Could we ever really get a 4-day work week in the U.S.? – MarketWatch w/Harvey Kaye

The pandemic showed many of us that it’s possible to work from home, but that’s not the only change the workforce has seen. In other countries, and now here in the U.S., companies are experimenting with the 4-day work week, the 5-hour work day, and even the 4-hour work week.According to a study by the non-profit 4-Day Week Global, 63% of businesses who implemented a 4-day work week found it easier to attract and retain talent, and 78% of employees with a 4-day work week said they were happier and less stressed out.

…But in some cases, limiting weekly hours can actually hurt people in non-salaried jobs.

And some experts — like Harvey Kaye, author and Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay — doubt we can actually make these big structural changes.

“We couldn’t even get a $15 minimum wage enacted last year. So it’s striking to me to try to push for a four day workweek,” Kaye said on the podcast. “I could imagine certain categories of working people would love it. And vast others would literally despise any legislator who proposed it without first addressing the utterly gross inequalities that have emerged.”

Source: Could we ever really get a 4-day work week in the U.S.? – MarketWatch