Employees' biological clocks do more than determine when they reach for coffee; they fundamentally shape how, when, and why people help each other at work. A groundbreaking new study published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes introduces the concept of "Time-Extension Self-Efficacy" (TESE) — an individual's belief in their ability to successfully wake up earlier or stay up later than usual.
Across multiple studies, the research demonstrates that an employee's chronotype (whether they are a morning person or a night owl) predicts their TESE. In turn, this specific confidence predicts when employees are most likely to go the extra mile and engage in helping behaviors at work.
Importantly, while a person's biological clock is stable, the researchers discovered that TESE is surprisingly malleable. A simple, brief recall exercise — asking individuals to think about past successful attempts to extend their day — significantly boosted their TESE. This suggests that organizations can actively influence these beliefs to encourage greater collaboration and flexibility.
"Most people assume that time is experienced the same way by everyone. We all have 24 hours," said June Ryu, assistant professor of management at Portland State University and lead researcher. "But this research shows that morning people and night owls actually perceive their available time differently, and that difference drives when they choose to help others at work. What I find most exciting is that while your chronotype is biologically grounded and hard to change, your beliefs about how far you can push the boundaries of your day are not. Those beliefs can be shifted, which suggests there is more room for people to act beyond their biological tendencies than we previously thought."
For organizations looking to foster a more adaptable and supportive workforce, the study offers actionable strategies to unlock employee potential regardless of the time on the clock.
