Why Productivity Should Be Reimagined

On May 1st, 1926, Henry Ford decided that 6-day work weeks were too much. He instituted a 5-day work week, company wide. If Henry Ford and Ford Motors weren’t so influential in that time, we might still only have 1 day off each week. His decision changed American culture as we know it. 

When you really think about it, Ford considered the arbitrary 6-day work week, and constructed his own arbitrary workplace culture–the 5-day work week. Their explanation didn’t seem to be based on hard scientific evidence. Ford Motor’s explanation was “We believe that in order to live properly every man should have more time to spend with his family.” Henry Ford said, “It is high time to rid ourselves of the notion that leisure for workmen is either ‘lost time’ or a class privilege.”

Purely cultural. 

Now, we have extensive research on productivity, and an ideal amount of working hours. Lockheed Martin adopted the 9/80 schedule, which allots a Friday off every other week. KPMG offers the option for a condensed 4-day work week. So why aren’t more companies adopting this?

Purely cultural. 

Hustle culture is simply a rebrand of the American Baby Boomer work ethic–the corporate mantras of the ’90s are alive and well through Instagram story quote quips. 

The digital quarantine era begs many productivity practices be reconsidered and reimagined. When many people are working remotely, is a 40-hour work week the best amount of time? I’m not sure of the best answer here. It probably changes on a case-by-case basis for each company, team, and person. But I am sure that we shouldn’t let cultural constructs determine our productivity.