One of the enduring legacies of the First Industrial Revolution is the eight-hour labor. Productivity was generally assessed in linear terms with the emergence of manufacturing businesses and sectors that needed hard work. The laborers worked for 8 hours a day to produce the calculated units of output.
The American workweek was formally fixed at 40 hours in 1940 by Congress. As a result, over 100 years later, this is the same concept we follow today.
However, in the wake of an unprecedented global pandemic, we were compelled to reconsider all we thought we knew. Hence, our priorities and ideals, as well as our leisure time and, most crucially, the way we work, all play a role.
It’s no surprise that the typical 8-hour workday concept, which was once a socialist ideal, now appears, to put it mildly, outdated. Individuals are discovering that the 8-hour commute to work may have been a detrimental myth as more people move to remote work.
To explain this further TikToker AutisticCommProf, @ndcommlion posted a video explaining how the late 1800s labor movement slogan “8 hours for work, 8 hours for leisure, 8 hours for what you will” is a misleading promise.
Accordingly, this concept does ruin our work-life balance, leaving us stressed and unproductive.
@ndcommlion #greenscreen #capitalismsucks #capitalism #worklife #worklifebalance #fightfor15 #eattherich #generalstrikeoct15 #generalstrike
She citied this tweet from Twitter user Jarrel as proof that this is, in fact, completely right.
It’s no surprise that this 8-hour concept drew a lot of criticism during the pandemic. This eventually caused millions of office workers to work from home since last year. Following the demand for shorter hours, many pointed out that the 8-hour workday is not only inefficient, but it also disrupts work-life balance by sucking up all of the leftover energy needed for leisure activities and relaxation.
According to a growing body of evidence, the greatest amount of time most of us can focus intensely on something is five hours.
In response to the video by TikToker AutisticCommProf, many people had their thoughts to share in the comments. Here are a few.
