Working 9-5: Is It Outmoded in the 21st Century?
Many American workers live for their weekends. This is the time that they spend with their families, catch up on errands, and just relax. The practice of taking a day of rest is a centuries-old concept. In the pre-industrial era, workers would typically have off one day per week to observe the Sabbath. In agrarian settings, people worked as much as they needed to survive, hunting, gathering, and farming—probably averaging less than 40 hours per week. This pattern changed in the 18th century with the Industrial Revolution.
By the mid-19th century, it was common for workers to log 70-hour, six-day workweeks in factories. Industrialization would continue to transform the nature of work and draw immigrants, the formerly enslaved, and subsistence farmers into the ranks of wage workers. Literature from this time period focuses on these draconian work practices. Noted author and social critic Charles Dickens often wrote about the conditions in England’s workhouses and factories, poverty, child labor, cruelty, and the general disconnect between wealthy Victorians and the underclass of workers.
The US began to track working hours in 1890. The average full-time manufacturing employee worked 100 hours per week at that time. The growing power of the working class led to multiple protests about long hours and poor working conditions. In 1926, Henry Ford became one of the first employers to adopt a 40-hour workweek, primarily in response to threats of organized labor. In 1938, President Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which established that employers must pay overtime to employees working more than 40 hours a week. In the following decades, the US enjoyed unprecedented growth and prosperity, and the middle class was firmly rooted in American culture.
And it worked for a time. But the global economy has shifted. We’ve moved away from manufacturing and now focus on knowledge and service work. The Information Age enables us to be connected 24/7, blurring the lines between life and work and causing many to question the relevance of the standard 40-hour workweek. Multiple studies have shown that longer working hours do not increase productivity. Simply put, the Monday through Friday grind no longer supports most white-collar workers.
The Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally upended the idea of the workplace and working hours in general. What had previously been seen as inconveniences, such as commuting, lengthy, in-person meetings, and office small talk, were revealed to be significant sources of wasted time. Some workers realized that their peak hours of performance were outside of traditional business hours. Others marveled at the additional leisure time at their disposal without lengthy commutes. Most of all, workers realized they could do their jobs effectively in less than 8 hours daily. The idea of the 40-hour workweek is not rooted in any research or best practices. It is an arbitrary number.
Some countries, like Sweden, have begun to experiment with 6-hour workdays. In 2019, Microsoft Japan instituted a 4-day, 32-hour workweek, and productivity rose by 40% annually. In France, the legally mandated workweek is 35 hours. Unfortunately, the US still lags behind many of its peer nations regarding workplace flexibility. Just as the labor movement forced manufacturers to improve working conditions in the early 20th century, a workers’ revolution will likely force employers to change. Employees are fighting back against arbitrary return-to-office mandates, and GenZ, the newest generation to join the workforce, wants to work whenever from wherever without the strictures of being tied to a timecard or an office. American employers can adapt and thrive or dig in their heels and suffer lowered productivity, increased attrition, and employee disengagement.
As the global workforce evolves, it becomes increasingly clear that flexibility and work-life balance are not just perks but essential components of a modern employment model. It is incumbent upon American businesses to heed the tide of change and embrace innovative work structures or risk falling behind in an era where adaptability is not just valued but demanded.