From 9 to 5 to 996 and 24/7
A previous article pointed out that many people are subconsciously afraid of their gadgets rather than "in love" with these (or addicted, rather than fearful of "missing out"). Their bosses compel them to carry these. Some don't even realise that these gadgets are a contributor to anxiety, not excitement, and all those "notifications" are not a measure of popularity or importance, they're mostly a nuisance, distraction, man-made instruments that "Metabolise Humans and Constraint Freedom of Thought".
Half a century ago very few people owned computers. Almost nobody had one at home. Some would travel to work or to university to access one (rental; reserved or leased for a specified time bracket, depending on perceived importance of the person and/or the workload).
Nowadays computers are ubiquitous and computer capacity is abundant. Billions of devices inside people's pockets could actually do useful things, but instead they mostly track and report on humans (their main activity is sending data upstream, not processing the data). Worse yet, owing to these devices being so prevalent, or like "beeper on steroids" that everyone is expected to carry around all the time, employers feel the lenience if not obligation to contact "their" workers any time of the day, even when they're not their workers (outside the workplace).
From a 9-to-5 culture we've transformed into an "after-work" (like aftershow) culture, then an "on-call" culture (extra duties and obligations, usually for no extra pay), and the "right to disconnect" came too late and many workers are far too timid to impose that on their boss (it's easier to just comply than complain, i.e. seem whiny/fussy).
I happen to know many people who used to work at the office doing technical jobs. They drove to the office, did a 9-to-5 shift, then got back home. In 2020 when the lockdowns began they were permitted to work "offsite", but that came with many caveats. Now with R.T.O. (return to office) they aren't quite returning to where things used to be. They work longer hours, sometimes well into the night, they don't get paid overtime (or some the pay increases have not kept up with inflation either), and just like some so-called "remote workers" they're expected to be available any time of the day.
In terms of labour rights, the West has moonwalked back to Medieval standards. █
