Is the 9-5, 5 days a week dead?
Louise Boardman-Rule
Helping SME's recruit part-time/flexible professionals to achieve business growth * Marketing, Admin, Finance, HR, Project Management and more * ++ 01252 856862 ++
The 9-5. The daily grind. The?eight-hour-marathon. There are a lot of different ways people around the world describe their workday, and not many of them are complimentary. Why? Because even if you adore your job and the company you work for, eight hours is a long time to work, and it leaves us feeling tired and drained at the end of it.??
This is mainly because the?modern 9-5, eight-hour workday was invented in the 1920s by Henry Ford and the American labour unions, as a way to limit the hours worked by manufacturing and industrial workers.?These people were doing manual labour for between 10-12 hours a day, and Ford wanted to take steps to protect the workers and improve their conditions. This was a fantastic move at the time, but as the world of work has evolved, the laws around working hours haven’t.?Now we still work eight-hour days, despite them not really being the most efficient use of anyone’s time.
Our question for you today – is it time to retire the 9-5 workday??
Work Has Changed?
The world of work has gone through a lot of changes in a century, and now?things look very different. The advances in technology, globalisation and outsourcing mean that very few jobs require an 8-hour working day any more.
The COVID pandemic has accelerated changes that were already on the horizon. Lockdowns taught us that remote working, done well, can be of benefit to employers and employees alike. As we return to our offices, we are seeing increasing examples of hybrid working – where office days are frequently for team meetings, team building and to get that feeling of belonging – whereas working from home days are for concentrated effort to get the job done. ?
Well-being Is Now Key
In 2022 the focus has shifted to creating a good work-life balance, a good company culture, and keeping employees happy while at work. Business owners have seen for themselves that the key to productivity is employee wellness. Businesses who have?wellness high up on the agenda are more likely to be successful. By changing the focus to outcomes not hours and productivity, staff morale, retention and well-being increase.
We are watching with interest the recent 4-day week initiatives that several key companies are trialling. They follow many examples where a 4-day week, on full pay, leads to the same level of productivity – the 100:80:100 model. This is great news for business and for all employees. Imagine always having a three-day weekend and how better refreshed we would all be on a Monday morning.
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In our always-on, always-connected world, it doesn’t make sense to expect employees to work an eight-hour shift and still do their job to a high quality. Instead, the immersive work experience is no longer limited to a desk at the office, and many employees find their productivity improves when they work fewer hours, and have the flexibility to work when they want, where they want. It’s a new look for?world of work, but the companies embracing flexible and part-time hours are seeing incredible results.?After all, each employee has their own set of responsibilities, and as long as they’re doing their jobs and doing them well, does it really matter how many hours they put in each week??
Our Brains Aren’t Wired?For?It?
One of the big reasons we think the long-haul 9-5 is dead is really simple – our brains just aren’t wired to work for that long!?In fact, research has shown that working in such large, continuous blocks of time does nothing but harm our productivity. Our brains force us to take regular breaks to prevent overload.?In fact, studies have shown that the average full-time employee is only really productive for around?3 hours a day, with the rest of the day filling up with unproductive activities?like:?
Wouldn’t it be better for businesses to hire part-time employees, who work fewer hours but are much more productive because of it??
At Ten2Two, we are firm believers in the idea that when you have the budget to hire 1 full-time role, you should always consider how you can make that budget work harder for you – maybe two part-time hires would bring a more diverse experience into your business – or using the same budget to offer shorter working days would attract applicants with a higher level of experience.
Part-time and flexible working is the future of the workplace, and for very good reasons. Along with increased productivity and satisfaction from your employees, you will also be able to access much more diverse range of skills for your?business, and?create a well-rounded workforce for a fraction of the cost. If you would like to know more about embracing part-time hiring, we would love to help. Just get in touch with the team today and book your free consultation.?