Are Permanent Three-Day Weekends Really Possible? - Editorial
Patriots Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day: no matter the occasion, we all love three-day weekends. An extra day of rest and relaxation—or fun and frivolity, whatever your speed is—does wonders to lift the spirits and make the Sunday Scaries a lot less scary.
Soon, it seems, Massachusetts businesses will have the opportunity to test-run the three-day weekend as a permanent fixture. A bill filed in May by Representatives Dylan Fernandes (D-Falmouth) and Josh Cutler (D-Duxbury) both embraces and promotes a four-day, 32-hour workweek through the establishment of an opt-in pilot program in the commonwealth.
Through the program, administered by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, businesses would voluntarily transition employees to a “reduced work schedule” without an overall reduction in pay, status or benefits. A special focus is being given to recruiting diverse businesses in terms of size, industry, location and ownership. Participating businesses will regularly report on the effects of this transition and, in return, could qualify for a tax credit.
It is a pretty straightforward program and it seems to be worth the commonwealth’s while to study the concept of a shorter work week. Juliet Schor, a Boston College professor of sociology, is at the forefront of the campaign advocating for the four-day week. After years of studying and researching, she has said that available data from similar pilot programs around the world have been positive.
One UK study she helped lead was so tremendously successful that about 92 percent of the 61 participating companies opted to continue with the change after the program. Most employees reported a high level of well-being and lower levels of stress and burnout. The program’s final report said that companies, for the most part, seemed generally happy, as were employees who reported improved mental health and a better work-life balance.
All of these benefits have been touted by the bill’s petitioners as good reasons for the state to proceed with the pilot program. They see it as a way to attract and retain talent, as well as jointly boost productivity and well-being.
Long weekends, as we know them now, are a treat—something relatively rare that shakes up the typical 40-hour work week. Because of this, long weekends often signal to workers that whatever is on their plate this week can wait until after the holiday. Meetings are pushed back, and emails asking to “circle back” are sent in droves. It is practically a rite of passage for 9-to-5ers.
Considering the outcomes of similar studies done elsewhere in the world, it seems that this air of idleness all but evaporates in employees when the three-day weekend is a regular feature of their job. Key business metrics, such as revenue, signaled the program’s success—although companies’ revenue remained steady throughout the trial period, organizations reported revenue increases of 35 percent on average in comparison to similar time periods in previous years.
It all sounds promising. Plus, this bill comes on the heels of another filed earlier this year by Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville) that takes a much bolder swing at the same pitch by striking all mentions of a five-day, 40-hour work week from the state’s law and replacing it with a four-day, 32-hour model that requires overtime to be paid after 32 hours of work.
Both bills pertaining to a shorter work week have been referred to the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, of which Rep. Cutler is a chairman. A hearing has yet to be scheduled, but we are eager to see where this idea goes. It might work, it might not, and it might be better fitted to some industries than others. Our newspaper, for example, would be hard-pressed to produce a newspaper in 32-hours’ time; we have learned that already through federal holiday-induced short weeks. But the program’s emphasis on resisting a one-size-fits-all approach is promising, and we look forward to seeing whether it comes to pass.
After all, many considered remote work to be a pipe dream before the pandemic. Who knows what could happen?