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The 40-Hour Workweek: Why Working Less Could Make Us Happier
The establishment of the 40-hour workweek in the United States was influenced by multiple factors, including labor union advocacy and legislative actions during the Great Depression. Prior to this period, some companies had already adopted shorter workweeks, such as The Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford implemented a five-day, 8-hour day, 40-hour workweek in 1926 to attract better workers. It also meant that he could schedule three shifts a day to run the factory around the clock. Ford was a major employer, so when he set a standard, many companies followed. Prior to that, many people worked 10–12-hour days, six days a week.
Labor unions played a significant role in advocating for reduced work hours. Some union leaders pushed for a 30-hour workweek, but the compromise ended up at 40 hours, and we have been stuck there ever since. Many unions agreed to the 40-hour workweek with the expectation that the week would get shorter over time. In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was passed, which officially established the 40-hour workweek as the legal standard in the United States. The FLSA also established a minimum wage and required employers to pay overtime to people who are working over 40 hours a week. And as we now know, this never changed, and other countries followed suit.
