Get A Balanced Life Month – January 2025

History of Get A Balanced Life Month

Until the early 20th century, blue-collar workers had to work between 70 to 100 hours per week. During the Industrial Revolution in England, factory workers would work six days a week for 16 hours per day. There was no work-life balance during this time. Work was the main priority.

In the 1920s, Henry Ford established the ‘nine to five’ workday and it quickly became mainstream. This systemic change occurred due to several years of pressure from North American labor organizations. However, this idea was not a completely new one. In 1817, Welsh manufacturer and labor activist, Robert Owen came up with the phrase “eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest.” The idea was to divide a workday into three equal parts.

After establishing the ‘nine to five’ workday, Henry Ford realized that workers were more productive while working for a shorter duration of 40 hours per week than the initial 70 to 100 hours. Due to this success, the 40-hour working week became a part of U.S. labor laws in 1940. On October 24, 1940, as a result of years of worker movements, the U.S. government amended the Fair Labor Standards Act and introduced the 40-hour workweek. This working standard was adopted by various other manufacturing companies around the world. This law allowed workers to have more time to spend with their family and friends.