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See the original image at money.cnn.com

Utah adopts 4-day workweek to save energy

money.cnn.com — Starting next month, thousands of government employees will only work 4 days per week, in an effort aimed at reducing energy costs and commuters' gasoline expenses.

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  • FuryOfThor, on 07/03/2008, -10/+175Government employees? I highly doubt productivity will suffer much.
    • jonathonmc, on 07/03/2008, -2/+34I work 4 10s and it actually increases my productivity. I can actually finish tasks which I start in the same day.
    • applemachome, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Now everyone else at the DPS will have to wait 1/5th longer to make up for the closings.
    • ostracize, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3Oh ho! Snap...snap...
    • jason4188, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2A four day work week has always been a dream of mine, and with pioneers like Utah and the city of Birmingham setting the standard, maybe some day, just maybe, I won't have to dream any longer.

      Harry: I can't believe we drove around all day, and there's not a single job in this town. There is nothing, nada, zip!

      Lloyd: Yeah! Unless you wanna work forty hours a week.

      Dumb and Dumber
    • lmbb20, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1A comment from either a disgruntled private employee whom could not get a government job or a person that holds on to discrimination taught from when it (he/she) was young
  • aelder, on 07/03/2008, -5/+701. Move to Utah
    2. Get Government Job
    3. ???????
    4. Not what you expected eh?
    • fyngyrz, on 07/05/2008, -0/+73It certainly isn't what I expected - four, ten hour days as compared to five, eight hour days saves 20% in transport fuel costs, reduces peak traffic congestion 1 day out of seven, plus gives those employees a weekday free when other businesses are open.

      It's... it's as if common sense broke out somehow, but I know that cannot possibly be the case, as this is a government operation.

      Wait. I know. They'll make them drive in and pick up their paychecks on day five. That's got to be it.
      • Renian, on 07/05/2008, -1/+7Common sense can break out in state governments. As for the federal government...That's a bit more difficult. More power, more prestige...more ***** red tape and lust for personal gain.
      • Ajajadude, on 07/05/2008, -0/+6I was thinking the other day while driving to work how companies should probably stagger the times they officially start their work day. If the majority of people are all going to work at the same time, obviously traffic problems are going to arise.
      • Elliuotatar, on 07/05/2008, -9/+4No, the catch is that people aren't going to stay home with an extra day off, they'll be out and about driving around and shopping, ultimately costing them MORE.

        Not that shopping is bad for the economy mind you...
      • 1randomguyO8, on 07/05/2008, -1/+6ElliuotatarElliuotatar

        And that is your assumption based on absolutely nothing right?
    • Renian, on 07/05/2008, -0/+9But...do you profit?
      • 1randomguyO8, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Ofcourse you do. That is one less mourning you have to wake up early, one less shower you have to take, plus to save time and money by not having to travel to work once a week
      • thedaylights, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3One less (i.e. fewer) "mourning"????? Dude, you must really hate work.
      • specialK16, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1@thedaylights: I do.... but I don't hate working, I hate my current job. I can prove this by knowing that I will rather work 5 days 8h than being here 10h and 4 days.
      • Loonacy, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1As far as I'm concerned, "morning" and "mourning" are synonyms as well as homonyms.
    • willdiggforfood, on 07/05/2008, -0/+7No, it's better :) Fridays off and a nice, peaceful, almost absolutely crime-free atmosphere to live in.
      • 1randomguyO8, on 07/05/2008, -5/+2It doesn't necessarily mean people would work monday to thursday and have friday to sunday off.
        It maybe mean a couple people at your work place will have to work on a wednesday, tuesday, thursday, monday instead.
      • 1randomguyO8, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3ignore that I didnt RTFA sorry ahahahha
      • etx313, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1And an extremely boring place to visit. Unless its in the winter and you can go snowboarding.
    • faraggi, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4you MUST be canadian, eh?
  • jonathonmc, on 07/03/2008, -4/+50This is a fantastic idea - and a great example for companies. The next step would be a Federal tax break for companies who allow this and/or telecommuting.

    • outlaw686, on 07/05/2008, -4/+7telecommuting means your job goes to India, or wherever is cheaper.
    • desertDenizen, on 07/05/2008, -1/+2Hippies!

