in the Culture, Change, and Communication practice at Korn Ferry. She says managers are under pressure to show productivity, and establishing a schedule that fosters it can be mutually beneficial. “Reaching agreement on how success is defined, and when responsiveness and availability matter, can help make night owls more effective,” says Randle. 

Use project-tracking tools.

Similarly, utilizing collaborative digital tools and shared platforms can timestamp contributions and make them more visible, says Mark Royal, a senior client partner at Korn Ferry. Royal says project-tracking tools can help managers better understand and adjust to your schedule to maximize productivity. “Your schedule may result in fewer live interactions,” says Royal, “but managers and teammates will be able to better anticipate and align with your work.” 

Schedule meetings mindfully.

Managers can help increase face time with night owls and their teammates by scheduling important meetings, teamwide discussions, and other activities in the middle of the day or at a time when the most overlap occurs, says Royal. Similarly, he suggests regularly sharing updates on progress, issues, and questions at intervals that align with when most colleagues are working. “Balance flexibility with clear expectations regarding core hours when everyone is to be available and collaborative work can be done,” says Royal. 

Embrace deadlines.

Deadlines aren’t just for journalists, of course. Projects have due dates, client work comes with timelines for deliverables, and so on. But deadlines aren’t met only between 9 AM and 5 PM. Experts say more managers are moving away from a deadline-based approach to scheduling that allows for flexibility without actually formalizing it in policy or agreement. Put another way, managers are focusing less on when people get their work done, as long as they do it well and on time. “This can help normalize different work rhythms and remove some of the ambiguity and risk that comes with them,” says Randle.  

Night work doesn’t mean more work.

It happens all the time: As they’re leaving the office, the manager hands off a project to an employee working late hours. Or sends an after-hours email knowing that you’re the one person on the team who will see and answer it before morning. But experts say that managers who want to get the most out of night owls must be careful not to take advantage of them. Both night owls and their managers need to be cognizant that everyone needs rest to perform at their peak, Royal says. “If off-hours work translates to more work on top of the traditional workday, it creates risk of stress, burnout, and difficulties sustaining performance,” he says.

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