The Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee today was scheduled to consider a job creator bill that would give employers the flexibility to accommodate employee needs.

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SB 985, from our own Tom Berryhill (R-Twain Harte), allows employees to request a voluntary, flexible workweek agreement that can be repealed by the employee at any time with notice.

The California Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of groups are supporting SB 985 because it would eliminate the burdensome alternative workweek election process and allow employees to request a four, 10-hour day workweek.

California is one of three states that requires employers to pay daily overtime after eight hours of work and weekly overtime after 40 hours. The other two states actually allow the employer and employee to mutually waive that requirement through written agreement.

The Golden State has no such alternative. The process here requires a multistep path that must be regularly scheduled. And the process is fraught with legal liability for the employer, according to the CalChamber.

These days finding and retaining quality employees means employers must be flexible in accommodating their individual needs in the workplace and at home. These bill is a common sense approach that should enjoy bipartisan support.