Pennsylvania state legislator introduces bill that would force companies to reduce workweek to FOUR DAYS without cutting employee wages
- Representative G. Roni Green said she hopes to reduce the standard work week from 40 to 32 hours
- The change would only affect companies with more than 500 employees and ensure there is no pay cut for employees
- Republican Rep. Dawn Keefer said the move “would create a problem” in the state if passed
A Pennsylvania state legislator has proposed an amendment that would introduce a four-day work week.
State Representative G. Roni Green says she hopes to reduce the standard work week from 40 hours to 32 hours per week.
The change would only affect companies with more than 500 employees and ensure there is no pay cut for employees and exclude local and mid-sized companies.
Green, who is a member of the House Labor & Industry Committee, said in her memo: “Employees deserve a weekly schedule that respects a balance between work and personal responsibilities.
A four-day work week would give hard-working people more time for rest, family commitments and a focus on both physical and mental health. ‘
Representative G. Roni Green, pictured here, said she hopes to reduce the standard work week from 40 to 32 hours
The change would only affect companies with more than 500 employees and ensure there is no pay cut for employees
Local and medium-sized businesses would be excluded from the legislation, even if it were passed
Her memo continues: “Employees who are rested, happy and healthy, in turn, are better able to concentrate on their work and achieve more during a workday.”
In a similar vein, Democrat Dave Madsen, who is a state representative for Philly, also has a bill that would create a pilot program for 70 state-owned companies.
The bill would cost $15 million, but Madsen says recent studies have shown good results for companies and workers.
Republican Rep. Dawn Keefer said the move being pushed by Madsen would be for the administration to “meddle itself in an area where I don’t think we belong.”
With regard to the four-day work week, Keefer explained ABC: ‘The government keeps giving you more and encourages you not to work, I think we are creating the problem.’
Fellow Democrat Dave Madsen, pictured left, has already planned a similar bill to the proposed one, which Republican Dawn Keefer, pictured right, disagrees with
A four-day workweek study in the UK, which surveyed 61 companies and 2,900 employees, found several benefits for workers and companies.
Of the 61 companies that participated, 56 continued the four-day workweek trend.
The study found that 39% of employees were less stressed, 71% experienced less burnout and employee turnover fell by 57% during the trial.
The report concluded: ‘While companies have reported through their leaders to be extremely satisfied with performance, productivity and their overall experience, so has the employees themselves.
“The four-day work week is, simply put, a popular policy for those who work on it.”