      /sarcasm (obvious to anybody who's been to Utah)
    • sardion2000, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4@outlaw686,

      uh no it doesn't. It just means that the company pays for your internet connection and possibly even a work laptop or two. My company is encouraging it and have actually gone from 4 floors to 3 in less than a year cutting overhead dramatically.
    • stretch611, on 07/05/2008, -1/+4Why should companies get a tax break? It will save them money. Do we really need to encourage them to save money on their own?
    • Swivelstick, on 07/05/2008, -2/+1Companies don't get enough tax breaks, should lots be more in fact. I think it should come directly out of the employees paycheck why worry about the middleman.
  • socialwebtools, on 07/03/2008, -14/+4Great idea, I think the Army should implement this as well! ;)
    • aspec, on 07/05/2008, -9/+8It doesn't seem like you're in the Army... during my time, we worked 12 to 18 hours of the day, 6 days a week. 10 on the 7th. And were only paid for 40.

      /My lawn, off of it.
  • XoieJuno, on 07/03/2008, -8/+32But now they have to put in 10 hour days... I don't know about some people but I'm really really ready to leave by hour 8 let alone earlier than that. If you get any day off it should be wednesday as that would at least cut the week in half. Friday off just gets compressed into the weekend and it doesn't seem as long.
    • korvan504521, on 07/04/2008, -1/+15meh. I work 12s at my job. It's not a big deal. The comp time makes up for it. And I'd much rather have friday off.
      • thedaylights, on 07/05/2008, -1/+3You only work 12 seconds at your job? What are you doing?
    • wrzhydr, on 07/05/2008, -0/+20When i did the switch from 5 day to 4 day work weeks, I noticed the 2 hours extra. Then I was blindsided by the 3 days off in a row. That was my saving ***** grace. You get conditioned into expecting to work on Friday, and now you don't so Thursday feels really bad till you realize you don't have work the next day. Too bad I had to go back to 5 days a week now. I feel robbed.
    • SteaminTmann, on 07/05/2008, -2/+14Hour 8? *****, I'm ready to leave by hour 4!
      • greenlight2001, on 07/05/2008, -1/+10I just never make it off the couch.
    • ZenMojo, on 07/05/2008, -3/+1Considering the commute alone can take up two hours, screw that and give me a 4-hour work week!
    • 1randomguyO8, on 07/05/2008, -1/+5To me 6,7,8,9 or even 10 hour days mostly feels the same to me. I barely notice the difference.
    • enri, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4Studies what shown that work productivity is an inverted bell curve [citation needed]. By extending the work day to 10 hours workers got less work done in a day. Conversely, by reducing the work day to six hours workers were able to get about the same amount of work done because they stayed more focused.

      Otherwise I agree with Utah's reasons.
    • WallyAnti, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1It really depends on the job. I used to Powershift (10+ hour days 4 days a week) at Earthlink doing customer service. Being in that environment for more that 8 hours really kills. Also I worked 12 hour shifts at a flash wafer processing clean room. Everything in those places looks the same and it's a kind of sensory deprivation.

      If you have to do redundant tasks I think it would be better to break it into small 6 hour chunks.
    • ojuice, on 07/05/2008, -0/+0You can opt into a system like this at my work. Most of those who choose to do it couple up, so that they can alternate having 4 day weekends. It's not made for everyone, but some people embrace it.
  • PhilLesh69, on 07/04/2008, -3/+38Considering the rule of thumb that in any government office, 8 out of 10 are doing nothing while the other two are doing all the work, perhaps they should just tell those 8 people to stay home altogether. Even if they keep paying them, it reduces all the costs of them commuting into the office, it reduces pollution and fuel consumption.
    • raybury, on 07/05/2008, -0/+10Okay, can we start with Congress?!
      • stretch611, on 07/05/2008, -0/+6The problem with congress is that no one can find the 2 people that actually work.
    • SwingCorey, on 07/05/2008, -0/+180/20 rule holds for corporations as well. 20% of the people do 80% of the work.
  • bensone1, on 07/04/2008, -2/+12All they need now is a siesta and it would be heaven!
  • MrMetal, on 07/04/2008, -4/+29I never thought I'd say this, but I think I want to move to Utah.
    • timmers0, on 07/05/2008, -5/+3They wouldn't like you.
    • raybury, on 07/05/2008, -4/+3While Mormonism there is merely assumed rather than imposed -- I understand that there are somes coffee shops and bars -- I would imagine the overall selection of dining choices that include caffeine or alcohol would be constrained due to market forces (The same reason you can't easily find and buy parkas in Florida -- Floridians don't object to you wanting a parka, but they will use the floor space of their shops for more in-demand items). I can't live with an insufficient availability of one of those substances!
      • zan6669, on 07/05/2008, -3/+6You, sir, have made one big stupid remark about a state you clearly know nothing about. Utah has a vast array of culture and economy (Utah != Mormons). While surrounded by desert lands and mountains, there are plenty of things you can do/eat/drink. Caffeine is abundant, while alcohol remains equal in the "market", having only the constrain on the content of alcohol.

