Is the Four-day Workweek For You?
| July 8, 2008 | Posted by Roshawn Watson under Uncategorized |
By: Roshawn Watson
As a cost-cutting measure to combat economy strains, including rising gasoline expenses, Utah will become the first state to experiment with a four-days workweek for thousands of government employees.
During Monday through Thursday, the employees will put in 10-hour days and will get Fridays off. The wages will remain the same. The new order will affect 17,000 out of 24,000 employees (does not affect “state police officers, prison guards, or employees of the court and Utah’s public Universities”).
This compressed workweek is a part of a new trend of states trying to contain energy costs. Other efforts include expanding telecommuting and more flexible schedules.
Many feel that it is about time. The conventional work schedule (9-5pm Monday through Friday) is suboptimal. With our personal lives as busy as they are, having an extra day off provides many benefits.
In addition to the energy savings (commute and electricity/gas), there are also other considerations such as savings on janitorial services and security. Possibly, there would be less absentee time because employees can schedule many personal appointments (including dental, medical, child care, elderly care, second jobs, and a 2nd job) on their days off. Morale also tends to be higher with the shortened week.
Why Doesn’t Every Institution Offer It?
Still, some argue that obtaining childcare becomes more difficult with the extended hours. Also, this doesn’t seem to work for all types of institutions. For example, Utah likely avoided schools because the 4-day school week adversely affects students’ ability to schedule extracurricular activities and after-school jobs.
Also, for some companies, there are some additional productivity concerns. Although worker-morale may increase, client satisfaction may not. For example, it may be more difficult to meet certain deadlines because of a 4-day workweek.
Additionally, one should consider how productive he or she is after working a long shift. A 10 to 12 hour shift can be grueling, and some may not be at their best towards the end of the day (although you could say the same about being your best at the end of a 5-day week). Personally, the flexibility of being off during the week when many of the other businesses I need are open (and often less busy) would be well-worth the longer hours.
This cost-containing strategy definitely shows promise but seems to be industry/institution specific. Time will tell, as all eyes will be on Utah’s year long experiment.
Lastly, if you like this post, please click here to get my Brand New eBook FREE and Propel it, Stumble it, and tag it on Delicious.
Copyright 2008, Roshawn Watson, Pharm.D. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2012, Roshawn Watson, Pharm.D., Ph.D. All Rights Reserved.
I've heard of a number of variations on this theme. A couple of my friends work for the federal government and have a modified schedule: 9hr Monday-Thur, 8h Fri, and every other Fri off. They seem to love getting the Friday off and one extra hour in the grand scheme of things doesn't bother them too much. They often work late anyway.I think Utah avoided changing schools to a 4-day week b/c it adversely affects the parents more than the children. If I'm reading your article correctly this 4 day work week only applies to state employees. The rest of the working folks are still doing the 5 day schedule and would have to figure out the added expense and logistics of childcare on that off day.
FD,Cool point. Thanks for sharing