24/7

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For other uses, see 24/7 (disambiguation).
"24-7-365" redirects here. For the music albums, see 24-7-365 (disambiguation).

24/7 is an abbreviation which stands for "24 hours a day, 7 days a week", usually referring to business opening hours or the availability of a service.[1] The first known use of the term is attributed to basketball player Jerry Reynolds, who described his jump shot as being "good 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year".[2]

Contents

[edit] Definition

In commerce and industry, it identifies a service that will be present regardless of current time or day, as might be offered by a supermarket, convenience store, ATM, Filling station, restaurant, concierge services or a manned computer data facility. Today, it is common for call centers to have representatives available 24/7. This is due to, in part, a decrease in long distance phone call charges, which allow, for example, employees based in India to provide services to customers in the US during the US night hours.

In some cases, even a service available 24/7 may shut down, such as on a major holiday. The extended phrase 24/7/365 ("... 365 days a year") specifically denotes a service that is available year-round, such as police, firefighters, and emergency medical services.

[edit] Criticism

There have been some criticisms of the proliferation of the abbreviation in the internet age, with companies claiming to be available 24/7, when actually only their websites, unattended by any staff, are in operation.[3]

When not only services are intended to be available 24/7, but employees are also expected to adapt their working hours with similar flexibility, such 24/7 workplaces can put employees under conditions that limit their personal life choices and development. Calls for a re-humanisation of the 24/7 workplace have therefore been voiced.[4] Some have also remarked on the "collective mania" especially in the USA that takes a sort of weird pride in the "work at all times" attitude exemplified by the 24/7 concept.[5]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Inventory Accuracy Glossary (from Inventory Accuracy: People, Processes, & Technology - Piasecki, David J.)
  2. ^ "Where does 24/7 come from?", BBC News, 25 July 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-04. 
  3. ^ What 24/7 should mean? (from the sticky-marketing.net website)
  4. ^ 24/7 Workplace Connectivity: A Hidden Ethical Dilemma, Charles F. Piazza, January 2007
  5. ^ So long, American work culture - The Guardian, Friday 03 August 2001