Federal Bill Could Mean Shorter Work Weeks For Many In New York State?

Could a new federal bill mean shorter work weeks for most New Yorkers?

The average American adult works 38.7 hours per week, according to Zippia. If you focus on Americans in the 25 to 54 age group, then that average goes up to 40.2 hours per week. The International Labour Organization found that Americans ork more per year than many other European nations.

See Also: Is New York State Really An Awful Place To Work In?

New Yorkers work hard, though one recent study from WalletHub may have questioned that a bit. Another study says New York isn;t a good state to work in. Would a four-day work week benefit both employees and companies alike?

Shorter Work Weeks in New York? 

USA Today reports that lawmakers have once again pushed to establish a standard 32-hour workweek, that also would not result in loss in pay.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, is pushing to reduce the work week from 40 hours. stating that American productivity has increased over 400% percent since the 1940s. though "millions of Americans are working longer hours for lower wages than they were decades ago."

The bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and would also allow employees to be compensated time and half for working beyond 32 hours, reports USA Today. 

The World Economic Forum says that a four day work week could mean healthier workers, as well as less CO2 emissions. Sloan Review goes on to say that companies in Europe have experimented with shorter work weeks, and found that it "significantly increased job satisfaction, improved work-life balance, and reduced employee stress."

However, some cons to the idea, posted at People Hum, says that shorter work weeks could mean longer work hours for the days you're actually at the office, and actually create higher levels of absenteeism,

See Also: Is New York One of the Best States to Work From Home?