        I couldn't live in Utah because.. well.. it doesn't have a Chicago.
      • Kas70, on 07/05/2008, -0/+8Caffeine access is the same as anywhere. Alcohol access is doable: Liquor store for the hard stuff, wines, and beer over 3.2% alcohol (M-Sa, some close at 6pm, some close at 10pm), and most other stores for beer/wine coolers. Bars serve beer, private clubs serve liquor.

        And, I wouldn't go so far as to say that "Utah has a vast array of culture...". It doesn't.

        Source: I live here
      • meburnette, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4I live in Utah as well, and I wouold say we are very culturally diverse. Perhaps not so much as California, and I can compare, being raised there and then living in Utah for the past 15 years. Utah, despite the stereotypes is a modern state, with anything you would find anywhere else. And it is cleaner and safer than most states as well.

      • Kas70, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3I've lived elsewhere too, but I chose to raise my kids here. It is a clean state and not as backwards as some people think - we agree there.

        I will say that Salt Lake City (and some surrounding counties) is more diverse than the rest of Utah, but you cannot find anything here you would find anywhere else. We do not have R&B stations (the rap station doesn't count), we have very few black restaurants, hair salons, or businesses in general. We have few stores that carry black hair care products at all, or a good variety if they do. We have very few stores that carry makeup for black skin tones. Stores have a limited, if any, selection of ethnic books or toys. We have had one black judge, Tyrone Medley - there may be more now, but he was the first and he's not that old. I could go on but I won't.

        If you are looking at the extensive increase in the Hispanic population over the past 15 years, and the subsequent increase in Hispanic owned businesses and television/radio stations, it would seem somewhat diverse. Or perhaps the recent influx of African immigrants that we've seen in the past few years, perhaps that seems somewhat diverse. But as an African American woman born here 38 years ago, I'm not feeling it.
      • raybury, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1I was basing the "Mormonism is assumed" on an NPR story, how new people always ask what "company" (church congregation) you belong too. Now I know: Never trust NPR.

        I'll admit I've never been, but recall wanting to be when my diabetes seemed to be reacting badly with caffeine, and for a time it seemed all I could drink in a restaurant was water, except one with caffeine-free Diet Coke (yechh!) and one with Diet Sprite (nearly flavorless).

        Most places I've been in the U.S., a typical restaurant, aside from other drink types, will four to six soft drinks / pops / sodas / carbonated beverages on the menu, usually including only one diet (a cola) and one caffeine-free (a lemon-lime). Is this true in Utah, where a large number of people choose not to consume caffeine?
      • Kas70, on 07/06/2008, -0/+1@ raybury

        I've never seen a difference in the drink menus here from anywhere else. What you list is pretty much standard everywhere.
  • CYR1X, on 07/05/2008, -3/+9I bet they still have to work more.

    Either way, I'd take longer days for a shorter week.
    • Zain123, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Why are you betting that "they still have to work more"? It says that they're switching to 10 hour workdays to 8 hour workdays right in the article. Try reading them once in a while.
    • Quicksilver4648, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1Two extra hours a day for 24 hours off later.
  • quakken, on 07/05/2008, -14/+1I would take longer days for a shorterAGABTGABLARGGAABLAHFSDAG.

