Four-day workweek could be tested in Maryland

“The Four-Day Work Act of 2023” is moving through the Maryland State House. 

It is a pilot program that will study the viability of a shorter workweek without a reduction in pay. 

State and local governmental employees could participate, along with private employers. 

Private entities could get a state tax credit as an incentive, if they shift at least 30 employees to at least a 32-hour workweek. 

A six-month study by the group 4 Day Week Global looked at a pilot program with more than 300 companies worldwide. 

Among the thousands of employees participating, they found that there was more productivity, fewer absences and people were less stressed and more engaged with family as well as work. 

The study also found that companies’ revenues rose 8% during the six-month trial, and all of the participating companies stayed with a four-day workweek after the program was over. 

The participants of the study said it would take a hefty pay increase to entice them back to a five-day workweek. 

The two-year pilot program would take effect July 1 if it’s signed into law. It would expire in 2028.