It’s Labor Day weekend, which is a time for workers to relax and enjoy an extra day off work on Monday. This is a time for us to remember that we have rights as laborers, and we deserve as well as need time off work. It’s so easy to become caught up in corporate America, and forget that we do not owe any employer our entire lives. We deserve a work-life balance as workers in this country.
The holiday originated in the late 1800s when workers were expected to work long hours without days off work. Representative Lawrence McGann of Illinois, who sat on the Committee on Labor, argued for the holiday in a report submitted on May 15, 1894:
The use of national holidays is to emphasize some great event or principle in the minds of the people by giving them a day of rest and recreation, a day of enjoyment, in commemoration of it. By making one day in each year a public holiday for the benefit of workingmen the equality and dignity of labor is emphasized. Nothing is more important to the public weal than that the nobility of labor be maintained. So long as the laboring man can feel that he holds an honorable as well as useful place in the body politic, so long will he be a loyal and faithful citizen.
Today, as we plan our Labor Day with BBQs, parades, and picnics, it’s important to remember to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Do not let your life revolve around your job. We are all more than just laborers and workers. We are American people who deserve quality of life. If you’re stuck in a career that doesn’t give you a healthy balance in life, we are here to help you find a new job that will better suit your lifestyle!