Futurists are making predictions about the impact of AI on the workforce, and one of the topics that always comes up is whether or not employees can do the work normally done in 40 hours in only 32 hours/week. While the government hasn’t talked about a shorter work week since 1940,  US lawmakers are starting to pay attention to what might happen to the number of hours employees need to work in a week in order to be considered full time.  

While a 2023 SHRM benefits survey found that only 9% of organizations have implemented a 4 day workweek, the idea came up again in August 2025 during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing when Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced an amendment to current FLSA standards that would reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours.  Interesting huh?

No question working four days and still getting paid for five, would be a dream for most employees and the experts are claiming that AI could accelerate that kind of shift. To provide fuel for that thinking recent research has found that 29% of organizations with four-day workweeks use AI extensively, while only 8% of organizations with five-day workweeks use AI at the same level. 

While we see AI touching many of the traditional roles in an organization, its currently more about automating tasks rather than looking for ways to increase worker productivity.  As SHRM states – “AI is assisting professionals by enhancing their capabilities, making them more effective or efficient, not replacing them.” We’ll see how long that trend lasts and whether or not it evolves into assigning fewer employees more work, or reducing the hours in a regular work week.