The 32-hour work week: what the evidence says
A 32-hour work week is four eight-hour days for the same pay. Companies have tested it for years, and there's a bill in Congress to make it the national standard.
What it is
Most proposals cut the standard week from 40 hours to 32 and keep pay and benefits the same. For most people that means a three-day weekend. The goal is the same output in fewer hours, not 40 hours squeezed into four long days.
What the trials found
The biggest test so far ran in the UK from June to December 2022, with 61 companies and about 2,900 workers. When it ended, 56 of the 61 companies kept the four-day week. 39% of employees said they were less stressed, and 71% reported less burnout. Revenue held steady, rising 1.4% on average over the trial. (Source: Autonomy, February 2023.)
Trials have since run in the US and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, Portugal, Brazil, Germany, and Sweden and Norway. (Source: 4 Day Week Global.)
American employers are moving too. In the APA's 2024 Work in America survey, 22% of US workers said their employer offered a four-day week, up from 14% in 2022. (Source: APA.)
The 32-hour work week bill
In September 2026, Rep. Mark Takano and Sen. Bernie Sanders reintroduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act: H.R. 10323 in the House and S. 5384 in the Senate. It would change the Fair Labor Standards Act so overtime pay starts after 32 hours a week instead of 40. Both bills were sent to committee when they were introduced. (Status checked October 12, 2026, on GovInfo.)
Where AI comes in
AI is cutting the time a lot of everyday work takes. Those hours can turn into more work, or they can turn into shorter weeks. We think workers should get a real share of them as time off.
Read the case for a four-day week with AI, or take the proposal to your leadership.