Name: Workstyle
Rating: 3.8 (209 reviews)
Author: Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst

What’s in it for me? Join the workstyle revolution and create a brighter future.

Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst created the word workstyle in 2015. They wanted to give everyone the freedom to choose when and where they work, and they started a company called Hoxby to make it happen. Hoxby delivers projects for some of the biggest businesses in the world and has helped more than 2,500 people to set, project and respect their own workstyles. Later, after the pandemic, people wanted to learn about how the authors worked. Seeing the opportunity, Penny and Hirst decided to write Workstyle. A revolution for wellbeing, productivity and society.

It starts with the assumption that the 9 to 5 working day is a relic of the industrial revolution – now more than 200 years old. Even the more recent so-called “flexible” working hours are based around this archaic working structure. In this digital age, with changing global attitudes to work and an aging demographic, we need to move past these centuries-old habits. It’s time for a change.

Workstyle rewards workers for the output they produce – not the hours they record at their desk. It’s grounded in the principles of asynchronous work, a digital-first focus, and trust-based working environments. The autonomy of workstyle can be transformative for many people, but in particular for those groups excluded by the traditional way of working: older workers, parents, carers, those living with a disability, suffering from a chronic illness or mental health challenges, or those who are neurodivergent.

Workstyle – the idea

Work is an integral part of life. For most of us, it takes up about a third of our time, and forms a pretty significant part of our identity. But the way most of us work – sitting in an office morning ’til evening, interacting with the same coworkers – is based on an age-old tradition. It came into existence with the industrial revolution about 200 years ago. The truth is, this way of working is outdated and unnecessary.

An aging workforce, recent technological advances, and a shift towards more independent working has set the scene for us to fundamentally change the way we think about work. This is where workstyle comes in.

Just like your lifestyle refers to the way you live your life, your workstyle is the freedom to choose when and where you work. It’s based on three principles.

Firstly, asynchronous working. This basically means that you do not have to be working at the same time as your colleagues. Maybe you stop working just as your colleague on the other side of the planet wakes up to pick up where you left off.
This is made possible by the second principle: digital-first. Everybody works with a computer these days, Wi-Fi is ubiquitous, and recent events have shown that a lot of our work can exist in a digital space. Software like Slack can be our office space. Let’s embrace it.
Finally, workstyle relies on a trust-based environment. You need to believe that your coworkers are going to deliver without a boss looking over their shoulder.

Working the workstyle way results in an exciting shift in focus when compared to traditional work. It takes the power to dictate the working day away from the companies and puts it in the hands of the people.

Instead of measuring an employee’s value by the hours they spend in their seat, in front of their computer, it becomes about the outputs they produce, regardless of when or where they do the work. Without the need to share hours and locations with coworkers, people have the freedom to work in the ways that work for them. This idea of autonomy has huge implications for the nature and impact of the work we do.

In the following sections you will see just how much workstyle can improve your wellbeing, and in turn your productivity. But first you need to prepare for the fundamental shift in understanding that workstyle requires.

Say the word “workstyle” out loud to yourself, or perhaps the cat. How does it feel? Let yourself imagine a world where that word is commonly understood by those around you. Then, describe your current workstyle, starting with “my workstyle is …”. Think about the days and hours you work, when you take breaks and holidays, and the aspects of your life that you fit your work around – picking up kids, chores, hobbies. Chances are you don’t have much control over the specifics of your current workstyle. That’s why it’s time to take a look at the benefits of a world where you do.

Workstyle helps you be well

Imagine you are visited by a curious alien who asks you to explain your average workday. If you are like a large portion of the working populations, you would tell them that you force yourself awake with a loud beeping before the sun has come up, then leave your warm house and loved ones to sit on a crowded train which will take you to an artificially lit office building where you will sit relatively still for the next ten hours while using your phone and laptop to interact with others who aren’t even in the same location as you. When the natural light outside is nearly gone, you leave this building, return home to spend a few short hours with your family, then go to bed so you can wake up and do it all again.

Shocked, and maybe a little confused, the alien may ask you: is it good for you? Take a moment to think about your answer.

Workstyle helps you work better

When are you most productive? Maybe you’re a morning person who gets everything done before the rest of the house is awake. Or maybe you can’t really get going until you’ve done a morning exercise and finished some small tasks, getting in front of your computer a bit before lunch. Productivity is a personal thing. Everyone works differently. So, why should we be content with a system of work that lumps everybody in together?

Being productive is all about energy – where you get it from and where you channel it. Over a 24-hour period, our energy levels naturally rise and fall. This is a result of our personal circadian rhythm which regulates our body temperature – and consequently when we are most productive.

Workstyle helps you do good

Let yourself imagine a world where workstyle is the norm. You set up your computer at the local café after completing your exercise and chores for the morning, knowing that the next few hours will be your most productive. Maybe you schedule a meeting with your colleague from Australia, who’s just put their kids to bed. You reply to a few messages from your Argentinian colleague for them to read in a couple of hours.

Hopefully you can already see how this kind of workstyle can benefit your wellbeing, and consequently your productivity. But it’s important to realize that the implications don’t stop at the individual. Workstyle can have a lasting positive impact on society as a whole.

Key ideas in Workstyle

What is Workstyle about?

Workstyle: A revolution for wellbeing, productivity and society (2022) introduces the concept of workstyle: the freedom to choose when and where we work. By examining the outdated history of the standard 9 to 5 working week in the light of the modern digital age, the authors lay the foundation for an individualized and autonomous way of working.

About the Author

Alex Hirst is a working parent and cofounder of Hoxby – a global community dedicated to creating a happier, more inclusive, and more productive world by refreshing the way we think about work. His business partner and fellow cofounder Lizzie Penny is a mother, leader, and business strategist. In 2015, they came up with the concept of workstyle while dealing with work burnout and the challenges of becoming working parents.