Turning point for the Standard Work Week shared by Stearns Weaver Miller on what’s happening concerning COVID_19
Where did the 8 hour, 5 day work week come from? Ford Motor Company in 1914, but it was a long time coming. Before that, factories were open around-the-clock with employees working long days and 100 hour weeks. In the late 1880s, a labor movement started using a slogan like “eight hours for work, eight hours for play and eight hours for rest”. After that, it took almost 20 years until Ford reduced employees’ regular work week to 5 days consisting of eight hour days. The company also doubled employee pay, causing shockwaves throughout the industry. By doing this, Ford saw employee productivity increase and profit margins double. The thinking was that if the company was going to make any money, employees needed time off to buy things. Seeing the success of Ford, other companies naturally implemented the eight hour day, which soon became the working standard. So there it is, the reason the 8 hour, 5 day work week exists in our country for over a century is nothing more than an old effective factory work schedule.
Glenn Rissman
Read the full commentary on the turning point of the standard work week here
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