10 Inventions That Shaped The Workplace

1. OTIS ELEVATOR, 1857

The Otis Elevator Company installed the first public version of its newfangled invention inside New York department store E.V. Haughwout, which helped convince people it was safe to use.

The impact: Freed from the tyranny of stairs, buildings soon shot skyward, enabling the creation of the office tower.

2. FIVE-DAY WORKWEEK, 1908

The modern weekend was born when a New En­gland cotton mill with a large Jewish workforce started to close on Saturdays as well as Sundays so all employees could observe the Sabbath.

The impact: The practice spread to nearby businesses and then caught on nationwide, especially after labor unions started pressing for it.

3. ROLODEX, 1956

In the days when the telephone was the essential workplace tool, Danish engineer Hildaur Neilsen invented a clever rotary desktop device that stores contact information for easy reference.

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