Who invented the eight hour work day

Work Has Changed By and large, the eight-hour work day was created to protect workers who held jobs brought about by the industrial revolution. But as they say, actions speak louder than words. Here are three ways you can do that: Flexible Scheduling Once you agree with the notion that the 8-hour work day is an outdated idea, you may want to start allowing your employees to work when they want to work within reason.

Summer Hours Thanks to graduations, weddings, and vacations, business slows down in the summer for many organizations. Team-Building Days The closer your employees are to each other, the more productive your team will be. Get Our Most Helpful Resources. Subscribe Here! Journeyman House Carpenters' Association of Philadelphia banner promoting the ten-hour day, Note the carpenter pointing to the clock indicating to his co-worker that it is time to quit work.

Eight-hour day proclamation issued by President Ulysses S. Grant declaring that employers cannot reduce wages as a result of the reduction of the workday, Web Accessibility. According to the U.

Bureau of Labor Statistics , the average number of hours worked per day by all employees including both full-time and part-time employees is 7. Full-time workers, on the other hand, work more 8. According to these statistics, the 8-hour workday trend is still in full force, but some institutions are rising to the challenge of change. Not long ago, Microsoft Japan implemented an experiment to test out a 4-day workweek, giving employees each Friday off.

Initially, this raised a number of questions, but it was Microsoft that had the last laugh. Plenty of workers are also introducing changes to the norm by choosing the hours they work at home.

Sure, this might be seen as a bad thing, but it can also contribute greatly to the notion that the workweek can be shorter with less consequence than business owners might expect. Remember Microsoft Japan? More rest and a healthier separation between work and a recreational weekend meant great things.

However workday trends continue, and whatever number of hours becomes the new norm for the average workday, one thing is for certain—changing trends will mean increased productivity. Just as Robert Owen spoke up against the counterproductive workplace practices of his time, so too are various voices hoping to become the new mouthpiece for the modern employee. In demanding, competitive industries like tech and finance, professionals work in excess of 60 hours a week as a rule, and are available constantly by smartphone.

A recent Bloomberg Businessweek story highlighted American factories where employees work upwards of 12 hours a day, six or seven days a week. In a time when Americans are working more than ever before and taking less time off, it's helpful to see how the U. Early s: "For nearly years workers, organized or not, sought to limit the workday," says Nelson Lichtenstein, history professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The idea did not take hold in Europe, but it made its way to the U. According to Lichtenstein, American workers adopted a similar slogan in the years following the Civil War. Their efforts ultimately fails, but helps put labor reform on the political map. The legislature passes the law, but it contains a loophole that allows "employers to contract with their employees for longer hours," the historical society writes.