'People are exhausted': Calls for B.C. government to pilot 4-day work week

Should B.C. businesses switch to a four-day work week? The provincial Green Party thinks so.

On Thursday, The Greens called on the governing BC NDP to pilot a tax break for businesses that make the switch to a shorter work week.

The three-year project would follow a model recently adopted in the U.S. state of Maryland, where lawmakers are offering businesses up to US$750,000 in tax credits over five years to incentivize the change. 

"It's time British Columbians had a better work-life balance," said Sonia Furstenau, leader of the B.C. Greens, in a news release.

“People are exhausted from trying to keep up with rising costs of living, inadequate health care, and working through a pandemic. Business owners and managers are facing a significant labour shortage and are struggling to keep employees."

Furstenau pitched a four-day work week as a solution to these problems, calling it a "people-first approach that can spark renewal in our workplaces."

The Green leader cited pilot projects from Canada and elsewhere in the world that have shown positive results, including consistent or improved productivity, despite people working fewer hours.

"The evidence is clear," Furstenau said. "Workers want a shortened week, and businesses face better outcomes for it. We are calling for this government to build on the successes of the many pilots from around the world and take the next step of incentivizing a four-day work week with a tax break."

The Greens' proposal calls for businesses to maintain existing salaries while reducing standard working hours by one day – from 40 hours a week to 32, in typical cases.

To support the transition, businesses would receive a tax break, but they'd be required to report data to the province "to better determine how to balance reduced work hours and maintain the same rate of pay." Data collected would measure "benchmarks like productivity, employee wellbeing, and employer satisfaction," the party says.

Furstenau described the tax break proposal as a "business-friendly approach" that would allow businesses the flexibility to figure out what works in their specific situation.

“B.C. businesses are facing rising costs – inflation, paid sick days, EHT, rising federal taxes – and many are struggling to hire and retain skilled workers," the Green leader said. "A tax break would help them in a time where every penny counts, and a four-day week without a reduction in salary would help attract talented employees."