Because it’s useful to actually talk to people even if it’s over video chat.

The point being if someone in NY works 9-17, someone in UK May be happy working 13-22

Working different hours from all your friends and family gets old fast. It gets old fast even if your family is on another continent and all your friends are on the same schedule. Most English teachers who come to China start in training centres where they work three evenings and two full weekend days a week. Everyone either leaves China or gets a job with more normal hours eventually.

I’m sure there are people who’d work 13-22 but I’d bet a substantial sum employee churn would be consistently higher.

I have fried st hat have worked shift patterns (some 24/7, some more like 4x10 hours “unsociable”) for decades and are fine with it. I have one colleague who works 4-12 5 days a week for the last 6 years and wouldn’t change it for the world. Another does 11-23 or 11-19 3 or 4 days a week. Personally I get more done between 18 and 21 than most of the day, hence I work 10-15 then 18-21.

Wife used to work for a company with an office in Yorkshire where working hours finished at 2pm (7-2 no lunch). Horses for courses.

HN does seem to bias towards morning based extrovert urbanites in its group think. It’s nowhere near as universal as you might think.

I think it would be rare to find someone in the UK that would be happy to work when at the time that everyone else is going to be in the pub.

Yeah, especially given the fact that literally nothing is open out of hours in the UK (with exceptions - but you wouldn’t be able to base your life on that).

Most shops are open in mornings, so I don’t get your point. Indeed almost everywhere is closed outside 9-5.

Not this someone.

In Singapore we are working from home due to the Wuhan Virus. I shifted my hours to start around 1pm to better align with our London office. I think it’s much better as I’m not a morning person so I feel far more productive.

Having kids going to school, having spouses and other people in your life that also have the same schedule.