ADVANTAGE, COLD SPRING SHOPS.

I still don't care who gets the credit.

What did I tell you in 2005? "Huh? I'll never lack for work explaining the backward-bending labor supply curve.  The Left and the Right have been trading shots for years over whether it's unions or economic growth that contributed to rising wages, and whether the shorter workweek antedated the Fair Labor Standards Act."  Did I change my mind in 2011?  "That's long been a pet cause at Cold Spring Shops, although it's something more likely to emerge out of a multitude of small decisions long before any new Fair Labor Standards Act codifies it."

Bet on emergence.

Turns out, less really is more.

That’s the consensus among a group of companies that participated in a six-month experiment to downsize the work week from 40 hours over five days to 32 hours over four, with no reduction in pay.

In the end, the vast majority — company and worker, both — said they were hooked on the concept, with nearly everyone saying it was unlikely they’ll ever go back to normal.

Bear in mind, dear reader, that "normal" used to mean on the clock, all the time, whether that was for pay or for performance.