Four Day Work Week

Last Thursday, Governor Huntsman announced a mandatory 4-day work week for most state employees. The new schedule will feature longer hours on Monday-Thursday, with offices generally open from 7am to 6pm.

"As we go forward with this initiative, we will conserve energy, save money, improve our air quality, and enhance customer service." Governor Huntsman said. "We live in a dynamic, ever-changing environment, and it's crucial that we take a serious look at how we can adapt and maintain our state's unparalleled quality of life."

The Governor presented the initiative during his monthly KUED press conference.

The announcement has received a lot of attention nationally. Here are a few...

• USA Today - "Most state workers in Utah shifting to 4-day week"
• Kansas City Infozine
• finding Dulcinea, Librarian of the Internet

Dulcinea mentions a few other interesting sources including this September 2007 post on The Oil Drum outlining "Sixteen Reasons Why This Might Be an Idea Whose Time Has Come". This piece discusses some potential reasons I hadn't thought of.

In the AP article in the Seattle PI the Governor discusses online services as an alternative:

"... but then the services that are provided online, I mean, I think this is going to allow people to really look at the convenience and the flexibility of the online services we provide, which I'm not sure a lot of people are thinking about."

More than 800 state services are offered online.