Work 4 Days a Week – Be Happier, and Save ga$oline.
…that’s what State Rep. Mike Shelton is proposing.
State agencies and their employees will have a chance to discuss the possibility of moving to a four-day work week at a public hearing at the State Capitol Wednesday, July 9th. The meeting will be held in room 432A from 10 a.m. until noon.
In light of skyrocketing fuel costs, State Representative Mike Shelton (D-OKC) and officials with the Oklahoma Public Employees Association (OPEA) have been at the forefront of a national push to allow government employees to work condensed schedules that could save money for employees and agencies, as well as taxpayers.
Unfortunately, said Shelton, the idea has spread like wildfire across the nation, while Oklahoma’s government workers have been left behind:
Hardworking state employees need a break, and without a pay increase, a condensed work schedule is the best way to give it to them. Our state employees have had only three pay raises in the last decade, and we wonder why we cannot retain our best and brightest in the public sector. These are men and women with families who feel compelled to serve the public and must sacrifice financially to do so. We owe them something, and helping them ease the burden of high fuel prices is a start.
At the same time, we can reduce energy bills and ease the burden on the taxpayer by turning off the lights in some of our state buildings one day a week. This is a victory for both sides in a game of ‘survive-the-recession’ that nobody wants to play.
This year, the Legislature passed a standstill budget for 2009 that did not include promised pay raises for state employees after state revenue fell short of projections, prompting Shelton in May to introduce a resolution encouraging state agencies to implement “flex time” work schedules that would have allowed employees to work four 10-hour work days each week instead of five eight-hour days.
Shelton said the combination of high gas prices, inflation and stagnant pay have put state employees in a serious financial bind, and he and the OPEA have recently called on Gov. Brad Henry to issue an executive order encouraging state agencies to allow their employees the opportunity to work condensed schedules.
The group is currently attempting to meet with Henry to discuss the matter.
OPEA Executive Director Sterling Zearley said a new survey on the Association’s website shows most state employees support the change:
We’ve seen an overwhelming 98 percent of respondents who say they favor going to a four-day work week. Many of our state employees are simply worn out trying to stretch a dollar, and anything we can do to help them in the short-term, we need to do immediately.
In recent weeks, gasoline prices have surged to around $4 a gallon or more throughout the nation, a 30 percent increase from one year ago, according to the American Automobile Association.
The recent surge has prompted public and private employers to seek ways to reduce costs for their employees as well as save money for the employer.
City officials in Birmingham, Alabama, recently voted to implement a four-day week for more than 3,400 municipal employees, a move expected to save the city $500,000 to $1 million annually in fuel costs alone.
The University of Central Oklahoma has also adopted a four-day work schedule for summer faculty and expects to save more $150,000 on energy costs.
Officials in Washington, Ohio and Alabama are currently considering proposals to allow their state employees to move to four-day work weeks, as well. Some experts report that a quarter or more of all private businesses in the U.S. are considering moving to the short week.
In addition to saving both employees and employers money, Shelton said the move could boost morale and increase productivity in state government.
A recent study released by the Romney Institute of Public Management reported that 60 percent of employees who work an alternative 10-hour, four-day work schedule are more productive, happier with their pay and benefits and are less likely to seek a new job. In addition, the study found that 60 percent of residents during the same period reported increased access to government.
"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you." 
Very Interesting.