![]() A huge part of that is because no person can be in the zone for eight hours straight. Studies have shown that during our eight hour workday, we are only productive for about three hours of them. The work will still be there when you come back, I promise. Put the laptop, cell phone, pencil down, step away from your desk, and take a break. So, how can we make this information useful and give you a little bit more balance in your work life? Don’t feel bad taking the break. The construct of a 40-hour week was designed for a workforce performing physical labor, not a workforce practicing mental gymnastics. No wonder everyone feels on the brink of burning out. The workforce is expected to be more agile, competent, committed, and available. With the advent of certain technologies like the fax machine, mobile phones, laptop computers, the societal expectation of accessibility and speed of response has drastically changed. The type of work Americans find themselves employed in has shifted significantly towards the professional services, and has shifted even more within professional services. Second, that standard workweek was based off of Industrial Age, not the Information Age. First, a law that was passed nearly 80 years ago is still the standard by which we operate today. The part that I find intriguing about this is twofold. The law went into effect on October 24 th of that year. On June 26 th, 1940 Congress amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to further limit the workweek to 40 hours. Ford wrote in a statement, “It is high time to rid ourselves of the notion that leisure for workmen is either lost time or a class privilege.” It wasn’t until 1938 that political pressure increased to the point that Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which limited the workweek to 44 hours, or 8.8 hours per day. The eight hour work day was actually established in 1926 when Ford Motor issued that their employees would work a five-day, 40-hour workweek, as opposed to the standard 12-14 hour workday other industrial workers faced. The history behind the standard American workday/week is an interesting one. Second, the phrase “work-life balance” is at the top of almost everyone’s wish list. First, many feel as though they are in a culture in which they need to justify every move they make and how they spend their time. Many people feel as though they don’t have the power or agency to set their schedules the way they would like to see them, and are desperately searching to gain some time back for themselves. ![]() Examples would be, “It must be nice to be able to walk away” or “What’s the weather like outside? I haven’t been outside yet today.”Īs our industry and society becomes increasingly optimized and automated, I have found that many of the individuals I consult with feel as though their positions are the same way. They would sometimes make comments that suggested what she was doing was abnormal, or that they themselves didn’t have the option to take a break. The author discusses how some of her colleagues would look longingly after her as she leaves for her break but would never join when invited. I mean a true, completely unplugged from work for at least 30 minutes, break. I don’t mean the 10-15 minute one next to the microwave, or the classic sandwich-in-front-of-computer-monitor, or lunches with colleagues in which the topic is still about work. It discussed the importance of taking a lunch break. I read an article the other day that really resonated with me. Fact is, most of us feel as though we are “always on” and can struggle to find ways to carve a bit more time for ourselves out of our days. We spend at least half of our waking hours working, whether that be in the traditional office setting, or “ambient” work such as fielding emails or work related calls and texts before or after hours. ![]() I have had hours of conversations on that topic alone, and never does it begin or end with someone saying, “I have too much.” Work-life balance is a generally new term for an age-old notion – the desire to work hard when you’re at work, but being able to still have time for yourself and your family.Īccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American workday for a full-time employee is 8.89 hours. ![]() Work-Life Balance is a term that I hear a lot in my office. ![]()
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