Hawaii 2023 Regular Session

Hawaii Senate Bill SR89 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	THE SENATE S.R. NO. 89 THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 STATE OF HAWAII SENATE RESOLUTION Requesting the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to CONVENe A Four-Day Work Week Task Force to evaluate how more flexible work hours and a four-day work week can be implemented for public Employees in Hawaii.
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3	3	THE SENATE S.R. NO. 89
4	4	THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
5	5	STATE OF HAWAII
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7	7	THE SENATE
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9	9	S.R. NO.
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11	11	89
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13	13	THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
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17	17	STATE OF HAWAII
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29	29	SENATE RESOLUTION
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35	35	Requesting the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to CONVENe A Four-Day Work Week Task Force to evaluate how more flexible work hours and a four-day work week can be implemented for public Employees in Hawaii.
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41	41	WHEREAS, a five-day, forty-hour work week is the standard work week among the majority of employers across the nation; and WHEREAS, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, many employers and employees were forced to adapt to new flexible working conditions; and WHEREAS, 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; and WHEREAS, many employers adjusted their traditional working conditions, which resulted in increased employee satisfaction; and WHEREAS, long work hours are linked to heart disease, stroke, and depression; and WHEREAS, in 2008, the Department of Human Resources Development participated in a four-day work week 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; and WHEREAS, 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 percent in energy costs, respectively; and WHEREAS, the pilot project results estimated that fifty-one percent of Department of Human Resources Development employees and forty percent of Department of Health employees did not use their automobiles during peak traffic hours on their Fridays off; and WHEREAS, in 2008, Utah became the first state to mandate a four-day work week 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; and WHEREAS, Brigham Young University researchers found that four-day work week employees in Utah reported being more satisfied with their jobs, compensation, benefits, and were less likely to look for employment elsewhere; and WHEREAS, according to a survey conducted in the United Kingdom by the Henley Business School in 2019, businesses that offer a four-day work week 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 the combined savings from the implementation of a four-day work week by businesses in the United Kingdom is already as high as 92,000,000,000 a year; and WHEREAS, in 2019, Microsoft Japan conducted a four-day week pilot project, which found that employees took twenty-five percent less time off, productivity rose by forty percent, and electricity usage decreased by twenty-three percent; and WHEREAS, these trials establish that a four-day work week can provide numerous benefits to the economy, environment, employers, and employee satisfaction; and WHEREAS, a four-day work week could increase employee's productivity, happiness, and time to attend to personal or family needs, and reduce levels of stress, overwork, burnout, and underemployment; and WHEREAS, a four-day work week could benefit the environment and decrease expenses, as it would reduce energy cost and congestion on the road; and WHEREAS, given the potential benefits, the State should evaluate how a four-day work week 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; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is requested to convene a Four-Day Work Week Task Force to evaluate how a four-day work week can be implemented for public employees in the State to improve their quality of work, health, and lifestyle; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Four-Day Work Week Task Force is requested to consist of the following members or their designees: (1) Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, to serve as the chairperson; (2) Director of Human Resources Development; (3) Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; (4) Director of Health; (5) One member from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization; (6) One member from the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and (7) One member from the United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Four-Day Work Week Task Force is requested to: (1) Review and assess studies, projects, and health benefits related to a four-day work week that is comparative to Hawaii's needs; (2) Review and evaluate how the State can provide more flexible work hours and a four-day work week 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 work week; 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 work week; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Four-Day Work Week Task Force is requested to 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, 2023; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Four-Day Work Week Task Force is requested to dissolve on June 30, 2024; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations; Director of Human Resources Development; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Director of Health; Director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization; Executive Director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and State Director of the United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Four-Day Work Week Task Force; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Department of Human Resources Development; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO); Hawaii Government Employees Association; United Public Workers
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43	43	WHEREAS, a five-day, forty-hour work week is the standard work week among the majority of employers across the nation; and
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47	47	WHEREAS, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, many employers and employees were forced to adapt to new flexible working conditions; and
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51	51	WHEREAS, 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; and
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55	55	WHEREAS, many employers adjusted their traditional working conditions, which resulted in increased employee satisfaction; and
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59	59	WHEREAS, long work hours are linked to heart disease, stroke, and depression; and
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63	63	WHEREAS, in 2008, the Department of Human Resources Development participated in a four-day work week 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; and
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67	67	WHEREAS, 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 percent in energy costs, respectively; and
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71	71	WHEREAS, the pilot project results estimated that fifty-one percent of Department of Human Resources Development employees and forty percent of Department of Health employees did not use their automobiles during peak traffic hours on their Fridays off; and
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75	75	WHEREAS, in 2008, Utah became the first state to mandate a four-day work week 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; and
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79	79	WHEREAS, Brigham Young University researchers found that four-day work week employees in Utah reported being more satisfied with their jobs, compensation, benefits, and were less likely to look for employment elsewhere; and
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83	83	WHEREAS, according to a survey conducted in the United Kingdom by the Henley Business School in 2019, businesses that offer a four-day work week 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 the combined savings from the implementation of a four-day work week by businesses in the United Kingdom is already as high as 92,000,000,000 a year; and
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87	87	WHEREAS, in 2019, Microsoft Japan conducted a four-day week pilot project, which found that employees took twenty-five percent less time off, productivity rose by forty percent, and electricity usage decreased by twenty-three percent; and
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91	91	WHEREAS, these trials establish that a four-day work week can provide numerous benefits to the economy, environment, employers, and employee satisfaction; and
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95	95	WHEREAS, a four-day work week could increase employee's productivity, happiness, and time to attend to personal or family needs, and reduce levels of stress, overwork, burnout, and underemployment; and
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99	99	WHEREAS, a four-day work week could benefit the environment and decrease expenses, as it would reduce energy cost and congestion on the road; and
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103	103	WHEREAS, given the potential benefits, the State should evaluate how a four-day work week 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; now, therefore,
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107	107	BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is requested to convene a Four-Day Work Week Task Force to evaluate how a four-day work week can be implemented for public employees in the State to improve their quality of work, health, and lifestyle; and
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111	111	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Four-Day Work Week Task Force is requested to consist of the following members or their designees:
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115	115	(1) Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, to serve as the chairperson;
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119	119	(2) Director of Human Resources Development;
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123	123	(3) Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism;
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127	127	(4) Director of Health;
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131	131	(5) One member from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization;
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135	135	(6) One member from the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and
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139	139	(7) One member from the United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO; and
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143	143	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Four-Day Work Week Task Force is requested to:
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147	147	(1) Review and assess studies, projects, and health benefits related to a four-day work week that is comparative to Hawaii's needs;
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151	151	(2) Review and evaluate how the State can provide more flexible work hours and a four-day work week for its employees who wish to partake in the option to work non-traditional hours;
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155	155	(3) Examine and identify barriers to creating and implementing a four-day work week; and
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159	159	(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 work week; and
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163	163	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Four-Day Work Week Task Force is requested to 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, 2023; and
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167	167	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Four-Day Work Week Task Force is requested to dissolve on June 30, 2024; and
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171	171	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations; Director of Human Resources Development; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Director of Health; Director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization; Executive Director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and State Director of the United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO.
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179	179	OFFERED BY: _____________________________
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183	183	OFFERED BY:
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185	185	_____________________________
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191	191	Report Title:
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193	193	Four-Day Work Week Task Force; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Department of Human Resources Development; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO); Hawaii Government Employees Association; United Public Workers