A Baltimore County lawmaker said he is requesting new policies that will allow some employees to work shorter weeks after a study indicated alternative schedules could expand services without adding cost.
Baltimore County Council Chairman Kevin Kamenetz said an alternative work week manual will be drafted for the county’s legislative branch, about 100 employees that work for the council and county auditor.
The step adds Baltimore County to a growing list of local governments implementing or considering a four-day work week to help employees save gas and reduce energy costs.
“I think the biggest benefit will be an improvement in employee morale and therefore employee productivity,” said Kamenetz, a Pikesville Democrat. “A happier employee will mean a more productive effort on behalf of the taxpayers.”
Earlier this year, the council passed legislation authorizing the county auditor to conduct a feasibility study of a four-day work week.
Released Tuesday, the report says the county has policies in place for flexible workdays and compressed work weeks, but managers don’t regularly encourage employees to take advantage of them.
Baltimore County should create formal policies on telecommuting and job-sharing — when two employees split what would normally be a full-time position — auditor Mary Allen wrote in her report.
Allen cautioned that alternative work weeks could have consequences, such as the mental drain of a 10-hour work day, or squeezing after-work activities into fewer post-work hours.
Employees can be left unsupervised for longer than in traditional work schedules, Allen wrote, and some employees in positions where flexible schedules are not offered, such as 911 dispatchers and teachers, might feel slighted.
Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith has not yet reviewed the report, said his spokesman, Don Mohler.
“A decision on whether or not to use this will always be based on whether or not we can implement alternative schedules without impacting services,” Mohler has said.
Four-day work weeks also are being studied in Baltimore City and were implemented earlier this year in Howard County, where some offices now are open earlier and later than before.
Sara Campbell, a Howard County human resources employee, said she has been working 10-hour days, four days per week since July and has off Fridays.
“I have small kids and the extra day gives me time to balance home life with work life,” Campbell said. “It’s something that’s been working really well for me.”
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