Establishes four-day workweek pilot program for certain State employees.

S4242

SENATE, No. 4242

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 14, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� BENJIE E. WIMBERLY

District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)

Senator� ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes four-day workweek pilot program for
certain State employees.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing a four-day workweek pilot program for
certain State employees
.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� The Legislature finds and
declares that:

���� a.� The way Americans work has
changed significantly since the 40-hour workweek was set by the Fair Labor
Standards Act in 1940.

���� b.� American workers are now
more than 400 percent more productive than they were in 1940, and while company
leaders have benefited by earning nearly 400 times as much as a typical worker,
the weekly wages for the average American worker are lower than they were 50
years ago after adjusting for inflation.

���� c.� Companies in countries
across the globe have moved to a four-day workweek and report that revenue
increased while employee satisfaction increased and burnout declined.

���� d.� A four-day workweek pilot
program was successfully established for certain departments in the Borough of
Prospect Park, New Jersey.

���� e.� A four-day workweek can provide
potential benefits related to productivity, employee wellbeing, and operational
efficiency.

���� 2.� a.� Within four months of
the effective date of P.L.��� , c.���� (C.������� ) (pending before the
Legislature as this bill), the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and
Workforce Development, in conjunction with the Chair of the Civil Service
Commission, shall establish a four-day workweek pilot program for certain State
employees in the executive branch and study the benefits and impacts of the
four-day workweek schedule.

���� b.� The commissioner and the
chair shall consult with any State department, agency, commission, or authority,
as necessary, to identify functions of State government for which a four-day
workweek pilot program is feasible and beneficial for at least 60 percent of
its State employees.� The pilot program shall last two years.� The
commissioner, in consultation with the chair, may suspend or terminate
participation for any entity if the pilot program results in reduced service
levels or increased costs.

���� Participation in the pilot
program shall be voluntary for each entity, subject to approval by the
commissioner and the chair.

���� c.� Any entity selected to
participate in the pilot program established pursuant to this section shall
enable employees to work a staggered four-day workweek schedule to ensure the participating
entity has staffing for each day of a five-day workweek. �Each employee
participating in the four-day workweek pilot program shall remain eligible to
participate in telework.

���� d.� If such State employees
for whom a four-day workweek will be implemented under this section are in a
bargaining unit, before implementation, the employer and the bargaining unit
shall, for the purposes of the duration of the pilot program:

���� (1) negotiate the transition
of the employees in the bargaining unit to a four-day workweek; and

���� (2) complete a signed
agreement that establishes the requirements of the four-day workweek pilot
program for employees in the bargaining unit.

���� Nothing in this section shall
be construed to supersede or impair any existing collective bargaining
agreement.

���� e.� Any employee who
transitions to a four-day workweek pursuant to this section shall not receive a
reduction or increase in pay, status, or benefits; however, cost of living
adjustments shall be permitted.

���� f.� The pilot program shall be
implemented in a manner that does not result in a net increase in personnel
costs, including overtime, as determined by the State Treasurer.

���� g.� Each participating entity
shall maintain existing or greater levels of service delivery and operational
performance during the pilot program.

���� h.� Each entity selected to
participate in the program shall conduct periodic surveys of employees to
measure any changes in employee satisfaction, including, but not limited to
stress, overall wellbeing, commute times, and financial impacts due to the
schedule change.� Each entity shall establish a data baseline by conducting an employee
survey prior to the start of the four-day workweek pilot program. �Thereafter,
every six months that the pilot program is in effect, each entity shall conduct
an employee survey.� Within 30 days of completing the survey, each entity shall
provide the results of the survey and any relevant data metrics pursuant to
subsection i. of this section to the commissioner and the chair.�

���� i.� Every 12 months while the
pilot program is in effect, and within 90 days of its conclusion, the commissioner
and the chair shall report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to
section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the implementation of the
four-day workweek pilot program established pursuant to this section.� The
reports shall include, but not be limited to:

���� (1) �the status of the
implementation of the pilot program;

���� (2) �the results of employee
surveys before and during the pilot program;

���� (3) �any changes in the number
and percentage of leave days used before and during the pilot program,
including, but not limited to, administrative, compensatory, vacation, and sick;

���� (4) �whether overtime has
increased, decreased, or remained stable;

���� (5)� changes in productivity
levels within participating entities;

���� (6)� service response times
and delivery outcomes;

���� (7)� customer or constituent
satisfaction, where applicable;

���� (8) �any other metrics deemed
relevant and appropriate by the commissioner and the chair; and

���� (9)� any interim and final
recommendations about whether the four-day workweek pilot program should be
continued, expanded, or made permanent.

���� 3. �This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes a
four-day workweek pilot program for certain State employees in the executive
branch.

���� The Commissioner of the
Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in conjunction with the Chair of
the Civil Service Commission, will establish a voluntary, four-day workweek
pilot program for certain State employees to study the benefits and impacts of the
revised work schedule over a span of two years.� Employees will work a
staggered four-day workweek schedule.� Participating employees will maintain
their pay, benefits, and status.� Employees in a bargaining unit are eligible
to participate provided there is a signed agreement between the employer and
the bargaining unit.

���� The pilot program will be
implemented in a manner that does not result in a net increase in personnel
costs or a reduction in service delivery and operational performance. �The
commissioner, in consultation with the chair, may suspend or terminate
participation for any entity if the pilot program results in reduced service
levels or increased costs.

���� Each entity participating in
the pilot program will conduct employee surveys that will measure stress,
overall wellbeing, commute times, and financial impacts due to the revised
workweek.� The commissioner and the chair will report to the Governor and the
Legislature on the results of the employee surveys, as well as other metrics,
including, but not limited to, as appropriate, any changes in the number and
percentage of administrative, compensatory, vacation, and sick leave used, any
changes in the amount of overtime logged, changes in productivity levels,
response times and delivery outcomes, customer or constituent satisfaction, and
any other metrics deemed appropriate by the commissioner and the chair. �The
report will also include interim and final recommendations regarding whether
the pilot program should continue, expand, or be made permanent. �