MANY EMPLOYEES DISCOVERED they could work from anywhere during COVID. The next frontier is whether they can work less.

A handful of companies in Massachusetts and many more around the world are paring back the work week to see if they can improve the work-life balance of their employees and also boost their productivity.

On Beacon Hill, two bills have been filed that embrace a four-day work week. One, by Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven of Somerville, boldly replaces references in state law to five-day and 40-hour work weeks with four-day and 32-hour work weeks and requires overtime be paid after 32 hours of work.

The other bill, filed by Reps. Josh Cutler of Duxbury and Dylan Fernandes of Falmouth, takes the four-day work week concept for a test drive. It would establish a two-year pilot administered by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. Employers who voluntarily choose to participate would be required to offer their employees a “meaningful reduction in actual work hours without any reduction in overall pay.” Employers would receive a tax break as an enticement to participate and provide feedback. 

Both bills will get hearings before the Legislature’s Labor and Workforce Development Committee, which Cutler co-chairs.

Juliet Schor, a Boston College professor who has taken an active role in promoting and studying the idea of a shorter work week, says the available data from experiments around the world have been positive.

“We’ve had tremendous success with most pilots, with most employees reporting a very high level of well-being,” she said. “Companies for the most part have also been happy.”

Schor helped lead studies of pilots in the United Kingdom and other countries around the world that reached very similar conclusions.

“The trial was a resounding success,” the UK report said. “Of the 61 companies that participated, 56 are continuing with the four-day week, with 18 confirming the policy is a permanent change.”

Both studies indicated employees working fewer hours were less stressed, had reduced levels of burnout, and improved mental and physical health.

At a time when most employers are having difficulty finding and retaining workers, the global study suggested a reduced work week is paying dividends. “Revenue has risen over the course of the trial. Sick days and absenteeism are down. Companies are hiring. Resignations fell slightly, a striking finding during the ‘Great Resignation,’” the study said.

Schor said her research indicates the bulk of employers trying reduced work weeks are in white collar fields, although restaurants and some contractors have had success with the approach.

Cutler said the timing may be right for trying out a shorter work week in Massachusetts. He said hybrid work would have been unthinkable four years ago, but now it’s commonplace. 

“It’s not a legislative mandate approach,” Cutler said of the pilot. “I don’t see it as something that divides business and labor.”

BRUCE MOHL

FROM COMMONWEALTH

Near misses: MBTA officials disclosed that there were four near misses in the subway system over the last month. Details on the incidents were scarce, but they all appeared due to human error related to poor communication between trains, repair crews, and the subway operations control center. Read more.

Tax cuts on the move: The House passed a tax cut package without any changes and sent it along to the Senate. The package expands on a proposal put forward by Gov. Maura Healey, although it phases in some of the tax cuts. Over Republican opposition, the House also stuck with new language for the tax cap law, which was approved by voters in 1986 and triggered for only the second time in 2022. The new proposal would rebate any excess tax collections equally to all taxpayers rather than returning the money based on how much money the taxpayer paid. Read more.

T ridership to fall: The MBTA budget proposal for the coming fiscal year is expecting fare revenue to decline by 12 percent compared to the current year. Read more.

Standing pat: The Health Policy Commission is sticking with its 3.6 percent cost growth benchmark even though most analysts expect higher pricing to make it irrelevant. Read more.

OPINION

All about transmission: Francis Pullaro of RENEW Northeast says new transmission lines are the key to the region’s clean energy future. Read more.

FROM AROUND THE WEB

MUNICIPAL MATTERS  

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu signed into law new a new city ordinance adopting an optional state building code that strongly discourages fossil fuel hookups in new construction. (Boston Globe)

Lexington became the first community to pass new zoning to comply with the state MBTA Communities law that seeks to encourage denser housing development to address the state housing shortage. (Boston Globe) 

HEALTH/HEALTH CARE

Hospitals and clinics that perform most of the abortions in Massachusetts say they will ignore new restrictions placed on the abortion pill mifepristone. (WBUR)

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

A 21-year-old National Guard airman from Dighton was arrested by FBI agents in connection with one of the biggest leaks in recent years of sensitive military and intelligence documents. Jack Teixeira could face espionage charges that carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison per document. (New York Times) 

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Struggles for some in the Massachusetts cannabis industry continue, with marijuana grower and retailer Insa laying off staff in recent weeks, citing recent challenges from out-of-state competition. (MassLive)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

The Association to Preserve Cape Cod is calling on the Healey administration to invoke the Ocean Sanctuaries Act, which would block approval for Holtec’s planned discharge of radioactive wastewater from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station into Cape Cod Bay. (Cape Cod Times)

The National Consumer Law Center says 420,000 Massachusetts residential utility customers were more than 90 days behind on their bills at the end of February. (Eagle-Tribune)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS

The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has redesigned inmate bunks after a report found that all seven suicides at the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth between 2017 and January of this year involved metal bunk beds. (New Bedford Standard-Times)

MEDIA

The Telegram & Gazette and the city of Worcester reach a $180,000 settlement in a dispute over public records, with the city forced to pay punitive damages for misrepresenting aspects of the case in court. (Media Nation)