Labor Day Recalls Fight for Work-Life Balance
Labor Day serves as a good reminder of work-life balance. They didn’t call it that, back when the idea of a holiday to celebrate workers first arose in the late 1800s. (Oregon established the first state Labor Day holiday in 1887. It became a U.S. holiday in 1894.)
The idea of Labor Day was part of the same movement that created an eight-hour workday and later the 40-hour workweek (at the time, 10-hour days, six days a week were common).
Despite protestations from 19th-century robber barons that workers putting in less than 60-hour weeks would wither American industry, study after study shows that paid time off leads to higher productivity from a workforce.
The same holds true for leaders.
It’s easy for a leader, especially a new leader, or a leader at a new company, to fall into the trap of putting every moment into their job, sacrificing sleep and social life in the process. The U.S. Naval Academy’s longtime leadership textbook talks about new ship captains spending far more time on the bridge and far less time resting than their peers — and resulting in less efficient ships and commanders.
The fact is, everyone needs time to disconnect, to recharge, to get away.
It’s my hope that your holiday weekend provided you with the opportunity to do so. There’s a lot of 2022 remaining, a lot of events ahead, still much to do. Together, let’s surge into the rest of the year refreshed and ready for whatever comes next.
Amanda Schleede is founder and CEO of Attend Safe, which helps people attend to life with secure, safe and sensible protocols. Her crisis leadership enables critical events to proceed through safety-conscious protections. By sharing her knowledge in Tuesday Tutor, she hopes others will benefit from her experience. Visit Attend Safe online at AttendSafe.com.