Image via MSNBC
The traditional five-day/40-hour workweek is being questioned by a bill that has been reintroduced into the House of Representatives.
A four-day workweek would become a federal law under a bill introduced by California Representative Mark Takano. The mandate will bring about “a significant change which will increase the happiness of humankind,” according to CNBC.
The UK conducted an experiment pushing the four-day workweek in June 2021. In the study, more than 3,300 workers from 70 different organizations worked a four-day, 32-hour shift while still being paid in full. According to the findings, employees maintained their previous productivity levels when compared to 40-hour workweeks. After the study, according to CNN, 90% favored the new model. Takano’s suggested structure has been implemented by numerous British enterprises.
The bill was supported by the Commercial Workers Union, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, 4 Day Week Global, Service Employees International Union, and United Food organizations.
On March 1, Rep. Takano said in a statement, “Workers across the nation are collectively reimagining their relationship to labor—and our laws need to follow suit.”
He continued, “We have before us the opportunity to make common sense changes to work standards passed down from a different era. The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would improve the quality of life of workers, meeting the demand for a more truncated workweek that allows room to live, play, and enjoy life more fully outside of work.”