Patrick Semansky/AP
- Pilot programs of a 4-day workweek have been a resounding success, with revenue up and workers happier.
- Now, Congressman Mark Takano is once again pushing to make the shorter week US law.
- Takano is reintroducing his act to make the standard workweek just 32 hours long.
As the workers of the world ponder whether they should be on the job just four days a week, Congressman Mark Takano once again wants to make it law in the US.
Takano has reintroduced his 32 Hour Workweek Act, which would tweak the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to make the standard workweek 32 hours, instead of the 40 it's currently at.
"Workers across the nation are collectively reimagining their relationship to labor – and our laws need to follow suit," Takano, a Democrat from California, said in a release. "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."
It's not the first time that Takano has pushed to make the working week shorter. He previously introduced the legislation in 2021, where it picked up an endorsement from the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
In a 2022 interview with Insider, Takano said that the pandemic had made people more aware of their mortality — which also made them value their time more.
"I think there was a Great Realization among a lot of Americans — how hard they're working and that they wanted to move on from the jobs that they were working at," Takano said. "So a four-day work week is something that connects a lot of Americans."
Under Takano's legislation, workers clocking over 32 hours a week would be eligible for overtime, meaning more money in their pockets and greater incentive for employers to keep weeks short.
Other lawmakers have previously called for a shortened work week. Sen. Bernie Sanders pushed for the idea late last month, writing on Twitter that with "exploding technology and increased worker productivity, it's time to move toward a four-day work week with no loss of pay. Workers must benefit from technology, not just corporate CEOs."
Sanders' comment, along with the reintroduction of Takano's bill, comes on the heels of a number of studies that reflected the major successes a four-day workweek has had on companies nationally and globally.
One pilot program based in the United Kingdom — that included 3,000 workers — found that workers slept better and had more time to spend with their loved ones, and their employers made more money.
Additionally, 4 Day Week Global — a New Zealand-based nonprofit — conducted a study last year that found participating companies in the US, Australia, Ireland, the UK, and New Zealand saw a "resounding success on virtually every dimension" with a four-day workweek. Revenues rose and sick days went down, the study found, and almost all of the companies were "already committing or planning to continue with the 4 day week schedule."
While it's unclear if the shortened workweek will be adopted at the federal level, state governments are tossing their hats in the ring. Last month, Maryland lawmakers introduced the Four-Day Workweek Act of 2023, which would reduce an employee's workweek to 32 hours without cutting their pay while giving employers a tax credit.