When Ohio’s Kent State University offered custodial staff the option of working four days a week instead of five to cut commuting costs, most jumped at the chance, part of a U.S. trend aimed at combating soaring gasoline prices.
“We offered it to 94 employees and 78 have taken us up on it,” said university spokesman Scott Rainone.
The reason is simple: rising gas prices and a desire to retain good workers. And while so far only the university’s custodians are eligible, Rainone hopes the option will be offered to all departments — including his own.
On the Morning Show, a local radio talk show, one nurse called in and said that the local hospital is also offering this alternative to nurses, it would mean longer shifts, but would cut down on the costs of driving in to work.
I’m not sure how I feel about that. In smaller companies where they don’t have a large number of staff, this would certainly not be an option if the same level of service was expected by the customers. It certainly wouldn’t work at my library.
Here’s a thought: reactivate the “Blue-Laws” requiring businesses to close on Sundays. 😉
Jim Elliott <><
I would _love_ to work 4×10. It’d be an improvement over the 5×10 (or more) that I’m working now . . .
I have a great position where I get to work from home more often than not. I only commute to work 1 day/wk.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Luckily I can ride my bicycle to work most days when the weather cooperates. I did so this morning as a matter of fact.
Interesting – this idea seems to be catching on in many places. It’s funny, tho… I will be moving to a library branch supervisor position at the new extension campus opening this fall. Because I will be the only staff person there for the first year, I’ll be working 4×10 so the library can be open into the evenings 4 days a week. It didn’t occur to me until recently that I will be saving money on gas, as well as getting a three-day weekend!
Several of our neighbors work at home via their computers, and commute to their offices one day a week…..and it works!
The only businesses which SHOULD be open on Sundays are pharmacies……for obvious reasons.
My sister works 4×10, but grumbles that her day off is Thursday, so no long weekends. I’d love to to this, or to telecommute on occasion. Unfortunately the nature of the position makes it unlikely at best. If only they’d run a MARTA line out to the suburbs.
My first job out of college worked a four-and-a-half-day week… nine hours Monday through Thursday, four hours on Friday morning.
I loved it. For me, nine hours in a day is a lot easier than the ten of a 4×10 schedule, and you still get nearly all of a three-day weekend every week — you probably wouldn’t be using that Friday morning for much that was fun anyway.
Of course, the 4×9+4 schedule doesn’t save you any gas, although the commute home at noon on Friday is probably easier than in the evening.
These days I work software and go to school part-time, so my work schedule is largely driven by how far I’m behind at any given moment 🙂
I have more online students now as this saves gas, and this semester, for the first time, I had a commuting student email me that she didn’t have enough money to go to work, pay the bills and gas her car to come to the college for the exam review class.
Hmmm…can’t say this ever worked for me. I’ve worked 4 days a week for years now, but since I run most of my errands on Fridays, I drive just as much anyway.