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Eight-Hour Workday

Definition

This is a standard measure that limits the work day to eight hours. It was part of the labor movement's efforts to improve working conditions and protect workers' health and wellbeing.

Analogy

Think of your day as a pizza divided into three slices - one slice for work (8 hours), one slice for leisure (8 hours), and one slice for rest (8 hours). The eight-hour workday ensures you get a balanced "meal" out of your day.

Related terms

Fair Labor Standards Act: A federal law which establishes minimum wage, overtime pay eligibility, recordkeeping, and child labor standards affecting full-time and part-time workers in the private sector and in federal, state, and local governments.

Labor Unions: Organizations that represent workers' interests to management in businesses. They often negotiate wages, work rules, complaint procedures, rules governing hiring/firing/promotion of workers etc.

Overtime Pay: Additional pay granted to employees who have worked over their set number of hours. Typically it's calculated as time-and-a-half or double time.