SB2665

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that a five-day, forty-hour workweek is the standard workweek among most employers across the nation. The legislature further finds that due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, many employers and employees were forced to adapt to new flexible working conditions. The transition from traditional working conditions to more flexible conditions has encouraged many employers to prioritize the importance of their employees' health and work-life balance. Many employers adjusted their traditional working conditions, which resulted in increased employee satisfaction.

The legislature also finds that long work hours are linked to heart disease, stroke, and depression. In 2008, the department of human resources development participated in a four-day workweek pilot project for three months, followed by participation by the department of health for eight weeks, through which the departments evaluated employee productivity, morale, and quality of life of those who worked forty hours a week from Monday through Thursday. The pilot project found that the department of human resources development's offices at the State Office Tower and the department of health's offices at the Kinau Hale building saved approximately six and thirteen per cent in energy costs, respectively. The pilot project results estimated that fifty-one per cent of department of human resources development employees and forty per cent of department of health employees did not use their automobiles during peak traffic hours on their Fridays off.

The legislature recognizes that numerous cases and studies establish that a four-day workweek can provide numerous benefits to the economy, environment, employers, and employee satisfaction. In 2008, Utah became the first state to mandate a four-day workweek for state employees, which resulted in the state saving $502,000 annually, state employees taking significantly less leave, and a reduction in Friday commuters and energy costs that cut carbon dioxide levels in the local air. Brigham Young University researchers found that four-day workweek employees in Utah reported being more satisfied with their jobs, compensation, and benefits, and were less likely to look for employment elsewhere. According to a survey conducted in the United Kingdom by the Henley Business School in 2019, businesses that offer a four-day workweek as part of their employee package found a variety of benefits, including improved ability to attract and retain talent, increase in overall employee satisfaction, lower employee sickness levels, and increased productivity, which contribute to cost-effective operation, and that the combined savings from the implementation of a four-day workweek by businesses in the United Kingdom is already as high as £92,000,000,000 a year. In 2019, Microsoft Japan conducted a four-day workweek pilot project, which found that employees took twenty-five per cent less time off, productivity rose by forty per cent, and electricity usage decreased by twenty-three per cent.

The legislature finds that a four-day workweek could increase employees' productivity, happiness, and time to attend to personal or family needs, and reduce levels of stress, overwork, burnout, and underemployment. A shorter workweek could also benefit the environment and decrease expenses, as it would reduce energy cost and congestion on the road. Given the potential benefits, the State should evaluate how a four-day workweek can be implemented for employees to reduce energy costs, reduce carbon dioxide and congestion from the road, and improve the overall work-life balance and well-being of employees in the State.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to require the department of labor and industrial relations to convene a four-day workweek task force.

SECTION 2. (a) The department of labor and industrial relations shall convene a four-day workweek task force to evaluate how a four-day workweek can be implemented for public employees in the State to improve their quality of work, health, and lifestyle.

(b) The four-day workweek task force shall comprise of the following members or their designees:

(1) The director of labor and industrial relations, to serve as the chairperson of the taskforce;

(2) The director of human resources development;

(3) The director of business, economic development, and tourism;

(4) The director of health; and

(5) One member from the university of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.

(c) The chairperson of the four-day workweek task force shall invite one representative from each of the following organizations to serve as task force members:

(1) Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and

(2) United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO.

(d) The four-day workweek task force shall:

(1) Review and assess studies, projects, and health benefits related to a four-day workweek that is comparative to Hawaii's needs;

(2) Review and evaluate how the State can provide more flexible work hours and a four-day workweek for its employees who wish to partake in the option to work non-traditional hours;

(3) Examine and identify barriers to creating and implementing a four-day workweek; and

(4) Recommend procedures that the State should adopt and follow to successfully provide its employees with the options of more flexible work hours and a four-day workweek.

(e) The four-day workweek task force shall submit a report of the actions taken and progress made by the task force, including its findings and recommendations, proposed legislation, and requests of recommended amounts of funds to be appropriated, to the legislature no later than December 1, 2024.

(f) The four-day workweek task force shall be dissolved on June 30, 2025.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2665
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII