What is the Historical Evolution of Work Schedules? | KnowledgeCity скачать в хорошем качестве

What is the Historical Evolution of Work Schedules? | KnowledgeCity

This video is from the Understanding the Four-Day Work Week online training course. Click here to view full course: https://www.knowledgecity.com/en/libr... The way we work today didn’t just happen suddenly. Work schedules have changed a lot over time because of new technology and the growing needs of businesses and workers. So, how did we go from long hours in the 1800s to the work schedules we have now? Let’s take a look. Back in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, factory workers had tough schedules. They mostly worked 12- to 16-hour shifts for six days a week. They barely had any time to rest, and there were no labor laws to protect them. But industries needed workers, and for a long time, these hours were normal for them. Of course, workers weren’t happy about it. Over time, labor unions started to organize, and they demanded better treatment and shorter hours for workers. They pushed for an 8-hour workday, and the concept started to gain support. Then, in 1914, Henry Ford did something surprising. At the time, most factories—including his own—ran on long shifts. But, because of that, employees kept leaving their jobs, and Ford realized something had to change. So, he cut down the workday to 8 hours and doubled the pay. It was a bold move, but it worked. Productivity went up, turnover went down, and the company’s profits soared. Seeing Ford’s success, other companies started to follow this change. But it wasn’t until 1938 that the 40-hour work week became law in the U.S. That’s when the Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA, was passed. It set the standard work week at 40 hours and introduced overtime pay, making sure workers were compensated for extra hours. For decades, the 40-hour work week was the standard. Then, as technology advanced and worker expectations changed, people started to ask: Do we really need to work this much? Fast-forward to today, and work schedules are changing once again. People value flexibility now more than ever. Instead of traditional full-time jobs, many now prefer short-term, freelance work, which lets them choose when and where they work. This gig economy has given workers more control over their schedules, and people ask, “Where would we work if we could work from anywhere?” That’s the question tech companies like Gitlab and Basecamp are answering. Unlike traditional companies, they don’t have a physical office–everyone works from home or anywhere they choose. These companies wanted to hire the best people but didn’t want to be limited to one place. So, they let employees set their own schedules as long as they finish their work on time. The result? Employees feel happier and get more done. This showed that flexibility doesn’t mean losing productivity. But what is driving this change? One huge factor is technology. Automation and artificial intelligence, or AI, now handle repetitive tasks, so people don’t have to. Think about data entry or answering basic customer service questions—AI can take care of these, which gives employees more time for other tasks that require critical thinking or creativity. A marketing professional, for example, can focus on creating new advertisements instead of sorting through spreadsheets. In healthcare, AI helps doctors quickly analyze medical tests like lab results or X-rays. This reduces the time doctors spend reviewing their patients’ files and allows them to focus more on direct patient care, like discussing treatment options or addressing patient concerns. So, instead of focusing on how many hours people work, companies now focus on results. And then, of course, there was COVID-19. Before the pandemic, most companies believed that employees had to be in a physical office to be productive. But when restrictions forced businesses to close their offices, they had no choice but to switch to remote work. Suddenly, companies had to trust employees to manage their own time. And guess what? It worked. Many employees were just as productive—sometimes even more so—when working from home. This made businesses rethink everything they thought they knew about office hours. Now, we’re at yet another turning point. As businesses rethink schedules and employees push for more balance, one thing is clear—the future of work is changing. https://www.knowledgecity.com | Online Employee Training Platform. KnowledgeCity offers 50,000+ online video tutorials in Business, Technology, Safety, Compliance, and Finance. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/2gcNXRH Check our Blog https://goo.gl/q47XKK Connect with KnowledgeCity! Twitter https://goo.gl/wToC6s Facebook https://goo.gl/3eMEq9 LinkedIn https://goo.gl/vg1aXt