Daily 8-hour work rule won't last long: LinkedIn Founder

Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, has asserted that the daily 8-hour workday will soon be a thing of the past. He anticipates that the conventional 9.00am to 5.00pm work model will be outdated by 2030.

Experts predict a future where fixed work hours will become unnecessary, and the concept of continuous work may fade away. By 2034, workers are expected to opt for flexible arrangements that suit their individual agreements rather than adhering to traditional hours.

Hoffman listed several reasons for this trend. He mentioned that while artificial intelligence (AI) is partly responsible for changes in the workplace, it is not the main cause. He believes that various issues in the workplace and increasing job insecurity are driving significant changes to traditional working hours.

The daily 8-hour workday and 5-day workweek were first established in America and are still recognized worldwide today. This rule was not created by any specific organization or enforced by law; it arose from a complex mix of labor, political negotiations, and economic competition.

Before the implementation of the 8-hour workday, working hours were often much longer. During the Industrial Revolution, it was common for people to work 80 to 100 hours a week, and child labor was also present.

Since the 1800s, working hours have gradually decreased, especially after World War II. By 1920, the work hour limit had stabilized due to the ongoing efforts of labor unions in America and Europe, which improved working conditions and reduced working hours.

In 1926, Henry Ford's company, Ford Motors, introduced a 5-day workweek with 8-hour days. Ford announced that he would pay workers $5 a day for an 8-hour shift, nearly double the average wage at that time. He believed that shorter working hours would increase worker efficiency and productivity. This policy was successful, leading other companies to follow Ford's example.

Later, in 1930, W.K. Kellogg, the owner of the Kellogg Company, decided to reduce workers' pay slightly and implement a 6-hour shift instead of the 8-hour one.

However, over time, many changes occurred to this fixed schedule. After much debate, the Fair Labor Standards Act was enacted in America, requiring employers to pay overtime to employees who worked more than 44 hours a week. Two years later, this law was amended to reduce the workweek to 40 hours.

Since 1940, the 40-hour workweek has been established by law in America, and the 8-hour workday has been adopted worldwide.

Meanwhile, millions of workers in many countries have complained that the 8-hour workday is not being implemented in practice.