“Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living”. Or is it? Maybe it was back in 1980 when Dolly Parton released the song, but work has changed considerably since then and it will always continue to change. From the simpler hunting and gathering times to the medieval guilds, industrial factory work and now remote working, work isn’t the same as what it used to be. Why? Society has evolved significantly, and our cultural, political and economic environments have reflected these changes. Technology has also developed further. It’s transformed, replaced and created new roles and formed the more complex modern-day work environment we experience today. Businesses organisational structures are now bigger, and industry competition has increased in both size and strength. And because work itself reflects the interactions between members of society, as these interactions have changed, so too has the nature of work.

But what exactly has happened over the years? How has it shaped the current work environment of today?

The earliest form of work, that which came before written history even began, was simple and confined to satisfying three basic human needs. Food, shelter and childcare. It was designed to ensure the survival of the tribe, and because of the population scarcity and disparity, there was no real need to produce excess goods for trade. This work was also accompanied by a very basic and simple organisational structure. Tribes had a leader who was responsible for leading and distributing food amongst everyone. A world apart from the modern workplace of today.

Specialization of work was almost non-existent. Work roles were traditionally either as a hunter or a gatherer and were often influenced by physical ability. Women, children and elders were typically gatherers, whilst the men were hunters. What created the specialisation of work was the introduction of technology. The invention of metal tools and weapons during the Bronze Age saw the first venture into role specialization due to large amount of work that was required. From this, specialization became the new norm and work needed to be organized on a larger scale to complete more complex and grander projects. Thus, the early foundations of a modern organisational hierarchy were created.

It was also during this time that social and economic classes started to arise. No longer was everyone considered, and treated, equal. Those who were at the top typically possessed greater knowledge than those at the foot of the social pyramids. Rulers, Priests and Nobles were responsible for ruling, organizing and directing the craftsmen, slaves and peasants who were considered to be at the bottom of society. Traders and merchants acted as the middlemen, distributing and exchanging the goods that were produced by others. These actions can be considered to have started the economic growth that followed in the following centuries.

Medieval times succeeded the fall of the Roman Empire, a prominent period that saw great strides made towards high-level administrative organisation and the building of large-scale monuments that still exist today. However, the medieval period saw the beginnings of economic growth and a new, free, form of trade occurred with the formation of merchant guilds. Guilds were responsible for the production and trade of specialised products, whilst also organizing regulations that created barriers to entry. Much like that of a Monopoly.

Colonization during the 16th to 18th centuries brought further changes to the nature of work. Opportunities for trade expanded with continued growth in the size of markets, helping increase the scale of manufacturing industries across Europe. The emergence of a middle class, and the growing wealth of those within it, further increased the demand for goods and thus brought the need for mass production. The smaller guild-like trade systems also shifted to larger political systems, like the Royal kingdom, which granted greater economic influence over a larger jurisdiction. This shift tended to eliminate previous trade restrictions enforced by the merchant guilds and provided foundations that resemble modern-day trade.

Colonization during the 16th to 18th centuries brought further changes to the nature of work. Opportunities for trade expanded with continued growth in the size of markets, helping increase the scale of manufacturing industries across Europe. The emergence of a middle class, and the growing wealth of those within it, further increased the demand for goods and thus brought the need for mass production. The smaller guild-like trade systems also shifted to larger political systems, like the Royal kingdom, which granted greater economic influence over a larger jurisdiction. This shift tended to eliminate previous trade restrictions enforced by the merchant guilds and provided foundations that resemble modern-day trade.

The industrial revolution at the end of the 18th century again saw significant changes to the way we work with the first introductions into the division of labour. Employees no longer built whole products, rather they began focusing on individual components and processes within the production process. During this time, working and living conditions also deteriorated significantly which caused a number of social and political movements, to which the effects can still be seen today.

Global population levels and urbanization increased during this period, fueling the need for mass production to meet growing demand levels. These increases highlighted the need for the expansion of the current organisational hierarchies to include new roles and increased employee supervision. Roles in areas such as accounting, marketing, sales and engineering were created in addition to new supervisors and managerial roles which became important as the domestic markets became highly saturated. Thus, it required businesses to reach new customer markets elsewhere. The need to import raw materials to cut costs also became apparent, and businesses started outsourcing processes to further reduce costs.

Speed also became an important element in the production process during this period which saw developments made to increase output levels from workers. Frederick Taylor was the first to introduce industrial engineering techniques into the workplace, making workers more machine-like and more productive. Traits consistent in the modern workplace.

Scientific research by Elton Mayo was also conducted during this period to identify the causes of fatigue amongst workers that began to appear. The study found that the fatigue was a psychological issue rather than a physiological issue and that employees responded best when employees felt like they were important. This research provided the early foundations towards ergonomic design and human engineering, the importance of which is still evident today.

Fast-forward to today and variations of changes from yesteryear are still evident. Technology still plays a major role in the production of goods and services and organisation’s hierarchical structures remain complex with multiple managerial levels. There remains a consistent working routine, although this has challenged recently. Countries like Iceland have conducted large-scale trials on 4-day working weeks, decreasing the hours worked from 40 to 32. Early trials have been somewhat successful with the Guardian reporting productivity increases from between 25% to 40% amongst workers.

However, there remains one big difference in today’s modern workplace. COVID-19. The working environment has undergone another major transformation in record time. Remote working and social distancing have challenged the status quo, causing further alterations to the way society interacts and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.