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Julie Voges, Central Regional Managing Director of HR Consulting, Discusses the Feasibility of the 32-Hour Workweek in the U.S.

The four-day workweek has been gaining momentum around the world in the last year.

A majority of employers who have tried the schedule, predominantly in Europe, plan to continue to pay employees 40 hours for 32 hours of work. The decision comes after testing the waters with a six-month pilot program organized by researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Boston College.
In Canada, an overwhelming majority—91 percent—of 1,449 senior managers surveyed by Robert Half favored some type of four-day workweek, although 45 percent favored a four-day week with employees working longer, 10-hour shifts. OneDigital Central Regional Managing Director of HR Consulting Julie Voges discusses the shift in perception and whether or not the concept would translate to American workers in the article, “Is the 32-Hour Workweek Feasible in the US? Experts Weigh In.”

But is a four-day, 32-hour workweek feasible in the U.S.?

“If you asked me three years ago, I would say it was a passing trend, but I think COVID has changed the lens [on] how we work. This is just an iteration of how we work. I think it’s inevitable. I think management needs to get its head around it. I think COVID has helped move the needle.”
Julie Voges, SHRM-SCP, Regional Managing Director of HR Consulting, OneDigital Central

Employers also are cognizant that the birth rate decline and the number of Baby Boomers leaving the workforce are creating hiring challenges.

“All those things together are creating the perfect storm,” she said.

Read the SHRM article here.

Dig into the pros and cons of the four-day workweek in the OneDigital Debates Podcast Episode: Should America Adopt the Four-Day Workweek?

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