Hey New Jersey: How would you like a 4-Day, 32-Hours Work Week?

A United States House of Representatives group called the “Congressional Progressive Caucus” released a statement earlier this week and have formally endorsed legislation to shorten the official workweek in America to 4 days per-week and reduce the hours worked from 40 hours to 32 hours per-week.

This concept has been floated from time-to-time over the years, with Countries around the world addressing it more seriously then the United States.

Iceland conducted a pilot program and they concluded that there was no loss in productivity.

I find this hard to believe, because most business models are based upon 40-hour equivalents. Perhaps the employee is not less productive … however, the additional 8 hours of coverage lost per-employee (per-week) has to be a factor and would have to be effectively dealt with.

Japan, Scotland, Sweden and Ireland all have plans to start their own trials, according to Business Insider.

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United States Mark Takano, D-Calif., the vice-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, released a statement announcing the group’s formal support of this concept.

"As a longtime member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I am proud that the caucus voted to formally endorse my 32-Hour Workweek Act in support of transitioning toward a modern-day business model that prioritizes productivity, fair pay, and an improved quality of life for workers across the country," Said Takano.

The caucus chairman, Congressman Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington said that "for far too long, workers across this country have been forced to put in longer hours as their wages barely budge."

The idea of a 4-day workweek is very appealing. It would create a lifestyle of a mini vacation each and every week for every hourly employee in America.

All hours worked after 32 hours in a given regular workweek would require overtime wages paid to the employee.

It sounds great. Almost too good to be true. A thorough examination would have to be conducted. What would this mean to employers all over the country. A fair balance would have to be achieved.

What do you think?