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For the better part of the 20th century, work was simple: you worked from 9 AM to 5 PM, and then clocked out for the day; but is this model still what we need?
In an age where work is becoming more and more remote as well as shift-based, it begs the question of whether society even needs the 9-to-5 system. Said system was created for full-time white-collar workers within corporate settings working 40 hour weeks; eight hours a day, five days a week.
The birth of such standard work weeks started in the 1920s when Henry Ford introduced the model to his workers in the automobile factories, hoping to boost the workers’ productivity and moods. At the time, it was groundbreaking, providing structure and good working conditions for employees. In 1938, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Fair Labour Standards Act, which forced employers to pay overtime for any hours their employees worked above the standard 40. However, the work style was only truly popularized after World War II, where workers started seeking more money, which instigated the need for more hours.
And, for the rest of the century, the model served everyone pretty well. Workers received benefits, paid time off, and a stable income. This seemingly perfect system, however, was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many were forced to work from home, a thing most found to be preferable to in-person work, and it made them question the whole rise-and-grind culture, as well as the 9-to-5 job push.
Technology can speed up various repetitive tasks, which can be done from anywhere, at any point in the day. The 9-to-5 model expects that everything takes time, can only be done at the office, and may only be completed from 9 to 5. The result is always the same: unnecessarily long hours, hating your job, and, of course, the thing pretty much trending on the internet now: burnout.
Multiple studies even show that remote and hybrid workers exhibit higher levels of productivity and happiness than their in-office counterparts, and often yield high rates of job satisfaction. This is due to the autonomy and more flexible lifestyle, among other factors, that cause such results.
Beyond the fact that, typically, it also comes with other downsides. Because it’s a standardized system, it ignores personal working styles and needs. Just because you’re working a 9-to-5 doesn’t mean you’ll be productive; it just means you’re working for eight hours. Furthermore, most people have “productivity windows,” times in the day where they are just more productive, which don’t always align with the 9-to-5 window; evidently,the schedule is highly inflexible. It limits worker freedom, hurts morale, and makes it harder to recruit new employees who now prioritize more remote work.
Being chained to a desk for eight hours a day is no way to live your life—we have better, healthier options now; so why don’t we just use them?
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