The eight hours of work a day has been a topic of debate for a long time now. People have time and again questioned the use of such long hours of work.
If you are on the 9-to-5 bandwagon, the following debate will intrigue you because there are many studies that claim that the eight hour structure is invalid for modern times.
To give you a background, at the start of the Industrial Revolution demand for workforce and longer working hours increased. Companies started to maximize the output of their factories and running them 24/7 was key.
Now, of course, to make things more efficient, people had to work more with 10-16 hour days were the norm.
But Welsh manufacturer and labor rights activist Robert Owen turned things around by coining the phrase “Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest.” This was fine till the time it was effectively running factories.
But is this time frame for work still needed in the present day?
This debate on the 8-hour work time started on Tumblr with some pretty impressive arguments.
A user named northw0man, pointed out that the 8-hour model was meant for men who had wives taking care of things at home.
This research suggests that in an eight-hour day, the average worker is only productive for two hours and 53 minutes.
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The study broke down the activities during an eight hour work day from checking social media, searching for new jobs, taking smoke breaks and making phone calls. At the end of it all the majority of the time spent in the office is unproductive and only four hours of productivity are left!
Another user thesnarkbait spoke about an experiment done in Gothenburg, Sweden where nurses that participated in a 6-hour workday showed improved productivity and better work–life balance.
Many argued that the eight hour work day isn’t ‘set in stone’ and there are ways to work around it given our current lifestyles.
Do you agree with the views above or believe that we should stick to the archaic 8-hour module? Share your thoughts below.