OnPolitics: Lawmaker push bill for a four day work week
Progressive Democrats are renewing efforts to replace the traditional five-day workweek with a four-day cycle, saying it'll give Americans more time "to live, play, and enjoy life more fully outside of work," according to lead sponsor Rep. Mark Takano of California.
What would that look like? As Rachel Looker reports:
The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would amend the definition of the workweek in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. It would require overtime pay at a rate of time and half for any employee who works more than 32 hours in one week.
More than 70 British companies have started to test a four-day workweek, and halfway through the six-month trial, most respondents reported there has been no loss in productivity.
What's next?: While it's unlikely to pass through Congress, it does continue the pandemic influenced conversation about current work conditions and what work may look like in the future.
🔎 Keep reading: Is a 4-day workweek coming? What to know about latest attempt at federal law in Congress
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thefloatingpoint on March 17th, 2023 at 15:17 UTC »
Two weeks ago we had this discussion at work. My boss, a 60 something, said that this is the worst thing that could happen to a worker. Because workers wouldn’t know what to do with all that extra free time and this would be devastating for their mental health.
I think my boss is insane and I also hate German work culture.
way2lazy2care on March 17th, 2023 at 14:55 UTC »
Think people are characterizing this in a less than productive way. They aren't redefining the number of days in a workweek, they're redefining the number of hours in a workweek, which is imo much better. People focus too much on the days when they should be focusing on the hours, which is exactly what the bill does (redefining a workweek from 40 to 32 hours). That could be 3 11s, 4 8s, 5 6s, 6 5s, etc. The bill is way more flexible/beneficial than what the headline implies.
yikesonbikes1230 on March 17th, 2023 at 13:18 UTC »
They will adopt it for themselves then add Saturday as mandatory for everyone else.