Four-Day Workweek Catches like Wildfire
The four-day work week is spreading across the nation like a wildfire. But this blaze is being sparked by frustration about the high cost of living and is fueled by high gas prices. Government entities like Macomb County in Michigan, and companies like IBM are taking on the four-day work week to help employees battle soaring gas prices. ( In fairness, IBM has been using such flex techniques for decades)
Now the state of Utah becomes the first large government to jump on the bandwagon. You can read the details in
The Salt Lake Tribune. Beginning in August most state government offices there will go to a ten-hour, four-day work week. Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. has clearly pegged this a trial run to be evaluated in a year to be sure that there is a clear energy savings and that worker productivity is not negatively impacted.
Here’s the caveat, a ten-hour day means scheduling life around work in an entirely different way. Workers in Utah have the month of July to figure out their lives. The fear is that the elusive quest for worklife balance becomes a monumental task for a single mom with kids, and a potential headache for the employers on the receiving end of the new working conditions. But I would argue this is an opportunity for everyone to change their tune about the edicts of the traditional workplace. It’s a time to rewire our job descriptions, definitions of productivity, and the way we measure it.
The 9-5 mandate is now a model to be challenged due to gas prices, but there are plenty of other reasons to dissect our workplace rules. In a worklife culture where taking care of children and parents promote equal concern, a cross-generational workforce is the new Pandora’s's box and 24/7 customer service is the norm, companies have no choice but to closely examine flexible working practices. It’s too bad many waited till gas reached four bucks to take it more seriously on a wider scope.
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