Man Says 'Society Is Designed Wrong' Because People Have To Work 9 To 5 Instead Of 9 To 2
He pointed out that eight-hour workdays are unsustainable for our overall well-being.
fizkes from Getty Images via Canva Pro A content creator named Anthony Voulgaris has sparked a conversation around the standard eight-hour workday for many adults and exactly how unsustainable it truly is.
In a TikTok video, Voulgaris claimed that the reason so many working-class adults are feeling burnt out, unproductive, and stressed is because most of their day is spent working and they are only allowed a couple of hours afterward to decompress.
He claimed that 'society is designed wrong' because people work 9 to 5 instead of 9 to 2.
"You know what I was thinking earlier today," Voulgaris began in his video. "I could work nine till two every day, five days a week." However, he claimed that a nine till five, an eight till five, or even working until five-thirty is even worse.
Voulgaris explained that working eight or more hours a day is not something he strives to do and neither should anyone else. He added that he doesn't want anyone he loves to have a life that keeps them in the office for the majority of the day, either.
"Whoever designed society, designed it wrong. They designed it with flaws. Nine to two would be perfect, five hours a day. I get that fulfillment, I'm achieving my goals but then at 2 p.m. [and] onwards, it's party time," he added. After getting out of work at 2 p.m., on a nice day, you could go to the beach, and on a bad day, you could head straight home, have a nice meal, and just relax.
"This is a beautiful life we're talking about now," he insisted. "However, when we're talking about 8:30 to 5:30, it doesn't sound that amazing to me. Get home at six, possibly 6:30, make dinner, and what? Try and make it in an hour, so now it's 7:30. We still have to eat, it's 8."
Voulgaris claimed that by the time we're done eating dinner at 8, it's time to go to bed, and the whole day was essentially wasted without taking some time for ourselves to decompress for the next workday, where we have to do it all over again.
Most working-class Americans have expressed distaste over the typical 9 to 5 workday.
According to LinkedIn, it's been found that more than 70% of 9-to-5 workers are unhappy at their jobs with most of them looking forward to the close of each day. A poll conducted by Gallup found that out of the world’s one billion full-time workers, only 15% of people are engaged at work. Leaving a whopping 85% unhappy at their jobs.
Photo: shisuka / Canva Pro
The bottom line is, that a lot of workers aren't happy for a myriad of reasons, and one thing that doesn't help is feeling unfulfilled in their personal lives because of how much time is dedicated to being at work. Per Gallup, 60% of people reported being emotionally detached at work.
And it’s not just the hours, work-life balance, or workplace location that leave workers dissatisfied. Worker disengagement rises with remote work and 4-day week workers, and stress levels rise for in-person and 5-day week workers.
While it's a dream for workdays to be 9 to 2 instead of 9 to 5, people shouldn't wait for it to change and should start adopting a more positive work-life balance.
Whether it's taking breaks during the workday and leaving your desk, refusing to work once you're home and the workday is over, or using PTO more, these little things can make a huge difference in overall morale and productivity levels.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.