7 ways American work habits have changed in the past 10 years

• American work habits have evolved over the past 10 years.
• Americans today work longer hours than ever, have trouble disconnecting from work, and are commuting longer and longer distances to get to work.
• They also are more likely than ever to work from home and participate in the gig economy.

Work today looks very different than it did 10 years ago.

That's because over the past decade, American work habits have evolved — we're taking different kinds of jobs, putting in longer hours than ever, and reporting to uniquely designed offices, if we report to an office at all.

The recent changes in American work habits have arguably increased productivity, but often at the expense of happiness. The ubiquity of smartphones and laptops means a worker is never really disconnected from his or her job, even when away from the office. And even at work, we are pushing ourselves harder than ever: four out of five workers usually eat at the office, skipping a genuine lunch break.

We took a look at how American work habits have changed over the past 10 years. Here are some of the most prominent examples.

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We work anywhere and everywhere, and we rarely take time off

Business trips are nothing new, but true vacations, on the other hand, are becoming a thing of the past.

Few workers use the entirety of their annual paid leave, which is usually a scant two weeks anyway. And American workers can't seem to help themselves, answering work emails and taking calls while traveling for pleasure, working at home after dinner, and checking phones first thing in the morning before the coffee is even ready.

We have 'super' long commutes

Whether by train, subway, or car, Americans these days are traveling farther distances and spending longer hours commuting to work than ever before.

While the average American worker's commute is 26 minutes each way, since 2005, the number of super commuters— people who travel more than an hour and a half each way — has increased by more than 31%. (Interestingly, most super commutes earn about 21% more than workers with shorter commutes.)

Our offices are wide open

When designer Robert Propst introduced the cubicle to the workplace in the 1960s, he changed the American office for generations to come.

Although they were intended to make offices more open in feel and collaborative in nature, cubicles eventually came to be seen as oppressive and even demeaning to the employees tucked into them.

Now, however, many workers would gladly settle back into a cubicle (or better yet, a private office). The open workplace is everywhere in America these days, with employees sharing wide open spaces, often without even having their own dedicated spot at a desk or table. As several surveys have suggested, open offices are actually terrible for productivity and employee satisfaction.