The Case for the 'No-Collar' Exemption: Eliminating Employer-Imposed Office Hours for Overworked, Remote-Ready Workers

The conventional 40-hour workweek has been a fixture of the American workplace for almost century. Standard working hours nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday, are customary even workers exempted from overtime under federal Fair Labor Standards Act 1938 (FLSA). But traditional is no longer fit modern family or worker. It time its demise. In decades since passage FLSA, influx women in workforce and growth exempt knowledge work have rendered both needlessly restrictive, case work-life conflict, effectively meaningless, information age worker who labors 24/7. recent revolution remote work, precipitated by COVID-19 pandemic, auspiciously permits new approach to hours, especially exempt, “remote-ready” workers—that is, white-collar engaged cognitive labor, proven capacity offsite. Where remote-ready already widely expected outside so-called office they should not be beholden keep regular too. We release them false confines more fluid integration life. By amending FLSA regulations make scheduling freedom condition exemption, restricting employers setting this cohort, we could productively disrupt outdated all.