The history & evolution of the 40-hour work week

In today's world, a 40-hour work week (or work week) is the accepted standard at the workplace. This is one of the most effective models for productivity and employee engagement, and many companies use it. But did you know where this concept originated? And did it really work? Read more to get the answers to all questions. We list the evolution of the 40-hour work week and share its pros and cons with the other work week formats.

The History of the 40-Hour Work Week

The idea of limiting the number of working hours in a week for employees started in the early 19th century. During the Industrial Revolution, workers faced exhausting schedules, often leading to widespread exploitation and poor working conditions.

At that time, most people worked in manufacturing. Including children, they had 80-100-hour weeks working between 10 and 16 hours for 6 days every week. This was bad for their sanity and safety and gave rise to labour strikes requesting to limit the maximum number of working hours.

The strikes worked and limited the work hours to 40-hour work week in the United States through the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Here, we share the timeline of the key dates that show how this fight gained momentum with the labour movement and resulted in the work standards we use today.

The 40-Hour Work Week Timeline

1817: After the Industrial Revolution, Welsh manufacturer and labour rights activist Robert Owen advocated for better working conditions. They coined the phrase 'Eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest', which became the first step towards a labour reform. During this time, people were working 80 to 100-hour work weeks.
1835: This year, workers in Philadelphia organised the first general strike in North America. It is led by Irish coal heavers who hold banners that read, From 6 to 6, ten hours for work and two hours for meals.
1866, August 20: A newly formed organisation named the National Labor Union asked Congress to pass a law mandating the eight-hour workday. This organisation has skilled and unskilled workers, farmers, and reformers. The law was not passed, and their efforts failed. Still, it inspired Americans nationwide to support labour reform for the change over the next few decades.
1867, May 1: The Chicago Labour Movement called for the Illinois Legislature. According to the Chicago Historical Society, it passes a law to limit workdays to eight hours. The law was passed but allowed employers to contract with their workers for longer hours. However, many employers refused to cooperate, and Chicago workers went on a strike for an 8-hour day on May 1, 1867. That day is famous as "May Day."
1868, June 24: The S. Congress passed the first eight-hour-day work law for federal employees. Labourers and mechanics employed by the Federal Government have an eight-hour workday with a 20% wage cut.
1869, May 19: President Ulysses S. Grant issued a National Eight-Hour Law Proclamation. It declared that the Government couldn't reduce wages as a result of the reduction of the workday. It guaranteed a stable wage and an eight-hour workday, but only for government workers. Grant's decision encouraged private-sector workers to raise their voices to get the same rights as government workers.
1870s and 1880s: The National Labor Union had dissolved. The other organisations, Labor Unions, the Knights of Labor, and the U.S. Federation of Organized Trades, still demand an eight-hour workday without a wage cut for private-sector workers. They do May Day, and strikes and demonstrations are organised yearly to bring awareness to the issue.
1884: The Labor Unions and U.S. Federation of Organized Trades determine that "eight hours shall constitute legal labour for a day from and after May 1, 1886. The same year, Tom Mann formed the Eight Hour League in the U.K. to pressure the Trades Union Congress to approve the eight-hour day without wage cut.
1886, May 1: The National Labor Union (NLU) demanded Congress to pass a law mandating the eight-hour workday. Many workers refused to cooperate, and labour organisations called for a national strike to shorten the workday. 350,000 workers nationwide struck a massive worker strike. In Chicago, workers fought with police over the next few days. It turned into a bombing of a peaceful labour demonstration on May 4 that killed at least 12 people. It is also known as the Haymarket Riot. It is now commemorated on May 1 BInternational Workers' Day (or Labor Day or May Day) as a public holiday in many countries.
1890: The U.S. government began tracking workers' hours. During that time, the average workweek for full-time manufacturing workers was a whopping 100 hours.
1898: The United Mine Workers won an eight-hour day.
1900: The Building Trades Council of San Francisco won an eight-hour day.
1905: The International Typographical Union won an eight-hour workday. Their strike paved the way for similar gains by the other printing unions. But most Americans still worked around 12-14 hours per day.
1912: Teddy Roosevelt's Progressive Party included eight-hour work days in their campaign for the Presidential Election.
1914: The Ford Motor Company cut shifts from nine to eight hours
1916, September 3: Congress passed the Adamson Act, a federal law that established an eight-hour work, with additional overtime pay, for railroad workers. The Supreme Court constitutionalised the act in 1917.
1926, September 25: Henry Ford introduced 40-hour work weeks with five working days and no wage cut. After he discovered that 48-hour work weeks yielded only a small increase in productivity that lasted a short period. Ford announced he would pay each worker $5 per eight-hour day, nearly double what the average auto worker makes. This discovery inspired other manufacturers and companies. They followed Henry Ford's 40-hour work week after seeing how this new policy boosted productivity, loyalty and pride among Ford's employees.
1937: After Franklin D. Roosevelt took the oath in 1933, in the middle of the Great Depression (1929-1939). He appointed the Secretary of Labor of his choice, Frances Perkins, who proposed a 40-hour work week as a part of the New Deal. He set programs aimed at reforming the U.S. financial system.
1938, June 25: Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act. It makes the employers pay overtime to all employees who work more than 44 hours a week. This act was only applied to industries whose combined employment represented about 20% of the S. labour force.
1940, June 26: The Fair Labor Standards Act was amended to reduce the workweek to 40 hours. Since then, the 40-hour work week has been a U.S. law.
1948: Australia achieved a 40-hour week.
1960s: Canada adopted the 40-hour work week.
1998: In the UK, Working Time Regulations introduced a limit of 40-hour work week for workers under 18 and 48 hours for workers over 18. An 8-hour limit to the working day has never been adopted in the U.K. The average working week in the U.K. is now 42.5 hours.

How Are 40-Hour Work Weeks Effective?

After we know the history of 40-hour work weeks, the question arises: how are 40-hour work weeks effective? To answer this question, you must first understand how people use those eight-hour workdays. Here, we share a breakdown of how employees spend their time at work:

45% = They spend to do primary job duties.
40% = They spend on meetings and administrative tasks.
14% = They spend time sending and reading emails.

All these numbers show that the typical employee population can not achieve 100% productivity, which is okay. Research shows that brief breaks can be good for creativity and focus.

Pros and Cons of the 40-Hour Work Week

Implementing the 40-hour work week can bring many benefits to employees and employers. For workers, it helps them to take more rest, pursue personal pursuits, and spend time with their families, which improves well-being and work-life balance. Many argue that rigid adherence to a set number of hours per week may no longer be practical or necessary. Companies explore alternative work arrangements like compressed work weeks, job sharing, and results-based performance evaluations. It helps them to accommodate diverse needs and preferences. Below, we share the pros and cons of the 40-hour work week for a closer look.

Pros

The 40-hour work week provides employees more time for rest, personal pursuits, and quality time with family and friends.
The employees worked for limited hours per week, making them less likely to experience burnout and helping to increase productivity and job satisfaction.
The employees have enough time for rest, which can help them stay physically and mentally healthy and reduce the risk of stress-related illnesses.
The 40-hour work week offers a regular schedule, so employees can plan their personal lives around their work hours.
In many countries, working beyond the 40-hours can pay overtime or additional benefits to employees.

Cons

Strict adherence to a 40-hours work week may limit the employee's lives. They can not pursue childcare responsibilities or further education.
Some jobs may require more time to complete tasks. A rigid 40-hour work week may increase stress and pressure to meet deadlines.
Not all employees perform equally productive during the same number of hours. Reducing the work week while maintaining productivity could increase efficiency for some individuals.
Some industries, such as healthcare or emergency services, require longer hours due to their work specifics. This can lead to work-life imbalances for employees in these sectors.
The world is globally connected, and businesses may face competition from countries with different work-hour standards. This can affect productivity and economic competitiveness.

40-Hour Work Week Alternatives

The 40-hour work week is the ideal structure for employees. However, employers are growing and open to experimenting with working arrangements and employee benefits for higher productivity, satisfaction, and well-being. Here, we name three alternatives to the 40-hour work week, along with their pros and cons.

1-32-Hour Work Week/The Four-Day Work Week

It only consists of four days, also known as a four-day work week. This format has the standard 8-hour days instead of 10-hour days. Some companies have already used this format. Some get great results, and others do not.

Pros

Best for both. This alternative is best for both employers and employees. It has a three-day weekend without extended days, which benefits both. It provides a perfect work-life balance and boosts employees' happiness levels.
It improves productivity. One of the good things about a 32-hour work week is that employees can better manage their time. Since they know they don't have the extra day, they focus more on work, which can improve productivity.

Cons

Limited time. For some employees and companies, 32 hours is insufficient to complete the necessary work. This can cause even more stress and time pressure as they cannot work five days a week.
Not suitable for customer-related industries. For customer-related industries or roles like sales, real estate, or partnerships, the 32-hour work week may be difficult to implement. The 32-hour work weeks are not a widely adopted format. If you use this format for customer-related service, it may be a business disadvantage. Since many competitors are not adopting the 32-hour work week.

2-Flexible Schedules/ Flexitime

Flexitime allows employees to design their own work schedules within a set timeframe. This lets employees plan their work hours with personal obligations, such as childcare or pursuing further education. It includes remote work or telecommuting options to do work from home. It is a popular option among companies. A SHRM study suggests that 57% of employers adopt flextime, and 62% allow telecommuting.

Pros

Fully customised. Each employee has different priorities, interests, and time commitments, so it is impossible to have a one-size-fits-all schedule. Flextime is great because each employee can customise work hours to their needs. Whether they are early risers who start their day at 7 am or early to pick up their children from school, flexitime gives them peace of mind.
Support work-life balance. Flextime promotes work-life balance. It allows employees to crave time to care for themselves outside the office and pursue personal things such as fitness classes or attending doctor's appointments. The most significant benefit is that employees can enjoy this without worrying about being away from their work desks for a long time.

Cons

Scheduling conflicts. There is the possibility that your team may face difficulty communicating with each other or booking meetings as each employee has a different work schedule. However, this can be managed by setting soft boundaries. So that you can ensure your employees are simultaneously on their work desk for at least a few hours daily.
Trickier management. Another thing you must consider is that it is difficult to know what your employees are working on, as your schedules are different. You cannot pop over to other employee's desks for a quick update. Also, employees who frequently work remotely require extra thoughtfulness to feel included and part of the team. Strong communication and optimised one-on-one meetings are the best remedy for this case.

3-Compressed work week

It consists of four 10-hour days. A compressed work week is a much better alternative than flex time and has gained popularity. Employees choose this from various work structures when comparing it with others. However, more research is required to get its potential benefits.

Pros

Three-day weekends. This format has a three-day weekend, a dream of every employee. The compressed work week makes this a reality and allows employees to take a full day off each work week with a full-time income.
Less commute time. Going to work only four days a week sounds good for the environment. It helps reduce 20% of a commute, significantly decreasing emissions from employees driving to work.

Cons

For some employees, 10-hour days are long. The extra two hours can cause mental and physical exhaustion, hindering their productivity and reducing work quality. This can cause potential damage to both the business and the employee.
Difficult schedules Working from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm can be restricted for many employees, especially those who have after-work obligations, such as caring for children, elder relatives, or pets. Also, employees have left little time for daily activities and chores, such as grocery shopping, cooking meals, or exercising.