An idea for Arizona to consider?
Utah Governor Jon Huntsman has announced implementation of the ‘Working 4 Utah’ initiative, extending state government service hours from 7 A.M. to 6 P.M., Monday through Thursday beginning the first week of August
Essential workers will not be affected, although their administration offices will close. Utah courts, public schools and colleges will not change, nor will the Governor’s Office.
The goal is to help conserve energy by not heating and cooling buildings, reduce gas consumption for commuters, and provide an incentive for state workers that could be a recruiting tool, the Salt Lake City Tribune reports.
July 3, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Not a bad idea, especially during the long, hot Phoenix summers!
July 3, 2008 at 7:29 pm
The problem would be day care for children of working parents.
That could be a major obstacle to this plan. Also, when do working parents see our children? How is their time to prepare dinner, interact, help with homework, get baths, etc. This might be good for conserving energy but it would be detrimental to families.
July 4, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Sorry Marianne, I disagree. I think it would be beneficial overall for families since the parent would be available to interact with the rest of the family three days a week, including a normal weekday, which would allow the conduct of necessary business in a convenient manner. Also, reducing transportation expenses by twenty percent could be very helpful in these tight economic times.
One other benefit is the fact that other workers could access government offices before or after their workday. I can think of many times that this was impossible since the government agency was only open when I was required to be at work myself.