K5N: Bill would create 32-hour workweek in Washington

[China]

Bill would create 32-hour workweek in Washington

 

SEATTLE — Would you want to cap the workweek at 32 hours? A Washington lawmaker wants to explore lowering the threshold for full-time work.

 

State Sen. Joe Nguyen, D-White Center, introduced Senate Bill 6516 on Monday, which would reduce the normal workweek by eight hours.

 

“I think younger folks that are kind of in my age demographic tend to believe in more flexibility in the work schedule,” Nguyen said.

 

Under the bill, if employees work more than 32 hours per week, they would be required to receive time-and-a-half pay for additional hours worked.

 

Existing overtime exemptions would also apply, including workers who ask for time off instead of extra pay, some seasonal employees, and some agricultural workers.

 

Nguyen said he introduced the bill to acknowledge that work dynamics have shifted since the five-day workweek was established more than a century ago and posited that a shorter workweek could result in happier and healthier workers.

 

"This is a good thing to help workers either reduce mental anguish, stress or give them opportunities to be more free with their time as well and still be just as productive if not more productive," Nguyen said.

 

Some tech companies, including Microsoft Japan, have tested a four-day workweek with promising results. The Guardian reported in November the company gave its 2,300 workers Fridays off for five weeks, resulting in a 40% increase in productivity.

 

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[SlobberknockerSkinsFan]

I'm shocked this isn't a story out of Cali...  Also, good luck with any 3PL's abiding by this.  Can't see any way this is financially sound for any business model...

[PleaseBlitz]

If I owned a business, I'd install the 32 hour workweek, give people the same amount of work, pay them 4/5, and sell them on "flexibility."

[Barry.Randolphe]

I'm looking forward to a standardized 4-day work week in my lifetime. I think automation will force the issue - less work to go around, but plenty of people to do the work. Simple solution is to cut back on everyone's hours and spread the work around.

[Spaceman Spiff]

41 minutes ago, PleaseBlitz said:

If I owned a business, I'd install the 32 hour workweek, give people the same amount of work, pay them 4/5, and sell them on "flexibility."

 

Also sell them on "reduced mental anguish," PB.  

 

 

80 years ago kids were LYING ABOUT THEIR AGE to go overseas and fight a war.  Now they're whining about working 40 hours a week.  The horrors!  Showing up to an air conditioned office in nice clothes with an ergonomically correct chair and a computer with dual monitors...it's backbreaking, tedious, terrible work and no one should be forced to do more than 32 hours of it for fear of mental anguish.  

[Renegade7]

Rather have more PTO instead of starting from zero with each new employer.  My field already had a 32 hour work with with the number of folks working remote on friday and watching Netflix while moving the mouse to appear online.  I got a lot to do and not a lot of time, what I need are more breaks to recharge, not less time to get it done and more stress because of it.

 

Make friday optional I'd be fine with.

[PleaseBlitz]

Note:  I would not sell them on "reduced mental anguish" because I would make it a point to really ramp up the mental anguish at PB, Inc.  

[TheGreatBuzz]

1 hour ago, Barry.Randolphe said:

I'm looking forward to a standardized 4-day work week in my lifetime. I think automation will force the issue - less work to go around, but plenty of people to do the work. Simple solution is to cut back on everyone's hours and spread the work around.

 

I make a motion to work four 10-hour days.  Used to love that.

[PokerPacker]

4 minutes ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

 

I make a motion to work four 10-hour days.  Used to love that.

I make a motion to work four 6-hour days.

[twa]

I make a motion ya'll pay me for allowing you to work.

[Warhead36]

19 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

I make a motion to work four 6-hour days.

Honestly I think this would be the best option. Of my 8+ hours a day at work I probably don't actually WORK for more than 6 at most anyway and most of the time I don't do jack on Fridays.

 

Won't happen though because as a nation we'd rather work ourselves to death.

[PokerPacker]

Just now, Warhead36 said:

Honestly I think this would be the best option. Of my 8+ hours a day at work I probably don't actually WORK for more than 6 at most anyway and most of the time I don't do jack on Fridays.

 

Won't happen though because as a nation we'd rather work ourselves to death.

I just need to find some sucker of an organization that is doing something manually that would be nice and easy to automate.  Join on as a contractor to do the work, but just automate it and not tell them about the automation.  Sit back and collect paycheck while computer does all the work.

[Renegade7]

19 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

I just need to find some sucker of an organization that is doing something manually that would be nice and easy to automate.  Join on as a contractor to do the work, but just automate it and not tell them about the automation.  Sit back and collect paycheck while computer does all the work.

 

My last job we joked about scripting the whole thing out, pretty much all job responsibilities with manual and or automated triggers some needing or not needing input files. Putting us out of a job, we could make it so easy we werent needed. So I left.

[CousinsCowgirl84]

I thought most companies aimed for a 32 hour work week, so their employees would be considered part time....