    WHOA!
  • diceau, on 07/05/2008, -4/+394 day work week = win, it should be everywhere.
  • DeFex, on 07/05/2008, -1/+4that's a shame because all of the cool products that come from there will be harder to get, like..um..salt racing time for car speed records
  • ChanM, on 07/05/2008, -13/+15Government/Union workers = most inefficient workers you'll ever see.
    • ouzome, on 07/05/2008, -13/+9I sell industrial equipment for a living and I can attest to this 100%. You thought your coworkers took too many smoke breaks, looked for the easy way out, gave workers a hard time that actually try to work for a living, force fellow workers to slow down so they don't look bad, the list goes on and on. Unions are one of the biggest reasons why America is losing industrial plants to other countires, especially in the auto industry and related auto industry suppliers. Thank the Democrats!
      • xexx, on 07/05/2008, -3/+14damn workers for being represented... they should work 16 hours a day for pennies an hour.
      • Bkaufman, on 07/05/2008, -5/+3Hi...we have laws now that prevent that kind of thing.
      • Scheissen, on 07/05/2008, -5/+2left-wing diggers are really the morons of the world
      • t0x2c, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1@Scheissen: Keep reading the site. It's ALL diggers.
    • enri, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Inefficiency is not exclusive to unions. On any given day how many people on Digg are reading and posting from work? I would wager that none of them are union workers.
  • Barackalypse, on 07/05/2008, -4/+24I wish Digg had better dupe detection, this place is starting to feel like Slashdot. From the front page a day ago:
    http://digg.com/environment/Utah_s_Mandatory_4_Day ...
    • blackjack75, on 07/05/2008, -1/+6except one day ago I obviously missed it... that's why I dugg it today and others did too. The system works perfectly for me. Just ignore dupes.
  • zephc, on 07/05/2008, -8/+4Retarded logic - if they have the day off, they are out running errands and such, potentially wasting more gas than in their usual commute.
    • DaHuuuuuudge, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4They would have to do the errands anyway...
    • stretch611, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2It means the errands they would normally do on Saturday, can now be done on Friday.
      • 1randomguyO8, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1When everything is actually opened.
  • hankWK, on 07/05/2008, -2/+3many gov't agencies already do this. It is called comp time. Nothing new here.
  • batmanz, on 07/05/2008, -1/+13Hey, my State featured on Digg. And it isn't something bad. I am amazed.
    • samyoungguitar, on 07/05/2008, -5/+12Your state still sucks
      • desertDenizen, on 07/05/2008, -1/+7Zion, Bryce, Moab, Arches... all awesome.
  • clkou, on 07/05/2008, -3/+2Guess I'm moving to Utah ...
  • datagod, on 07/05/2008, -7/+14 day work week? Why would I want to work an extra day??
  • SpookyET, on 07/05/2008, -4/+3That's rubbish! 10 hour day + 1 hour lunch + 2 hour commute = 13 hours.
    • dood, on 07/05/2008, -0/+62 hour commute? That's rubbish!
      • raybury, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Try DC or LA; in NY 4+ RT hours is more typical.
      • sovietninja, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1I have a 2 hour RT commute to CSUN and i just live 20 miles away. And that's taking side streets to avoid the 118 405 5 rush hour.
      • sagat, on 07/05/2008, -2/+3I live in NYC and my work is a 15 minute walk from my apartment. If you have a 2 hour commute then it's your own fault for not ***** moving closer.
      • dood, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1I'm not sure which is the more accurate measure of success: the amount of land a person owns, or the amount of time a person spends not sitting on their butt, be it in a car or a bus.
    • apophenic, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5Usually lunch is built into the amount of time you spend there. A nine to five job is still an eight hour day. And commuting an hour to get to work is insane.
      • stretch611, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Very few jobs let you take lunch on their time. Most require you to work 8 hours outsied of the time you eat lunch.
      • enri, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2Paid lunch is a choice for your company or a law on a state level.
    • raybury, on 07/05/2008, -0/+6(8+1+2) x 5 = 55 hours out of your life and only two days open.
      (10+1+2) x 4 = 52 hours out of your life and three days open. Also possibly less traffic if days people work vary.
    • 1randomguyO8, on 07/05/2008, -2/+1So you've never worked a 10 day before? Man, I've worked 13 hour days laboring finishing at 2am in the mourning so stop bitching.
  • tikited, on 07/05/2008, -0/+64 day school work.
    • 1randomguyO8, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Yes instead of 5 6 hour days the should do the 8 hours we do. But probably then they would probably be sleeping and bored ***** less and wanted to leave school.
  • jeshjohn, on 07/05/2008, -0/+4I do that now 7AM-5:30PM
    30 Minute Lunch.

    I just don't work when I get home though.
  • samyoungguitar, on 07/05/2008, -5/+12How the hell are they supposed to feed 11 kids?
  • jokeyxero, on 07/05/2008, -7/+2Too bad that most traveling is done on the weekends...
  • kiantech, on 07/05/2008, -5/+6this is dumb, now people will drive more on fridays....do you expect them to just sit at home all day. and dont reply with, no they will ride a bike or walk. Because when I'm not working I go drive more than when I am.
    • skoo402, on 07/07/2008, -0/+0If I remember right, when they expanded daylight savings time , they found people drove more during that extra hour as well.
  • bhavinp, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1But that's not everyone. I think there would be a decline in the traffic if it was a holiday.
  • raybury, on 07/05/2008, -1/+15"Starting next month, thousands of government employees will only work 4 days per week"

    Nationwide, thousands of government employees work 4 days a week. Among millions who might work one or two.

