Whenever anyone mentions not having any time outside of work, it is usually always answered with the idea of maintaining a “Work-Life Balance”. The problem with that mentality is the fact that it is usually excusing the employer and societal issues and putting all the blame on the employer. I mean, if it’s solely your fault then there is no reason to change the system, you’re just failing at changing yourself.
When talking about work it becomes hard to properly illustrate just how bad the situation has become, or to put it better, how bad Americans have realized the situation was. We have been spending decades on the benefits we fought for thanks to unions but, in all honesty, nothing else has changed since then. Instead it feels like the narrative has changed, and instead of it being unions and worker solidarity that has improved the American working atmosphere, it is the jobs themselves.
This narrative is inherently false. while not outright stating these things, it was seemed like the general consensus is that the 40 hour work week, proper compensation for overtime and even require lunches and breaks are somehow thanks to some mythical unspoken agreement between companies and the general public. This logic is flawed and most worker benefits had to be fought for.
As with work benefits, it was acknowledging that the issue wasn’t the workers but the employer. The worker were expected to work in subpar conditions and be grateful for what they had. For many jobs, a 40 hour workweek is antiquated and no longer an optimal option, but in order to lower the work week, wages would need to raise so that employees can attain this mythical “work-life” balance. Employees can’t change this, the job can. This is where the issue lies and have been getting the spotlight throughout the pandemic.
Workers have been fighting for higher wages, but have been told that this decades long fight is not attainable, and that we should stop trying to fight for more money, and instead find satisfaction in things outside of work. But the human body is not a machine, you can’t just add more fuel and keep it running. It needs time and maintenance that doesn’t just start after work hours. It needs to start early and be maintained throughout the day. A shorter workday can help mitigate the symptoms of overworking but without higher wages, we end up needing to overwork ourselves just to survive.
Right now, in America and in other parts of the world, many are fighting against this employer greed and it’s having some impact but at the rate it’s going, it will only be a small impact on a much larger issue and then we as society will be told that we should be grateful for this small change and that progress takes time, instead of using this unique opportunity to rally and show that we can’t be just thrown scraps of food and be okay. We have to be ready to tell them, that only substantial change can truly help us attain this “Work-life balance” they are always talking about.
Help bring positive change for everyone. -Jet