Growing budget deficits are prompting some state and local governments to consider a four-day work week for government workers, and in some cases even for school kids.
Utah is the only state in the nation with the four-day work week, but governors in Iowa and Washington have started touting the idea as a way to save money. Legislators in New York have floated a similar idea while Mesa, Ariz. - profiled in this WSJ story on cities grappling with budget problems - has already switched to the four-day, 10-hour workday.
Here’s the idea: By having employees work four days instead of five, cities and states save on energy and building maintenance costs. (Utah implemented its four-day work week two years ago to offset rising gas prices.) Commuting traffic is reduced, less gas is consumed and in Utah the program has been shown to reduce overtime because few employees want to stick around after an already long day.
Across the country, several school districts are trying the four-day school week, which has gotten mixed reviews from students that have already moved to the less frequent schedule.