Maryland Delegate Vaughan Stewart calls the idea of a four-day work week with no reduction in pay “a win-win scenario” for both employers and employees.
That is why he is a cosponsor of a bill that would enable businesses in Maryland to switch to a four-day work week for a full year and receive a tax credit in return.
The proposed pilot program would enable employees to work for 32 hours each week and then spend more time with their families, a hobby or whatever they choose.
“Over the last few decades, Marylanders are working a lot. They are working for stagnant wages as prices go up,” Stewart said. Workers in America work longer hours than their counterparts in the United Kingdom and Japan, which Stewart said “was always seen as the workhorse.”
The idea for four-day work weeks has grown since The Four-Day Work Week Global conducted a study of 33 companies employing almost 1,000 workers who worked a shorter week for six months.
“I think the results are breathtaking,” Stewart said. All the participating company executives gave a rating of eight or higher out of 10 when assessing the program. “The vast majority” of the companies expressed interest in continuing having four-day work weeks.
“97% of the employees want to continue,” according to Stewart. “The workers were happier and more productive.”
Under the proposed bill, the state would allocate $750,000 as a tax credit to participating companies. It would be up to the Department of Labor to determine the exact amount per company, depending on the size and number of employees.
“We are hopeful that this tax credit will be a gentle nudge,” he said.
At the end of the five-year pilot program, of which a company only has to commit to the reduced hours for one year, the state would have a lot of data to determine how effective it was, Stewart said.
The Maryland Senate will hold its first hearing on this bill on Feb. 9. No date has been set in the House. If approved and signed by Gov. Wes Moore, it would go into effect on July 1.
Even if the bill does not pass this session, Stewart is optimistic the pilot program will be created in the near future. “I think we have really hit upon something.”
