Labor-Tracking Time Technologies – Megan van Meurs

Labor-Tracking Time Technologies:`Before humans ever consciously tracked time, (if there was such a time), time was tracked by our circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a ~24-hour cycle [1]. Our sleep and hunger signals naturally inform us of the passage of time and when we should carry out certain survival behaviors. Before clocks, labor was tracked through natural means: the movement of the sun and planets, animals such as roosters, and daily routines [2]. Based on archeological evidence, Babylonians and Egyptians began using calendars 5,000 years ago to track merchant shipments and harvest cycles [3]. Sundials and water clocks were used to measure natural time as early as 1500-3500 BCE. By the early 1300s in Europe, pendulum clocks became popular in churches for dictating prayer times. Public bell towers were quickly adopted for marking important times, such as when to come home from fieldwork. As small towns became large cities, synchronizing labor became important. In 1888 the first labor time clock, a machine that recorded hours worked by employees, was created in New York [4]. Since then timesheets have defined much of modern work life. Instead of ending labor when the day’s tasks were completed, work was completed only when a sufficient amount of time passed [5]. Money was tied to time, not efficiency. With timesheets came time-keeping managers, informers on those who arrived late, and fines based on tardiness. Watches became crucial for the everyday worker to avoid financial penalties, and became a tool for contesting exploitation by dishonest factory owners who would manipulate production-floor clocks to steal labor [6]. Schools enforced clock-time defined activities, teaching students time discipline and preparing them for their future in the labor market [7]. In the modern world, computer software can track even the smallest markers of how we spend our time as we labor, allowing for even more time-discipline enforcement [4].

Citations (IEEE):

[1] “What Is Circadian Rhythm?,” Sleep Foundation. Accessed: Feb. 28, 2024. [Online].Available: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/circadian-rhythm

[2] K. D. Atherton, “A brief, 20,000-year history of timekeeping,” Popular Science. Accessed: Feb. 28, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.popsci.com/brief-history-of-timekeeping/
[3] W. J. H. Andrewes, “A Chronicle Of Timekeeping,” Scientific American. Accessed: Feb. 28, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-chronicle-of-timekeeping-2006-02/

[4] J. Lamour, “The evolution of employee time tracking from 1772 BC to today.” Accessed: Feb. 28, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://buddypunch.com/blog/evolution-employee-time-tracking-1772-bc-today/

[5] E. P. Thompson, “Time, work-discipline, and industrial capitalism,” Past and Present, vol.

38, no. 1, pp. 56–97, 1967, doi: 10.1093/past/38.1.56.

[6] “In-depth: Time Consciousness and Discipline in the Industrial Revolution,” SJX Watches.

Accessed: Feb. 28, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://watchesbysjx.com/2020/07/time-consciousness-and-discipline-industrial-revolution .html

[7] J. Zadeh, “The tyranny of time,” Jun. 2021, Accessed: Feb. 23, 2024. [Online]. Available:https://www.noemamag.com/the-tyranny-of-time