End of the five-day work week? Some states are considering legislation to make the 4-day work week more common.

Stay-at-home orders issued at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have given millions of workers the opportunity to experience flexible work hours for the first time, and some employers have found that less is more.

Now, there is growing interest among state legislatures and even Congress to give employers a chance to try out a four-day work week. A CBS News survey found that at least half a dozen states are, to varying degrees, considering passing legislation to make the four-day work week more common.

Among those states is Maryland, where lawmakers recently introduced a bill proposing a pilot program “to encourage, incentivize and support experimentation and exploration of the use of the 4-day work week by private and public employers.” This would allow some employers who participate to claim a tax credit.

Del. Vaughn Stewart, who represents Maryland’s 19th district and co-sponsored the bill, said if workers get more rest, they can work better.

“We expect that with a 32-hour work week, workers can be at least as productive as with a 40-hour work week,” he said.

John Byrne, CEO of Baltimore-based software company Tricerat, said the productivity of his 37 employees and the company’s profits have increased since the move to a 32-hour work week.

“We asked employees to take a ruthless look at their work, get rid of side meetings, side phone calls, paperwork and the like, and reduce the amount of wasted work,” Byrne said.

Byrne said his company is now hiring younger employees.

Employees who participated in the four-day studies reported less stress and less burnout, as well as improved physical health. A pilot program in the United Kingdom was also a success. More than 90% of the companies that took part in the pilot project, led by 4 Day Week Global, a non-profit advocating for a four-day work week, said they would make the four-day work week permanent.

But advocates such as Boston College professor Juliet Shore said the idea could require government backing.

“Historically, the government has always been involved in reducing time,” Shor said.

New legislation in New York, California and the US Congress will require companies working more than 32 hours a week to pay overtime.

Similar proposals have failed in the past, with some critics arguing that the four-day work week is not suitable for all employers.

Even the proponents of the concept admit that it is not for everyone.

“We don’t think it’s something every industry and every single business can do, but it’s something we want to explore,” Stewart said.

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