Labour Day  - A celebration of the 8 hour Day ?

This Monday we have a Declared Public Holiday in Victoria to commemorate Labour Day . A celebration of the 8 hour day.

As a small business owner, I can't recall doing an 8 hour day for many months!

Times have changed in business and the strict 8 hour day - Monday to Friday - 9 to 5 routine has been turned on it's head.

Often I work early mornings - late nights, have afternoons off instead, my working life like many other business owners is varied and not consistent.

So - is the message and achievement of the 8 hour day an outdated concept or should we take some reflection on the 8 hour day movement to our current busy working lives?

The 8 hour day is celebrated on different days in different states of Australia as it was 'achieved' at different times. The origins came from the British Socialist Robert Owen who coined the term "8 hours work, 8 Hours sleep, 8 hours recreation". After the Australian Union movement began their campaigns in the 1850's - the 'short time' movement succeeded in declaring a Public Holiday in Victoria in 1879 in celebration of the 8 hour day.

The recent change to penalty rates in the Retail, Hospitality and Restaurant industries acknowledges that times have changed. Demand to shop and eat outside 'normal' hours has driven these changes. It questions the need to compensate employees for working outside 'normal hours' and as a deterrent to employers to schedule work outside these 'normal hours'.

Funny part about it is that in 2010 the standard working week was changed from 40 hours to 38 - no co incidence that 40 is divisible by 8 ! Now we have to deal with multiples of 7.6!

The working world is changing - whether it be remote working spaces, hot desking, bootstrapped start ups working from their garages in their pyjamas - our need to 'have it now' affects how we treat our working hours. I am often personally criticised for working after hours, on weekends, 5am starts - what people don't see are the other times I don't work - when I choose to go 'off grid'.

So it's ultimately all a balancing act - the overall celebration of limiting our work lives is an admirable concept - taking a day off to celebrate 'containing' our working lives is a great idea -

BUT maybe the magical number isn't 8