    Seriously, the 4x10 or even 4x9 is long overdue in a large portion of the private sector as well as the public sector. Many office workers, production workers, and students would be more productive by adding an additional useful hour to four days a week instead of having a fifth day where, considering ramp-up, lunch breaks, and ramp-down time, probably doesn't contribute more than four good hours.

    Seven-day firm and agency functions already usually schedule folks for five days among seven, not always sequential, but why not imitate nursing, where three or four long days is the norm? Waivers should allow employers to avoid overtime costs if employees are kept to 80 hours in two weeks as opposed to 40 in one -- e.g. 3x12 and 4x12 should be 4 hours OT instead of 8, 4x9 and 9-9-9-9-8 would be no OT instead of 4. The latter system, where workers get 26 three-day-weekends per year by working 9 hours every M-Th and 8 every Friday, before holidays, personal days, and vacation, has already been tried by some companies. Rules could be finessed to avoid abuses.

    Finally, making Friday a default weekend day or a more frequent one would be a good way to integrate Muslims living in the West, whose Friday worship they would look forward to on the weekend just as Jews do their Saturday synagogue and most Christians their church services. If this is not seen as a capitulation -- always a danger from political Islamists even when the West genuinely deals from a position of strength and freedom -- but as a way to ease assimilation, all the better. (It would be de facto whether or not it is portrayed that way. Currently I imagine there are some Muslims in jobs that allow them to be off Friday but which leave them with less income and advancement than ones they might fill if this impediment weren't there. Ironically, observant Jews have long had the opposite experience -- their faith-based aversion to Saturday work keeps them out of some of our ***** industries, especially retail sales.)
    • raybury, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Correction: every OTHER Friday in the 4th paragraph.

      Given non-commute driving, and that some driving would be done on the new days off, the relief of traffic and reduction in total miles driven would be far less than half the 10-20% reduction in commuter miles for affected workers. So would an overall 5 or 8% reduction in vehicle miles driven, and in traffic with consequent savings from lower jam factors, really make a difference? I think so, both on fuel demand and thus cost, and on quality of life.
  • hellahyphy, on 07/05/2008, -5/+2TGIT. lol
  • tehxen3, on 07/05/2008, -7/+3Lazy worthless brats.
  • locitman, on 07/05/2008, -8/+18first off we dont want the majority of you ***** to move here. we like it unspoiled and traffic free so stay the ***** out. we enjoy our outdoor activities and amazing mountains, so just keep thinking its a desert filled with mormons. nothing to see here, move along.
    • specialK16, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Hahahaha....

      /cries

      I wish I had 4 day workweeks and a job I actually like.
  • kosmoss, on 07/05/2008, -1/+9Thank god, liquor stores will stay open on fridays.
    • stretch611, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3In Utah, all the liquor stores are run by the state government. They also place restrictions on how much you can buy. In all honesty, if you live near the border, you are better off going to the next state over to buy alcohol.
  • warlax27, on 07/05/2008, -4/+9I can't wait to move to Utah and live with Mormons....
  • Cnat, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5This really seems like progress. Now if they could just get it a little closer to zero...
  • CHANNELOCK, on 07/05/2008, -6/+0Great Ideal...Now Utah Men have one more day to bang that perky 15yr old cousin.
  • CHANNELOCK, on 07/05/2008, -7/+0And we also enjoy are outdoor activities and amazing mountains,Just keep thinking its a land without liquor.nothing to see here,move along
  • buff01, on 07/05/2008, -0/+3I would so much rather work 4 eight hour days/week and just get paid 1/5 less... humans weren't meant to waste 5/7 of their life working for someone else...

    This is a great idea, it's encouraging to see a state gov use it.
    • Kas70, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1Yeah, 10 hour days are just too long...I've done them. With morning rituals, commute, and lunch figured in, that's at least 12.5 hours a day. If you have children you have to take places and pick up after work, add another hour or so to that. Dinner, homework, housework, and bedtime rituals need to be crammed into 3 hours, and THEN you can "relax"...for an hour...maybe. If you have babies, are in school yourself, or just kind of like not having to rush through your evenings, then this schedule will be very hard to do.
  • CoreyHalliwell, on 07/05/2008, -7/+4Sure they get a 4 day work week but that day off must be spent on foot, telling people all about the Book of Mormon.
  • whitecranberry, on 07/05/2008, -5/+2WHY NOT ADOPT 4 DAY WORK WEEK TO SAVE ** US AS IN PEOPLE ** FROM STRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    AARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
  • username7410, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1"They will put in 10-hour days, Monday through Thursday, and have Fridays off, freeing them to golf, shop, spend time with the kids or do anything else that strikes their fancy. They will get paid the same as before."

