Labour Day
On the 1st of May we celebrate the 'Feast of Labour' in Belgium. But what exactly does this day entail, and how did it come about?
In the past
On May 1, 1890, Labour Day was celebrated for the first time in many countries. Before this, the working conditions of the employees were often very exhausting and even inhuman, they often had to work shifts of more than 12 hours.
Robert Owen, a Scotsman who owned a weaving mill with more than 2000 workers, was the first entrepreneur to show solidarity with his workers. He had the workers’ houses refurbished, had a minimum age of 10 years(!) in his factory and opened a school. He also inspired the world to “Eight Hour Movements” in which the 8-hour working days were put forward.
Today
Fortunately, since the beginning of this revolution until today, a lot has changed in favor of the employees. As an employee you are entitled to paid holidays, much better working conditions, a fair wage, …
We can even say that the employee has an advantage today. There are now more vacancies than there are workers. This creates a so-called ‘War for Talent’. This is a war that companies fight with each other to win the best workers for them. They do this by offering various extra-legal benefits such as flexible hours, extra holidays,…
Are you wondering how your company can be the winner of this war? Then download our 5 tips to win the War for Talent!