For the overworked, cutting overtime sure sounds enticing, and employers are responding. For the millions working below Affordable Care Act mandates, getting back to 40 hours couldn’t happen soon enough.

There’s enough speculation behind the invention of the 40 hour work week to spark an all-night bar brawl. If you’re sitting on Ford Motor Company’s side of the fence, perhaps you’re right. However, thanks to 1916’s Adamson Act, railroad workers may have beaten Henry Ford to the punch. More important question of opportunity: who decided 40 hours wasn’t enough, or was too much?

According to an in-depth phone survey taken in December 2013 by Rasmussen, only 31% of Americans put 40 hours in for ‘the man’. Poll the same Americans in 2015, and watch that number decrease 50%. Whereas professionals and blue collar workers would rather stave off excessive overtime, multitudes of once happy workers are now fighting to get their 40 hours back. Some would love to get back to just 30. A big thanks to Obamacare’s financially sweeping effects for that devastating loss.

Even though Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.) introduced a more clearly defined workweek to provide an avenue for health care for everyone under Obamacare’s mandate, his Save American Workers Act would theoretically increase America’s already ridiculous deficit by roughly $73 billion over a decade. Scrap that idea. Forcing employers to provide 40 hours and health care would push even more companies overseas, cutting American jobs forever. File thirteen that one, too.

BambooHR, masterminds behind an HR software as a service (SaaS) solution based out of Provo, Utah, is certainly attune to working long hours to meet deadlines. Because the once overworked Bamboo co-founder, Ryan Sanders, realized the physical implications of toiling over a keyboard for sometimes 80 hours weekly, he erased overtime from his lexicon by enforcing a strict 40-hour workweek without argument or wiggle room. Should an overeager worker remain 30 minutes over, it’s treated as a serious problem. Working overtime on occasion is one thing: encumbering staff with weeks of overtime becomes an unstable recipe for workforce burnout. Cutting hours, however, is a growing problem.

According to analyses performed by the Congressional Budget Office, roughly one in six Americans, or 55.4 million, still punch 40 hours each week. Affordable Care Act states that 30 hours is sufficient time to receive employer-sponsored health care, one major reason why multitudes of private, small business and even corporate employers are knocking weekly hours down below 30. This makes for an interesting quandary: how does one afford mandatory health care payments when hours have been cut below the Federal threshold so employers aren’t forced to offer health benefits? That’s Rep. Young’s argument.

Regardless whether you’re cutting back or reaching forward, 40 hour work weeks have been archived by many employers, with salaried employees bearing few if any exceptions. Airline companies like Stratos Jets, however, are forward-thinking enough to handle employing a large workforce without bending. Whereas software developers may need 60 hours to complete projects without being forced away from their desktops, home health care workers and even automobile workers are fighting to get 40 hours back. There’s definitely a strong case that Americans don’t need to work more than a few hours a day on average, especially with technological and agricultural strides being made. An even stronger case exists that 40 hours should remain, however, and it couldn’t happen quick enough for the working millions living in destitute.

Overworked? Underworked? Make your stand and get back your 40 hours, America

Inflatable trade show displays have become the darling of the industry since their introduction in 2013 due to their versatility, easy assembly and vibrant good looks. They are also very durable, but even the sturdiest exhibits can sustain damage if they aren’t properly cared for or installed. To make sure your blow-up booths last for years, follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
Follow Set-Up Instructions Carefully
Many people neglect to read and follow the instructions included with any assembly, but this is always a mistake, particularly if you aren’t familiar with the assembly or disassembly techniques needed. It’s actually quite easy to set up inflating trade show exhibits because there are only a few steps and everything you need to do it properly is included with the display itself. Fortunately, the graphics are already in place around the air bladders, so it’s easy to unfold them and then let the inflation pump do its work. Which brings us to the next stepâEUR¦
Use The Pump That Is Designed For Your Inflatable Displays
If the air pump included with the elements of your exhibit stops working for some reason, ignore the urge to use a different one. The inflation kit that comes with inflating booths is designed specifically for those elements. Any other pump could be too powerful or won’t have the correct seal, leading to damage or an inability to properly set up your exhibit. If you discover that yours is missing at the last minute, a quick call to your supplier will usually result in an overnight shipment or even same-day delivery from the supplier’s local storefront. The most important feature of the right air pump is the automatic shut-off that prevents over-inflation.
Don’t Use Makeshift Fasteners
Because blow-up displays feature graphics printed on fabric and then stretched over air tubes, it’s important that you use the correct fastening devices when joining one feature to another or joining your new display to other, more traditional pieces. Because there are a variety of options, the manufacturer offers slotted tubes, pins and other styles of fasteners that will work well without tearing or damaging the air bladders or fabrics. If you try to use other fasteners, you could snag the fabric, twist the display out of alignment or even puncture the durable tubes that give inflatable displays their shape.
Adjust The Frame & Fabric Properly
After you’ve inflated your new trade show exhibit’s various pieces, take a moment to be sure the seams and edges are properly aligned using a snapping motion to snap the fabric into place rather than tugging or pulling the material. If you have trouble with this, check out the manufacturer’s website; you should find helpful video tutorials that can guide you through the process.
Store In The Original Case
The storage and transport cases that your inflatable displays arrive in should also be the ones you use for transporting them and storing them between uses. They’ve been specifically designed to hold the displays and the air pump needed to inflate them so that they are safe between uses. If the case becomes damaged, replace it immediately so that a minor problem doesn’t turn into a major headache.
With proper care, your inflatable displays will give you and your customers years of enjoyment.