Opinion: Should the U.S. Adopt a 4-Day Workweek?

 WHAT SAY YOU?

Congressman Mark Takano has introduced legislation to shorten the workweek. Not everyone is pleased.

Longing for a permanent three-day weekend? If one congressman (and a chorus of advocates) has his way, a four-day, 32-hour workweek could be coming to the U.S.

It's not unheard of: Countries from Iceland to Spain have piloted or are embarking on trials of shorter workweeks, some without cutting pay or seeing dips in productivity. A number of U.S. companies are experimenting with four-day workweeks, too.

But will it catch on? As COVID-19 continues to upend workplace norms, the so-called Great Resignation deepens and conversations about the future of work heat up anew, the jury is still out.

In this edition of Two Takes, a U.S. News series examining opinions about key issues, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., and Brent Orrell, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, debate whether the five-day workweek is alive and well – or bound for extinction.

Takano: My interest in the shorter workweek – reducing it to 32 hours – is to give workers more leverage and to address income inequality. To give them a chance at a fair share of the economic growth this country has seen.


More pros and cons and details:
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2021-10-19/opinion-should-the-us-adopt-a-4-day-workweek





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