Why The 9-To-5 Workday Is No Longer Relevant In 2024
The pandemic showed us how flexible working can increase productivity and be a benefit to workers and employers, let’s take a look at the history of the 9-5 & why some people are sticking with it
The pandemic changed a lot of things: from proving that working from home was a viable option to the wide-spread adoption of flexible working hours, despite its hardships workers were given a taste of freedom when it came to how and when they worked.
This led a lot of people to start to reconsider how our workdays are structured and how best to motivate employees through small improvements in working conditions.
So how did we get stuck in the rut of the dreaded 9-to-5 working day? Read on to find out!
A Brief History Of Working 9-5
When heavy industry started, it was quite common for people to work for as long as there was available sunlight so they could see what they were doing.
After the advent of gas and then electric powered lighting, factories could operate 24 hours a day and it was common for there to be 2 shifts of 12 hours each.
People would also be expected to work 6 days a week with only a Sunday off as it was a holy day.
As industrialisation began to ramp up thanks to increase in machinery use (and more dangerous machinery at that), workers began to advocate for shorter shifts in order to make the workplace safer – a tired worker is more likely to fall foul of a workplace accident that one who is freshly rested.
As we moved into the 1900s, it became more apparent that shorter workdays were actually better for productivity, the factory owners were unconcerned with worker safety that much at this point just worker output.
Labour movements were also pressing for shorter work weeks and slowly the 9-to-5, 5 day working week was born, most notably adopted by car manufacturer Henry Ford – although he was one of the early adopters and not the originator as some people claim.
If you were unlucky enough to live in the Soviet Union in the 1930s you would only get one random day off a week that may not align with the rest of your family so I guess Western workers should be grateful they had the whole weekend to spend with relatives and friends.
Failing To Keep Up With The Times
As mechanisation increased it was possible for people to get more done in less time, and with the increased use in electricity it was now possible to run factories 24 hours a day allowing for multiple shift patterns.
There was slow adoption in this method of manufacture and it was still common for people to be working a 9-5 shift even though they could conceivably complete their work by, as an example, 3pm.
This has been further exacerbated by the introduction of computer aided manufacture, robotic production lines and other technologies and yet companies still insist on the rigid 9-5 schedule (or an 8-hour variation thereof).
A Lack Of Flexibility
If the pandemic showed us anything, it’s how flexibility can reward both employers and employees.
Being able to start work early one day in order to finish early, or start late another day and finish a bit later made employees feel more trusted and appreciated, and as a result they were more likely to put extra time and effort into their work.
This flexibility was short-lived though as companies began demanding that people return back to the office the minute restrictions began to lift which, in part, lead to the “Great Resignation” which saw workers who felt like they were being mistreated during the pandemic (and after) resign in their thousands.
The Realisation Of The Importance Of Work/Life Balance
The pandemic taught those working at home that perhaps a 1+ hour commute into the office wasn’t a good use of their time after all, and some companies realised the benefits of having their staff willing to start and finish earlier due to this added flexibility and free time.
But some companies are stubbornly sticking to their guns as 9-5 is the way they have always done it and that’s the way it will continue no matter what people say.
This led, in the UK at least, to a new Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 which gives an employee the right to request flexible working hours which, by law, has to be considered by the employer.
They can still turn down the request of course but they have to have a legitimate reason to do so.
This has firmly put the ball back in the employees court and 51% of UK employees are now saying they have access to flexible working.
This also led to an increase in additional movements such as the 4 day week which saw 61 companies enter a trial of, well, a 4 day work week!
The results were phenomenal with an measured increase in productivity of 35% and a reduction in staff turnover of 57%. The scheme was so popular 56 companies in the trial adopted it permanently and when the 4 day week was adopted in Local Government Offices, services actually improved.
Unfortunately the previous Conservative government told councils to stop the trials which highlights the way that companies and institutions are stuck on the out-dated and no-longer fit-for-purpose notion that a 9-5 workday, 5 days a week is the pinnacle of productivity despite hundreds of practical studies showing otherwise.
Hopefully with trials going forward this will encourage more companies to offer flexibility in their working hours/days and they’ll appreciate the effect it has on employee productivity, motivation and moral, just as the employees will appreciate the trust and consideration their company has for them.
Over To You
Does your company offer flexible working? Or are you lucky enough to be in a company where the 4-day week is the norm?
Or do you disagree and think that people should work a 9-5 / 5 days week in an office environment?
Let us know in the comments below what your thoughts are.
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