Working according to your internal clock? Usually not, because even in the New Work world, the alarm clock rules. Despite the digitalization push, traditional working time models are still very popular, albeit more flexible. But what happens when employees are allowed to wake up without an alarm clock? We got to the bottom of this question together with the Swabian medium-sized company Karl Späh GmbH & Co. The result was a scientifically supported project entitled “Getting up without an alarm clock”, which was accompanied by television crews. The science series Quarks (ARD) broadcast this report in March 2022 in the program “Arbeiten nach der inneren Uhr”.
New Work Premium – Get up without an alarm clock
14 employees were able to wake up without an alarm clock for 4 months. One of the aims was to find out what makes their internal clock tick. I informed the participants in detail about the topic and briefed them in a workshop. The core of the project was to determine the individual chronotype. First, a blood sample was taken from each participant. This blood was sent to the laboratory of the “BodyTime” project group led by Prof. Achim Kramer/Charité Berlin for analysis. The scientists then analyzed the blood on the basis of 25 biomarkers to determine the so-called DLMO.
The DLMO (Dim light Melatonin Onset) is the time at which melatonin secretion begins in the evening. This time differs significantly from person to person, in our project even in the extreme cases by as much as 13.5 hours. Based on the DLMO, the chronotype or biological sleep time was determined on a scientific basis. The participants kept a daily diary to document developments. These were evaluated by a scientist at the end.
Working according to the internal clock – Conclusion
As a result, it became clear that it often does not take a major upheaval for people and companies to achieve positive changes. “Getting up without an alarm clock” has clearly shown the positive influence of not having to set the alarm clock. But even the knowledge of chronobiology, e.g. through company-internal lectures and workshops, has had a strong influence on the reduction of psychological pressure. The pressure to be at work early, despite the flexitime offer, often arose from the perceived expectations of colleagues and company management.
After the project, employees ended up using flexitime to a much greater extent than before. The employees slept an average of 30 minutes longer and the sagging after getting up was eliminated, so that they were able to start their work much more concentrated and fitter. Such a development generates more sleep, fitness in the morning, concentration and satisfaction through awareness and experience, without the need for a fundamental restructuring of working hours. Working according to the internal clock is possible, as we have already shown here.
Link to the project description
