State might try four-day workweek

By Adam Wilson | The Olympian • Published August 15, 2008

• Comments (0)

At the suggestions of her employees, Gov. Chris Gregoire is considering moving state government to a four-day workweek to save cash.

In an e-mail to state workers Friday, she said the most popular suggestion for savings since she started a hiring freeze Aug. 4 has been to move to a shorter workweek with longer days, saving money on energy.

"We've started looking at the numbers, looking at the experiences other states are having. … We're kind of in research mode right now," said Glenn Kuper, a spokesman for the Office of Financial Management.

Utah became the first state to shut down most services on Fridays. The state hopes to save $3 million a year by having employees work four, 10-hour days rather than five, eight-hour days.

The majority of savings from a shorter week are supposed to come from lower energy costs in office buildings that can be left dark during a three-day weekend.

"That's the general theory, because by taking that one day out, you're basically saving 20 percent," Kuper said. "Granted, you've got the trade-off with later hours the rest of the week."

Some details are being investigated, he added, such as which programs could operate on a four-day schedule, whether whole buildings could be idled for the three-day weekend, and whether there are increased costs that would counteract savings.

"I would expect it to take a few more weeks to really assess all of the nuances," Kuper said.

Facing a slumping economy and slowing tax collections, Gregoire hopes to save $90 million through next summer with the hiring freeze, which could eliminate 1,951 positions.

Other cost-saving suggestions included more teleconferences, van pooling and eliminating all state-issued cell phones, Gregoire said in her e-mail.

"I have asked my senior staff and cabinet directors to investigate the feasibility and cost saving possibilities of each idea," she wrote. "Some of your ideas were very specific to your agency or division, and I have asked agency directors to look into those."

In more than 300 e-mailed suggestions from state workers, no idea was as common as the four-day week, Kuper said.

"The suggestion from the employees, it just demonstrated to us there was a lot of interest in this," he said.