“Eight hours’ labour, eight hours’ recreation, eight hours’ rest.”
This slogan was coined by the cotton magnate and philanthropist Robert Owen during the industrial revolution in 1817. At the time, most of his fellow factory owners were subjecting their workers to brutal conditions with impunity, paying them a pittance to work more than 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Owen’s campaign to give workers basic legal protections started the painfully slow move towards the five-day working week of 40 hours that’s become the standard in the West. But many people today are dreaming of working to a new rhythm – the four-day week – and enjoying the extra freedoms it promises. For some, it has already become a reality.