Employees in America currently work 40 hours weekly, but some do more. Bernie Sanders wants to improve this by proposing a 32-hour workweek plan but might not be able to do so as he faces heavy resistance. 

The plan, as explained would primarily affect those with many employees, so it did not shock many when the co-founder of Home Depot, Ken Langone, rose in righteous indignation. He called the move hypocritical, claiming it was an attempt by Sanders to take money from the rich. 

The bill Sen. Bernie Sanders is sponsoring will have a profound effect on workers’ lives. It will reduce the usual 40-hour work week to 32 hours. This means people who work the usual eight-hour days get an extra day off, and it doesn’t eat into their pay or benefits.

AI, robotics, and automation will make the proposed lower work week possible without affecting employees’ salaries. If the bill passes, it will significantly affect employees’ lives, but the employers will bear the brunt of it. So, unsurprisingly, many are opposing the bill. 

One of those angry about Sanders’ proposal is Langone, who attacked the new bill during an interview on Fox News. His outrage was apparent, claiming it was plain hypocrisy and that Sanders’ real target was the rich. 

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Langone said the proposed bill would make it impossible for businesses like his to thrive in America. In other words, Sanders wants to target people who made their millions by starting from scratch. 

Langone has done his thinking and believes the bill makes no sense for many reasons. One of them is how it will affect the companies. According to him, it will increase labor costs by at least 20% as the employers have to find someone else to cover the eight hours regular employees don’t have to work. 

Langone believes it is pure slavery to expect work that usually takes 40 hours a week to be done in 32. He also predicted that companies would react by pushing up the prices of their products and services to compensate for the lost labor, meaning the consumers would shoulder the burden. 

Sanders is known for supporting policies that seem to attack the rich, and Langone thinks this makes him a hypocrite because he is one of them. The businessman claims that far-left policies like those proposed by Sanders make it hard for Americans to create businesses like Home Depot. 

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Langone further added during his interview that if such a bill were passed, inflation would become worse. According to him, businesses have to pass on or absorb the costs. He implied that a company that chooses to absorb the losses will not attract investors and stagnate. 

The co-founder also shared his opinions about taxing the rich. Langone says he has no qualms about it as long as the money is managed responsibly, something he says has yet to happen. Especially since the national debt is only increasing. 

Given the opposition the bill is getting, it will likely fail to pass. Aside from business owners like Langone opposing it, many politicians, Republicans, and Democrats alike, have expressed disinterest, meaning it is unpopular within the Senate. 

Despite the opposition, there is evidence that shorter work hours will positively affect productivity and employee satisfaction. Countries like Sweden and Germany have implemented shorter workweeks and reaped the rewards without sacrificing economic stability.

Countries where employees enjoy shorter workweeks usually rank high in global competitiveness and quality of life indices. It proves that Sanders’ bill may not be as terrible for the economy as Langone suggests. It begs the question, whose interests is he really looking out for? 

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As more businesses depend on automation and AI, job roles will require reskilling and upskilling. This is because human workers will need training to adapt to the new technologies and tasks. Any company that dedicates adequate resources to this will reap great rewards. 

It will improve mental health by eliminating stress and burnout, which ultimately means lower anxiety and depression rates. It can also afford employees more time to spend with family and on personal activities, improving overall welfare and boosting morale.

More employees away from work also means a less sedentary lifestyle, which is excellent for promoting good health.

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