Work-Life Balance: California Lawmakers Lodge New Proposals for a Four-Day Workweek

Lawmakers in California are pushing for a four-day workweek by lodging two separate bills that aim to deliver a better work-life balance. Assemblymember Cristina Garcia is one of the co-sponsors of the bill that she believes will promote a healthier workplace culture.

In an interview with CBS News, Garcia said that over 47 million employees left their jobs two years after the pandemic to seek greener pastures. She saw this as a "clear message" from workers who want to prioritize their emotional and mental wellbeing with more time for self-care and bonding with family.

Under Assembly Bill 2932, any work rendered after 32 hours within the week will be considered overtime pay. The bill, however, will only apply to more than 2,600 companies with over 500 workers and will exclude employees who belong to a union or are under a collective bargaining agreement.

Garcia said that a shift in the work schedule hadn't been adopted since the Industrial Revolution. Studies have also shown that more work hours do not necessarily equate to productivity with the changing times.

Uplifting the Workforce; Being With their Kids

In July 2021, Rep. Mark Takano introduced H.R.4728, hoping to adopt a four-day workweek for Californians. Takano's main reason for proposing the bill is to uplift the workforce after the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent a "great resignation."

The lawmaker said that pilot programs cutting work hours to 32 instead of 40 had shown promising results. Because the workers enjoyed a better work-life balance, they had fewer sick days, and they reduced their childcare expenses as parents had more time to look after their children, per Fox5 News.

A sociologist from Boston College, Juliet Schor, also saw similar results from her six months of research on the shortened workweek. Employees who worked 32 hours had more free time, lower stress levels, better health, a better outlook, and more time for recreation with the family or the community.

Four-Day Workweek a Job Killer?

While proponents of the two bills emphasize workers' wellbeing and more time with family, the California Chamber of Commerce said that a four-day workweek is a "job killer" that could prompt an increase in the cost of labor at a time when many employers are still recouping from the pandemic. The group believes that a reorganization of the work schedule might not be the best action at this time.

However, California's economy is the largest in America and the fifth-largest in the world. According to the lawmakers, the state is in the best position to make significant changes to the workplace culture, similar to other progressive economies globally.

Other companies in the U.S. are not waiting for lawmakers to lodge a proposal to cut the workweek. Kickstarter, Unilever, and Qwick conduct their own workplace trials to switch to 32 hours per week. It's still unclear, however, if these companies will adopt the measure permanently as the results of a better work-life balance are still up for evaluation.

Meanwhile, according to Computerworld, only about one to five percent of job postings in the U.S. have companies declaring they have a four-day workweek policy. Some believe that it might be a while for companies to be open to shortened work hours; thus, the California bills could also take years to move in Congress.