Stop all the clocks

Two hundred years ago, a device began to dominate the world of work. No, not the steam engine — the gadget was the clock. With the arrival of the factory, people were paid on the basis of how many hours they worked, rather than their material output.

The tyranny (专制的) of time was marked by a number of innovations. As few workers owned watches or clocks in the 19th century, people known as "knocker-uppers" would wander the streets knocking on doors and windows to wake workers at the right time. 【小题1】Eventually, as workers moved farther away from their place of employment, the power of the clock led to daily rush hours, as millions headed to and from work.

The clock's authoritarian rule may at last be weakening. 【小题2】But it only offered employees the ability to choose when in the day they worked their allotted (分配的) hours. Remote working has brought a greater degree of freedom. According to a recent survey, flexible working was viewed very positively, improving both people's work-life balance and productivity. Flexible workers even scored more highly on a sense of "belonging" to their organization than those on a nine- to-five schedule.

【小题3】Working an inflexible eight-hour schedule is incredibly restricting. Parents on a conventional routine may be able to take their children to school in the morning but are unlikely to be able to pick them up in the afternoon. Many families find themselves constantly juggling schedules and giving up precious holiday time to deal with domestic emergencies.

On reflection, it is also not too shocking that home-workers feel they are more productive. After all, few people have the ability to concentrate solidly for eight hours at a stretch. There are points in the day where people are tempted to stare out of the window or go for a walk; these may be moments when they find inspiration or recharge themselves for the next task. When they do this in an office, they risk the boss's disapproval. 【小题4】

Of course, the new schedule carries dangers: people may lose all separation between work and home life, and succumb to stress. To inject some human contact, companies may embrace a hybrid model in which workers go into the office for part of the week. But overall office-workers' freedom from time's yoke is to be welcomed. The clock was a cruel master and many people will be happy to escape its dominion.