    As they should since they're putting in 10 hour days now. Guess they need to spell it out for all the idiots.
  • blackjack75, on 07/05/2008, -1/+5Still doesn't beat France's 35 hour week.

    Yeah I know "frog, frog, surrender, surrender blah blah".
    • Seizure, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2I'm an American working in France for the summer at an electronics vendor/support company. My days consist mostly of fixing small servers for clients who've never seen the inside of a PC before. The company I work for runs from 8-6, with a two hour lunch break from 12-2. It's all pretty lax, and sometimes everyone will just leave at like 3:30 on Fridays cause there's nothing to do anyway. If you watched Sicko and now have some sort of romantic idealism for how easy things must be in France, it's not quite so different from the US- people just aren't so uptight about everything. At least from what I've seen.
    • whorunbartertwn, on 07/05/2008, -0/+0The easy ride in France keeps getting chipped away at anyway. They're either proposing or implementing moving the retirement requirements up in years, removing the 35 hour week limit, even allowing companies to fire workers in the first two years of employment without having to pay years of severance.

      Load up the water cannons.
    • t0x2c, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Oh, ze french flag haz turned completely blanc!

      Seriously they're taking most of that away and becoming more and more like the rest of the west.
  • fatas, on 07/05/2008, -2/+1haha it is worth to invest in public transport
  • jayrok, on 07/05/2008, -0/+5Will "work" only 4 days? That's implying work was actually done on more than 4 days before. I think more appropriate would be "Will be required to by physically present only 4 days a week".
  • alvarezg, on 07/05/2008, -1/+2In the private sector, salaried people are already coerced into working 5 x 10. Think 4 x 40 is going to catch on?
    • wattersm, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1Not quite, I'm salaried and I barely make 40 hours a week.
  • amightywind, on 07/05/2008, -3/+2This is just the government. They don't really work anyway. Don't expect to see it across the economy. Got news for you. They have been on 44/36 hour weeks since the mid 80's. Government contractors like Lockheed Martin pull the same crap, wasting your tax dollars. As a nation we need to work more, not less.
  • credential101, on 07/05/2008, -1/+1I'd rather do the 1 40 hour shift...
  • YoHowdy, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1As someone in the private sector who has to frequently deal with government employees, I can attest to the fact that most (not all, depending upon the agency) of them work at a different speed from those of us who need to produce in order to pay employees, health insurance, taxes etc etc. We have one government agency who we write to who usually does not get back to us with a "yes or no" answer within a year! When we call to check on their "progress" they sound half asleep, tell us they don't know why we haven't received an answer, and have no idea when they will get to it. It isn't because they are short staffed (and they don't even claim to be)...it's because they don't care. The response we need is literally five minutes of work for them.

    Long and short of it, Utah will find that their government employees' work will expand to fill the time alotted. They will now only get four days of government work (as opposed to private sector work) instead of five, but for the same pay. Ingenious.
  • jordansampson, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1Alberta: 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, two full weeks, 1 week off. 30 hours OT ever week, now thats a good shift :P
  • tgelston, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1I work for a small liberal arts college and they allow you to work 1/2 day Friday or take the whole day if you work a few hours longer during the week. So it's not just the big gov organizations that are looking to save money and help the environment. Although for the college this is just during the summer months. I think the allowed flexibility is more important than anything else.
  • NachoBusiness, on 07/05/2008, -0/+1The idea that productivity means the number of hours people spend in the office is thankfully becoming old-fashioned. Especially as we migrate towards a fully computer-based office, there will be less and less need to actually be in the office as more and more tasks can just be done with any old laptop computer or even a Blackberry in a pinch. I'm not sure it's the solution to the gas problem, but with gas so expensive it's finally forcing employers to think about letting people work from home or at least get away from the model of coming to the office 5 days a week every week. My employer used to dole out 4-day work weeks as a special privilege, even though you had to work just as many hours... but now basically anyone who asks gets one, to help us out on gas.
  • SteelChicken, on 07/05/2008, -0/+2ive worked 4 10's before, its very nice. good for Utah.
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