ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A new Maryland House bill proposes to say goodbye to ‘Happy Friday’ as the traditional end of the week with a four-day workweek instead. The bill had its first reading in the House of Delegates this week.
Workers in Maryland we might soon say ‘Happy Thursday’ instead as the General Assembly takes a look at the Four–Day Workweek Act of 2023.
It's called House Bill 0181, the Four–Day Workweek Pilot Program and Income Tax Credit.
The bill proposes to give the Maryland Department of Labor the ability to promote, offer incentives, and support the experimentation and study of a 4-day workweek by both private and public employers.
It would also allow employers that participate in the program; to claim a credit against the state income tax; and require the department to report on the status of the program to the governor and the general assembly by December 1, every year.
A 2022 study by the organization 4-Day-Week Global that showed what happened when 33 companies with employees in six countries switched to a four-day workweek.
The experiment was to see if employees could be just as productive working 32 hours a week instead of 40.
The participating companies not only reported increased revenue and improved employee health and well-being but a positive impact on the environment because people were commuting less, and businesses were using less energy.
The study showed that having an extra day off each week also proved to be especially beneficial for women, in terms of their well-being, life satisfaction, and sleep as women are often the primary care providers in families.
Workers have Henry Ford to thank for creating the five-day workweek, because up until 1926, the standard us workweek was six days not five.
Maryland workers could see four-day work weeks promoted just in time for summer, as if the bill passes into law, it would go into effect on July 1.
For more on the bill, click here.
