Is a 4-day work week the future? Pilot study shows success

NEW YORK - One recent study of British companies that adopted a 32-hour workweek concluded that employees came to work less stressed and more focused.

In the study, revenues for these companies remained steady and or even increased.

Dozens of companies based in the United Kingdom participated in a 4-day work week pilot study—after one year it's been a resounding success.

"I'm not at all surprised that workers would find it really productive—that employers would find it to work quite well," says Professor Erik Loomis.  "And I expect to expand over the years."

Erik Loomis is a professor at the University of Rhode Island and has researched the history of labor and environmental history in the United States.

"We've been stuck on this idea of a 40-hour workweek for really over a century now—and it's entirely unclear whether or not that's a reasonable standard," adds Loomis. "Especially given the kind of technological, technology that we have."

It's left many to wonder if this could become the employment model moving forward—or something we could see here in the U.S.

"Realistically, it'll probably be company by company. It's true, we have not had a comprehensive labor law update that was basically effectively pro-worker in this country since the fair labor standards act in 1938. So we're talking about 86 years."

Loomis adds, however, in a post-pandemic world, workers would have a lot more power.

"One of the big, changes in society that the pandemic created is at least for white-collar jobs—a real demand to stay at home or stop the long commutes—especially in a city like New York." 

FOX 5 NY spoke to New Yorkers who said a 4-day work week would lead to a more motivated, productive and loyal workforce—as long as everyone could benefit from it.

Bernie Sanders' 4-day work week

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The 40-hour workweek has been standard in the U.S. for more than eight decades. Now some members of Congress want to give hourly workers an extra day off.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the far-left independent from Vermont, this week introduced a bill that would shorten to 32 hours the amount of time many Americans can work each week before they’re owed overtime.

Given advances in automation, robotics and artificial intelligence, Sanders says U.S. companies can afford to give employees more time off without cutting their pay and benefits.

Critics say a mandated shorter week would force many companies to hire additional workers or lose productivity.

Here’s what to know about the issue:

What would Sanders’ proposal do?

The bill Sanders introduced Wednesday in the Senate would reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours. Employers would be prohibited from reducing their workers’ pay and benefits to match their lost hours.

That means people who currently work Monday through Friday, eight hours per day, would get to add an extra day to their weekend. Workers eligible for overtime would get paid extra for exceeding 32 hours in a week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.