4-Day Workweek California Dreamin’ Or Not?

WSJ mocks “California’s French Four-Day Workweek” as naïve since it’s human nature to work less to not earn the same pay … yet wouldn’t most give a right arm to work 4 rather than 5 days for the same 40-hour work week?

As the editors argued: “The popular book ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’ provides tips on how to make more money by working less. Now California Democrats are taking a page from the book by proposing to mandate a 4-day week, which would require businesses to pay employees the same wages for less work. As labor economics goes, this is up there with paying people not to work and expecting more people to work” more.

The source of dispute is in the number of hours to be worked, regarless of days involved. In 2019, Microsoft did do a month-long experiment with a 4-day workweek in Japan which reportedly improved productivity by 40%, but the “compressed” 35-hours worth of work was coupled with fewer mandated company meetings & other streamlining measures. France, it was noted, mandated a 35-hour workweek in 2000 on the premise forcing everyone to work less would mean more people got hired, only to see unemployment stay high.

The Microsoft idea has gotten no traction in any other country … until the California Dreamers came along. The WSJ concedes the high-tech industry may be inherently more flexible to pull such a radical change off, but others aren’t, while higher costs would be passed on to customers, etc. etc. etc. The editors wonder if there’s a new bright idea the progressives don’t want to “mandate”. Still, no one seems willing to consider a (optional, not mandated) 40-hour work week in 4 days for those industries in which it might make sense. Is THAT so hard to dream up?

Davd Soul