Labor Day and The Future of Work

For my connections in the United States, Happy Labor Day! Hopefully you are relaxing with family or friends and not reading this article until the day after Labor Day. For my global network, I hope you enjoyed your US-free work day!

In America, Labor Day marks the unofficial end to the summer season. It is often a time for outdoor barbecues, water days at the beach/lake/river, and hot deals at home improvement stores and car dealerships. It seems like an oxymoron to call it Labor Day as many try to do as little labor as possible since it is recognized as a US Federal holiday.

Labor Day is a "celebration of labor" that started with trade unions in the late 19th century.

The holiday took root during the American labor movement and the rise of organized labor when the average American worker toiled for 10 hours a day, often 60 hours a week. Some industries regularly required 100 hours per week of its employees. Average working hours declined dramatically in the 20th century, thanks to labor unions, laws enacted to protect workers, and technology-driven improvements in productivity.

As of 2018, the average American full-time worker clocks in 8.5 hours each weekday. For those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, the average is closer to 7.9.

Over the past few decades, the average number of hours worked per week has been relatively stable. The 40-hour work week and 9 to 5 job continue to be common working patterns even as Internet technology has enabled remote work, telecommuting, work from home, flex work, and other paradigms. For most Americans, the worst time to be on the road or on public transportation continues to be "rush hour," hours before 9 am and hours right after 5 pm as hordes of people go to work. Time spent commuting is rarely compensated so transit time isn't calculated in work time averages.

For most Americans, one-way commute is about 26 minutes.

For those in large metropolitan areas, average commute times are worse. In my professional interactions it is not uncommon to encounter colleagues that regularly spend more than an hour each way commuting.

The 19th century average worker would likely have no sympathy for our luxurious working conditions and modern commuting methods yet it still doesn’t change the strain today’s workers are under in an always-on, always-connected world.

With technology continually making today’s work more connected and addictive, where is the reprieve?

Many companies have embraced "remote workers" and created policies allowing office workers to periodically "work from home." From 2006 to 2015, the trend of workers doing some or all of their work from home as risen. On average nearly 24% of workers worked from home some or all of the time.

In many companies there continues to be a remote worker stigma even though study after study after study demonstrates remote workers outperform their in-office colleagues. Further, in most workplaces "working from home" is seen as a privilege not a right. Some CEOs have gone as far as banning remote work like Marissa Mayer did at Yahoo! in 2013. While another, Brian de Haaff, Co-founder and CEO at Aha!, embraced a workforce that is 100% remote.

Yet, remote workers struggle with unplugging

Many remote workers face difficulties despite their productivity gains. In a survey by Buffer, remote workers report challenges with the highest being "unplugging after work" followed by "loneliness," "collaborating and/or communication" and "distractions at home."

As the concept of work and labor changes and as the workplace and home boundaries blur, where is the balance? Is the future of work more remote work? Will being free of a long commute give workers more time and personal freedom? Or do the struggles outweigh the benefits?