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How a 4-Day Workweek Works
Associated Press/AP Online
October 22, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY – Closing Utah state offices on Fridays has delivered an unexpected bonus: a big saving on overtime pay.
New calculations show Utah saved $4.1 million in the first year of a government experiment with a four-day workweek.
State employees were eager to leave after the longer workday, and weren’t inclined to work an extra hour or two.
“They’re getting what they need to get done in 10 hours and going home,” said Angie Welling, spokeswoman for Gov. Gary Herbert.
“The state envisioned some energy savings, but that overtime number was not anticipated,” she said Wednesday.
Utah was the first state in the country to shut down most of its services on Fridays. Other states took notice. Hawaii tried a limited four-day week last fall, when a similar program was under way in Washington state. Lawmakers in at least two other states – West Virginia and Virginia – have also looked into adopting a four-day workweek.
Former Gov. Jon Huntsman made the switch for Utah in August 2008, largely to cut energy costs.
Utah, however, achieved only a sixth of the $3 million it expected to trim on energy costs.
The state couldn’t shut down as many state buildings as it planned on Fridays, officials said, and it didn’t save much by closing the smaller buildings.
Also, the state assumed gasoline for state fleet car use and building utility costs would soar, and it would save as much.
Both expenditures actually fell over the past year, however. Utah has some of the lowest utility rates in the country.
The energy saving came out to $502,000 for the year. The state also saved $200,000 on janitorial services. With reduced overtime expenses, the total saving was $4.8 million.
The figures were released Wednesday by Herbert’s strategic planner, Mike Hansen.
The new governor – Huntsman left to become the U.S. ambassador to China – is undecided on whether to stick with the program, Welling said.
