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In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act. This, among other things, established the five-day, 40-hour workweek that is still standard today. In the 85 years since then, thanks to technological advances, average productivity has increased almost 200 percent, while pay has increased by less than 130 percent.
A four-day (32-hour) workweek, with no decrease in pay, is an appropriate response to this discrepancy. Multiple studies have shown that, for most sectors, this leads to little change in productivity, while having a dramatic positive effect on worker mental health, which is becoming more and more of a problem.
I acknowledge, for a few specific jobs, there will be an inevitable decrease in productivity, but I think that’s OK. The sole focus of business cannot be to infinitely increase its bottom line, business must also help people lead better lives. Eighty years ago, we were willing to pay employees 30 percent more per unit of productivity than we do now. With all of our technological advancements, why can’t we do that again?
I believe a four-day workweek would stem the tide of young people leaving the state. Maine is currently the oldest state, and it is only getting older. If we wish to remain competitive in the future, we must reverse this trend, and the implementation of a four-day workweek is one of the strongest incentives we have. As a soon-to-be graduate, that would certainly be convincing enough for me to stay, as I’m sure it would be for many of my peers.
Declan Schilling
Glenburn
