It turns out that Monday-morning blues aren’t universal, and not because some people genuinely love their work. The parameters of the weekend differ around the world, and occasionally they undergo a significant shift. That’s the case in Brunei, which announced in 2013 that its official weekend would be Friday and Sunday, making it the only country in the world to observe a non-contiguous weekend. However, government employees enjoy a luxurious 3-day weekend, even though they still work a 40-hour week. Official hours for government workers are Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The 2-day weekend is apparently a fairly modern concept in the United States. In 1908, a textile mill in New England set a precedent by giving all employees a 5-day work week. This was done to settle issues resulting from Jewish workers not being available on the Sabbath and the Christian staff demanding the same treatment. In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act gave Americans the modern 40-hour, 5-day work week, and Americans have not seen their hours decrease since then.
