Working day is now 8am to 8pm
The traditional nine to five working day is now a thing of the past and has become eight to eight according to the latest research.
A study by call answering service alldayPA, which provides services for a range of businesses including hotels and restaurants, showed 41% more worker time is spent dealing with customers outside the normal office hours compared with three years ago.
It tracked more than a million calls over a two-year period to reveal the working day now begins at 8am and runs until 8pm.
The figures indicate that consumer demand is leading the way to 24-hour services for a variety of industries.
For many workers in the hospitality sector nine to five has never really been the norm but these findings could lead to implications for businesses such as restaurants with customers working longer hours.
Reuben Singh, chief executive officer at alldayPA, said: "Businesses advertising telephone services should expect calls whenever customers see a listing or advert, whatever time of day or night that is."
The study shows working hours have significantly increased, compared with research that was commissioned in 2010 by food brand Merchant Gourmet.
Back then typical employees were at their desk by 8.28am and did not go home until at least 5.29pm. In between the majority only took a lunch break of 33 minutes.
Latest video from The Caterer
