Employee explains why the 40-hour work week is not working anymore and needs to change

The traditional 40-hour workweek, which was once considered the standard is now inviting criticism for its negative effect on employees' overall well-being. Many say that such long hours can lead to burnout, increased stress and a poor balance between work and personal life. Reddit user u/Much_Cricket_1929 shared their concerns about working for 40 hours in a week. The post titled, "The 40-hour work week needs to end" has gone viral on the platform.

They start off by wondering when America would realize that the 40-hour work week needed to end. The individual writes, "I know the overlords don't care about people's happiness and us working 40 hours is all about control." They share how they wake up every day at 6 AM and commute to work, after which they work through lunch and get delayed by their coworker wanting to chat with them.

The individual writes, "It's 55 hours once you factor in the time to get ready, the commute, the lunch I don't even take." They share how they went into the office only to waste time and money. The individual laments how they felt "sick" of being exhausted and burnt out that they could not make dinner. They talk about how everyone said there were better jobs out there and to simply quit, but it was not easy.

They mention how people saying such things did not have any idea of what the job market was like sharing how most entry-level positions required five years of experience. The individual also talks about how they would have to take a 50% pay cut if they went for another job. In doing so, they would not be able to pay their bills, get very few days off and have bad health insurance.

The individual concludes the post by saying, "I don't know how people have the time, energy, or money for kids. It makes less and less sense the older I get." Other people on the platform shared their insights about the sad situation in the comments section. u/Pickled-soup said, "Oh it's ending, alright. Tons of us are working far, far more than that to make ends meet. And that's how the overlords want it, us working more for less."

People are highlighting everything that is wrong with the current job market. A woman who goes by @squiggotini on TikTok recently shared an eye-opening account of an interview she had with a company. She starts off the video, by saying, "If you're wondering what the job market is like right now, let me tell you." The woman mentions how she attended many rounds of interviews with a company over a month. Everything seemed to be going quite well till she got to know about their working hours.

The company revealed that they had a 4-day work week which the woman found very surprising and "progressive." But she knew that it sounded too good to be true. So she did the math, saying, "It could be interpreted as 8 hours a day to make it 32 hours for the 4-day week. Or you’re still trying to fit the 40-hour business so now you’re working 10-hour work days.” However, at the final round of interview, she found out that she was expected to be working for 12.5 hours a day or at least 50 hours a week.