diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/workloads/noploop.c b/tools/perf/tests/workloads/noploop.c
index 656e472e6188..ca9f871e136f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/workloads/noploop.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/workloads/noploop.c
@@ -15,15 +15,26 @@ static void sighandler(int sig __maybe_unused)
 
 static int noploop(int argc, const char **argv)
 {
-	int sec = 1;
+	double sec = 1.0;
 
 	pthread_setname_np(pthread_self(), "perf-noploop");
 	if (argc > 0)
-		sec = atoi(argv[0]);
+		sec = atof(argv[0]);
+
+	if (!(sec > 0.0)) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "Error: seconds (%f) must be > 0\n", sec);
+		return 1;
+	}
 
 	signal(SIGINT, sighandler);
 	signal(SIGALRM, sighandler);
-	alarm(sec);
+
+	if (sec < 1.0) {
+		useconds_t usecs = (useconds_t)(sec * 1000000.0);
+
+		ualarm(usecs > 0 ? usecs : 1, 0);
+	} else
+		alarm((unsigned int)sec);
 
 	while (!done)
 		continue;
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/workloads/thloop.c b/tools/perf/tests/workloads/thloop.c
index bd8168f883fb..c830d739489f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/workloads/thloop.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/workloads/thloop.c
@@ -31,14 +31,15 @@ static void *thfunc(void *arg)
 
 static int thloop(int argc, const char **argv)
 {
-	int nt = 2, sec = 1, err = 1;
+	int nt = 2, err = 1;
+	double sec = 1.0;
 	pthread_t *thread_list = NULL;
 
 	if (argc > 0)
-		sec = atoi(argv[0]);
+		sec = atof(argv[0]);
 
-	if (sec <= 0) {
-		fprintf(stderr, "Error: seconds (%d) must be >= 1\n", sec);
+	if (!(sec > 0.0)) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "Error: seconds (%f) must be > 0\n", sec);
 		return 1;
 	}
 
@@ -67,7 +68,12 @@ static int thloop(int argc, const char **argv)
 			goto out;
 		}
 	}
-	alarm(sec);
+	if (sec < 1.0) {
+		useconds_t usecs = (useconds_t)(sec * 1000000.0);
+
+		ualarm(usecs > 0 ? usecs : 1, 0);
+	} else
+		alarm((unsigned int)sec);
 	test_loop();
 	err = 0;
 out: