9-to-5

Who decided that we should work 5 days a week and only get 2 days off? I’ve always thought this ratio is fundamentally flawed and have found myself wondering how it came to be. Turns out the 5-day work week was introduced nearly 100 years ago (in 1926 to be precise) by Henry Ford but surely with advancements in technology, this is now an outdated standard.

One of the benefits of the covid years was the proof that a raft of jobs could be done without employees having to sit in an office day in day out. In fact, there is now a whole workforce known as digital nomads, travelling the world working exclusively online from wherever they choose to lay their heads. Awesome! This doesn’t mean everyone can work remotely, but shifting the status quo is certainly a good place to start.

Maybe it’s because of covid or maybe it’s because I’ve worked in corporate for 20 years but the idea of finding an alternative is looking mighty appealing. Funnily enough, I haven’t been doing the 5-day work week for the last 10 years as I went part time after the birth of my first child. I guess I already had an inkling this wasn’t totally my bag.

Thankfully the range of working options has increased: hybrid, remote, flexible hours – you name it and employers are now considering it. Some companies have even modified their standard work week to four days, after determining their staff were able to deliver the same results. All in all a positive step in the direction of flexible work options.

So if you find yourself wondering what your future work life is going to look like, maybe think outside the box and don’t settle for what you’ve always done. Who knows, there may just be a better way to get the balance we’re all chasing.

Good luck!