TGIT
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 05:00PM If you work for the state of Utah, then TGIF is no longer a reality. Because Friday is the new Saturday in Utah. And I just might consider moving there.
Have you read this article? Time Magazine reports on Utah’s success after switching over to a 4 day work week for most state employees, shutting down non-essential facilities to save on energy costs. Employees still work 40 hour weeks, only now they do it 4 days at 10 hours a day.
Utah has cut its expenses down by 13%. The benefits to the employees cashed in at over 6 million is gas savings. Highways are less congested, state residents are happier as they now have their facilities available to them after hours. Lines are shorter due to the extended hours, but also due to the fact that more workers are working because they are taking less sick and personal days. It’s turning out to be huge success and its no wonder really.
How nice would it be to have that extra day off every week? The money I would save in gas and tolls! But a true benefit for me would be the time I would save spreading out all those weekly chores into an extra 24 hours. Laundry, food shopping, errands, doctor appointments, etc. I would actually be able to keep up.
And now- a-days, with the Blackberry, cell phone and remote access, I end up working from home after hours anyway. Responding to emails at 9PM, logging in to solve issues at 10PM, etc. It’s not like tacking on two extra hours to my day would have much an effect considering I rarely leave work at 5 o’clock anyway. But to have that extra day off would certainly make all those extra hours even more worth while.
Yes, there is the environmental benefit, the cost and energy savings benefit, but to me the biggest benefit would be a real weekend. Real quality time with the family where we actually have time to do things together aside from running the errands, cleaning the house, folding the laundry.
How nice it would be to say, “Thank God It’s Thursday!”
How nice it would be to have that extra time and money every week!
All it would take is a shift in thinking, which I know for a fact can happen, because it has happened. I remember my mom worked her entire life 9-5 with an hour lunch break and got paid for 40 hours a week. By the time I entered the workforce, that had changed. Lunch breaks, I discovered, were reduced to half an hour and you no longer got paid for them either. You either got paid for a 37.5 work week or worked a 8:30 - 5:00 day. No one I know these days starts their work day at 9:00. The old saying “working nine to five” is passe and doesn’t apply anymore.
So, here’s hoping the old “TGIF” becomes a quait old saying that is passe and no longer applies.
What do you think? Would you be willing to work two more hours every day to have a three day weekend? Do you think it would ever become the norm?
In order for such a thing to work for everyone, it would have to be in effect for everyone. Just as having off on Saturdays and Sundays are our world wide business standards now, having off on Friday would have to be as well. Time Magazine reported that those workers who did not fare well with the new schedule were the people with small children who couldn’t find extended daycare. But if schools and child care facilities extended their days and closed on Fridays too, then it could work for everyone.
Right?
Just think, right now we could all be saying “TGIT!” and starting to enjoy our weekend just like those folks in Utah.
Reader Comments (3)
I'm all for that! YEA FOR FOUR DAYS!! Oh...wait...I work from home now...I forgot...damn...I'll put my vote in for Tim (the husband)...he'd like a 4-day week!
childcare might be tough, but I would love it. I work the 8.30-5 and get paid for 37.5 hours. They "make" us take a full hour lunch, half paid half not. It's silly.
sounds great!!!! too bad it will probably take as long to get put into practice as it did for fuel efficient cars to come to market. maybe the smart ideas people could get together and email a whole list to our legislators.