Debating the benefits of a four-day workweek in Pa.
Would more companies be willing to let their employees work four days a week instead of five if they got a state tax break? Several state representatives hope so.
Democratic Reps. Josh Siegel of Lehigh County, Dave Madsen of Dauphin County and Chris Pielli of Chester County plan to introduce legislation to incentivize a move to a four-day, 32-hour week.
“We need to do more to provide options for workers and their employers,” they said. “Studies have shown that a four-day work week reduces employee stress, burnout, and fatigue.
“In addition, it positively impacts an employee’s mental health, work-life balance, and physical wellbeing, all without negatively impacting a business’ productivity and revenue. Moreover, a four-day work week would provide workers with flexibility, allowing them to be more present parents and more active community members.”
They cited a recent trial in the United Kingdom in which about 2,900 workers at 61 businesses worked 20% fewer hours per week but committed to delivering the same level of productivity. The companies agreed to continue paying their full salaries.
Revenue rose. Staff turnover and daily absenteeism dropped. Nearly all of the companies were satisfied with the result, and 56 are continuing with the four-day work week.
I’ve written about this issue before and heard from a few people who had worked four-day weeks and liked it.
Rick Passan of Northampton County worked four-day weeks as a truck driver for about seven years. He was scheduled to work four 10-hour days, though most days he worked longer. And he was fine with that.
“Anyone who is comfortable working eight hours, it isn’t a big deal to stretch it to 10 from my experience,” he told me. “I usually ended up working around 12 hours for each of the four days. Really nice to have an extra day off to do whatever one wants to.”
He said his employer instituted the work schedule hoping to eliminate overtime pay. Overtime wasn’t eliminated, but it was reduced.
Robert Ford of Lehigh County briefly worked four 10-hour days in the early 1980s. He had Wednesdays off.
“Only working two days in a row was wonderful, but same 40hour week,” he told me.
A four-day week may not be practical for every industry, said Mark Lichtenwalner, a farm owner in Lehigh County, though he recognizes the reasoning behind the concept.
Lichtenwalner said the idea of a four-day week has merit, especially if the extra days off encourage people to get involved in community service organizations. On the other hand, he said, if businesses are open only four days a week, it might be difficult for four-day workers to use their extra free day. He believes the model is better-suited for professions that pay high wages.
I heard from only one person who thinks the idea of a four-day work week is nonsense.
“It should be five days,” a caller told me in a phone message. “They don’t work enough now as it is. It should be a five-day week … that’s what it always was and that’s what it should always stay.”
The caller was wrong about that. It was only a few generations ago that people regularly worked more than 40 hours and five days a week. It wasn’t until 1940 that laws were passed to make 40 hours the norm. Henry Ford created the model in 1926.
Reps. Siegel, Madsen and Pielli propose creating a pilot program. Eligible employers that participate may qualify for a state income tax credit if they meet program requirements.
“It is time we give Pennsylvania workers a fair deal, so their workdays reflect the needs of a modern society and workplace,” the legislators wrote in a memo.
They did not offer specifics about eligibility and program requirements.
Pennsylvania is not the only state considering this. Similar legislation is pending in Maryland.
I hope the state House will hold a committee hearing on the proposed legislation, to collect testimony about the pros and the cons and determine whether the cost to the state would be worth it.