The push toward a four-day workweek is gaining momentum

A new survey and analysis shows that paid leave has a hugely positive impact in quality of life and financial stability. Using examples of what has worked around the world, the report suggests that paid leave should be offered for six months, regardless of length of tenure in a job, and regardless of the size of a business.

Nearly 90% of Icelandic workers enjoy a four-day, 36-hour workweek, with no loss in pay compared to the traditional 40 hours. Despite initial concerns about a drop in productivity, reports indicate that productivity remained stable and even increased in some sectors. The four-day workweek also leads to less stress and improved work-life balance, and countries like Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom are currently testing four-day pilots.

Organizations like Milk and Dignity are filling in the worker safety gaps left behind in federal regulations by working with farms to implement worker-driven protections.

The Industrial Commons (TIC) strives to create an inclusive economy based on community between employee-owned social enterprises and industrial cooperatives, creating a more democratized, worker-centric environment. Since 2015, TIC has launched five cooperative businesses, employing more than 100 workers, and is working to grow the number of businesses to 75 by 2025.

Deliveristas Unidos started as a WhatsApp group for local delivery workers to connect, but over time it turned into a mobilized organization of thousands of delivery workers ready to take to the streets to protect their rights as workers. Through their organizing, the group managed to get a legislative package passed that enacted several laws that guaranteed their rights and protections, including access to bathrooms in restaurants across the city, transparent communication with delivery apps about tips, as well as hourly pay.

To prevent burnout and increase employee retention, Ascension Hospitals offers its employees resources like online and in-person therapy, crisis hotlines, incentive pay for holidays and extra hours, mental health check-ins and even tuition reimbursement. These measures help employees feel appreciated and when employees feel taken care of they’re less likely to quit their jobs or leave the caregiving profession altogether.

The Equal Justice Center helps people who have experienced issues in the workplace like wage theft, labor trafficking and discrimination get justice against their employers.

The Ban the Box campaign has led to legislation like New York's Fair Chance Act, which prevents employers from asking questions about conviction history during the application process and makes it unlawful to rescind an offer because of a previous offense. Ban the Box policies are now being implemented in cities and states across the country and have improved job prospects in places such as Washington, D.C., where the number of applicants with conviction records being hired grew by a third after the policy was put in place.

Unit of Work, an organization backed by venture capital, helps unions organize and win contracts. Organizers provide free consulting to groups of workers forming unions within their own workplaces. Once a contract is in place, members of the new union can decide to pay Unit of Work a monthly fee — like traditional union dues — to keep providing support.

Businesses are partnering with the Employer Resource Network, which provides “success coaches” for employees. These coaches serve as in-house social workers, helping employees navigate issues like food insecurity, child care, and emergencies — all of which often contribute to employee retention issues. The coaches were introduced as a way to address retention and help support employees so they don’t feel as if they have no other choice but to leave their jobs when trouble arises. The Network originally started in Michigan, but has since expanded to 11 states and serves 200 employers.