The 40-hour work week
[avatar user=”annettedensham” size=”large” link=”https://www.a-ha.com.au/” target=”_blank”]Katrina is an HR guru with a special interest in business’ success through empowering teams. CEO + Founder of A-HA, Katriina is passionate about building inclusive workplaces where all people thrive and realise their full potential. Healthy teams with engaged people deliver both business and community success. [/avatar]
came about to alleviate the (oftentimes) inhumane work/life balance employers expected of their employees. The 40-hour happened when labourers across America joined together to rally for an 8-hour workday. Why did they want this? In 1890 the government tracked worker’s hours for the first time and discovered that the average hours worked by an employee was 100. The labourers that joined together to protest these hours called themselves the Knights of Labour and their slogan was “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest and eight hours for what you will.” In 1940, the government legislated a 40-hour workweek and it has been implemented and upheld ever since.
Technology has allowed more and more overtime to creep into the picture
While a 40-hour work week is certainly a great outcome, the 9-5 schedule became obsolete (whether we want it to or not) as soon as technology entered our homes. While technology has been instrumental in the advances and success of many businesses, it has also come with a price. For many employees, it has meant that work could be taken home more easily, employees are easier to contact, emails continue to be sent at all hours meaning people feel they no longer have the ability to truly ‘clock off’. In fact, being an employee with a phone connected to email and online workgroups means you’re on duty 24/7.
There are fewer home-cooked meals and fewer adults pursue hobbies; they’re simply exhausted. A rigid and traditional 9-5 schedule that demands workers be present at their place of work makes it difficult for many people to attend to their lives outside of work – most notably, parents, people with health conditions and disabilities, and those with special hobbies that still maintain their profession, too.
While we have seen flexible work policies and practices drastically increase, the expectation to fulfil those 8 hours a day, whilst still being available outside of those hours due to our use of technology, has meant that burnout in employees is on the rise.
The burnout picture isn’t pretty
Burnout is a silent pandemic that is sweeping the world. It is one of the most under-acknowledged issues of our time that often originates in the workplace but becomes a larger social issue too. Chronic exhaustion, mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, and insomnia are typical symptoms. Those suffering from burnout also show an inability to focus, and we see a drop in their performance and engagement in and outside the workplace. Employers tend to view drops in performance as an indicator to begin replacing that employee, however, if the underlying issue in the way the workplace operates isn’t fixed, it is an issue that will be repeated.
The environment we now live in calls for change – but what does that entail?
In some industries, we are seeing a shorter work week actually resulting in greater productivity levels. When an organisation in the construction industry, which is notorious for longer work-weeks, reduced their work-week from 6 days to 5 days, they saw more productivity in the 5 days and the overall capacity for the business to remain productive was largely unchanged. As a result of this change, their employees are more motivated and show more loyalty towards the company.
Each industry and business operates in a unique way, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, finding ways to ensure your employees switch off, through policy and agreements is vital. Similarly, finding ways to help your employees balance their work-life and home/family life is crucial.
Ensuring that the rigidity of the 9-5 workweek is a thing of the past and looking forward to flexible work options is a good start to allowing a better mental balance of work and life, however, ensuring boundaries are in place for employees around ‘clocking off’ is important to give employees allowances to not check their emails or messaging systems after their completed work hours.
Being mindful of employees’ work-life balance and actively finding solutions is critical to ensuring your business is preventing burnout from sweeping through, meaning your business can thrive through any circumstance.