9 to 5
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- This article is about the phrase '9 to 5'. For other uses, see 9 to 5 (disambiguation).
9 to 5 (see also: day job) is a phrase used to describe a conventional and possibly tedious job. Negatively used, it connotes a tedious or unremarkable occupation, the idea being that, because the job is so boring, the workplace shuts down outside of required hours. The phrase also indicates that a person is an employee, usually in a large company, rather than self-employed. More neutrally, it connotes a job with stable hours and low career risk, but still a position of subordinate employment.
The phrase originates from the traditional business hours in the United States of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (9h - 17h), Monday through Friday (or, rarely and archaically, Saturday), representing a workweek of between 35 and 48 hours depending on how the hours are counted. In many traditional white collar positions, employees were required to be in the office during these hours in order to take orders from the bosses, hence the relationship between this phrase and subordination. Workplace hours have become both more flexible and, especially in urban locations, longer but even still, the phrase is commonly used. (Though exceptionally demanding such jobs might be described as an "8-to-7" or "7-to-10".)
The "9-to-5" generic workplace is featured prominently in The Drew Carey Show, Office Space, and the Dilbert cartoon. It is also referenced in the movie Nine to Five.
