A bill recently introduced in the U.S. is proposing a 32-hour workweek, without a reduction in pay or benefits. As for whether that would work in Canada, some experts say it’s unlikely.
The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, which was reintroduced earlier this month by U.S. Rep. Mark Takano and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, would mean employers pay for 32 hours a week at work, and then time-and-a-half for any time worked thereafter. Takano first introduced the bill in 2021.
“At a time when artificial intelligence and robotics will radically transform our economy, it is imperative that the financial gains from this new technology benefit working families, not just a handful of billionaires and corporate CEOs,” Sanders said in a statement. “One important way to do that is through a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay or benefits.”
Nita Chhinzer is an associate professor in the department of management at the University of Guelph. She said that a 32-hour workweek, known as a reduced workweek, is being sold in the proposed bill as not leading to any loss in pay or benefits, but would likely include authorization for overtime.
While that might work for salaried workers, who are paid their salary regardless of the amount of hours worked, it might not work for hourly workers, Chhinzer said.
“There’s no loss in pay per hour but there’s loss in pay per week,” she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.
She describes the idea of a 32-hour workweek as a “double-edged sword” that’s being framed as an “efficiency conversation.”
“Are we really measuring people for how many hours they’re doing work or what they’re outputting?” she asked.
She describes the Monday to Friday, 9-5 schedule as “pretty archaic” as it measures hours worked, rather than output.
The U.S. model would mean measuring how long it takes to accomplish tasks within a set amount of time. If more hours are needed, the additional time worked would have to be authorized.
“Essentially, it’s beginning to get rid of some of that bloat,” she said.
Affordability crisis
Chhinzer notes that a four-day workweek as suggested in Canada would mean working four days a week, but longer hours – what is known as a compressed work week. So, the 32-hour workweek would not work for many Canadians.
“The affordability crisis tells us that the average person cannot withstand a 20 per cent income decline, if no overtime or additional hours is guaranteed,” she said. “I can see a lot of resistances to that kind of legislation because we have significant affordability concerns.”
Sarah McVanel is the chief recognition officer with the HR firm Greatness Magnified. She said for a reduced workweek to successfully be rolled out, a lot would need to be considered including role expectations, how to prioritize meetings, and streamlining work processes with technology like AI.
“Rather than give people more tasks or expect people to do the job of two people, we want to look at how do we now keep those efficiencies,” she said. “And then we can shift to how people can redirect being able to manage that changing workload.”
She added that many workers would be hesitant to believe that a reduced workweek is feasible, “even if this was something that they’ve discussed.”
