How the 9-to-5 Came to Be and Why It No Longer Makes Sense (Infographic)Everybody's working for the weekend, but is it best to get 'er done in long, eight-hour stints? Probably not.
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Newsflash, boss: The days of the traditional 8-hour work day are numbered. It's as outdated as the8-track.
Today, thanks to the blood, sweat and tears of worker's rights crusaders the world over -- and a little something called theFair Labor Standards Act-- the average American working stiff logs about8.7 hoursa day on the clock. If you think that's too long, imagine how rough our ancestors had it during theIndustrial Revolution. Back then, workers, often as young as 10 years old, toiled in sweltering factories for up to 16 hours at a time, six days a week. Manyacross the globestill do and then some.
值得庆幸的是血汗工厂劳工在美国的日子arelargely behind us, and the vast majority of us are resigned to working in standard eight-hour shifts. That is, ideally with one short break after a few hours and a brief meal period (depending on your state劳动法,你的办公室文化和propensity for workaholism). But, with the rise of telecommuting and other increasingly commonalternative work arrangements, along with more and more people juggling multiple jobs, many are questioning if toiling in 8-hour stints is the really best way to work in the 21st century.
Related:Does a 6-Hour Workday Lead to Better Productivity? Sweden's About to Find Out.
After all, working long hours, which many of us do voluntarily without interruption (heck, we don't even takeearned vacation timeanymore) has been shown tocause fatigue, strain personal relationships and increase mistakes and accidents. And, here's the kicker, it can ironically also reduce productivity.
No wonder some think dividing the work day into strategic bursts of effort undertaken during your routinely most productive times -- as opposed to on an arbitrarily set schedule -- is probably a better idea. Even weaving inspellsof meditation and mindlessdoodlinginto your work patterns can make you a happier and more successful employee or entrepreneur. Draw your own conclusions.
For more on how we ended up laboring for eight hours at a time, and why there's a movement afoot to shift away from the moth-eaten tradition, please, take a short break (remember those?) and peruse the thought-provoking infographic below. It comes to us care ofPodio, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based provider of collaboration software for co-workers.
(In case you're inclined to do more research on this topic,here's the full list of sources used to create the infographic.)
Related:Should You Pay Employees an Hourly Wage or a Salary?
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