Four-day week has lower costs and higher morale
Westside Weekly
September 3, 2008
By: Tavia Grant

High gas prices and a slack economy are sparking new notions about how and where people work.

Few shifts seem more radical, however, than the rise of the four-day workweek.

Chrysler LLC is the latest to propose that workers shift to four 10-hour days. The state of Utah adopted it earlier this month, and so have hundreds of U.S. cities.

It's an idea that rolls around whenever the economy softens. A decade ago, labor groups were promoting shorter workweeks, hoping it would spur more hiring.

It didn't catch on.

This time around, employers are adopting it to cut energy costs while giving employees an extra day off.

"We expect to see operational efficiencies that will lead to reduced costs," said Chrysler spokesman Ed Saenz. "We also think that employees will appreciate four days of travel to work, rather than five."

Chrysler is talking with the United Auto Workers to see if the idea is palatable.

If approved, more than 10,000 Chrysler plant workers could start a four-day workweek this fall. The proposal focuses on several American plants, though if successful, Chrysler would consider adopting it at the company's Brampton, Ontario, plant, Saenz said.

The advantage for the company is mainly reduced energy costs -- the ability to shut down heavy machinery and equipment for three full days.

Chrysler doesn't expect the move would hurt productivity.

Utah, meantime, is the first U.S. state to make the move.

Its one-year test, involving about 17,000 workers who have moved to a 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Thursday shift, began Aug. 4.

And its phone lines have been flooded. Jeff Herring, the state's executive director of human resources, has fielded about 300 calls from U.S. counties, cities and states, as well as Nova Scotia and British Columbia in Canada, and Japan and Sweden.

"The biggest impetus was energy costs - trying to be more energy-efficient, and the high cost of gas," he said.

"But it readily became apparent that it really isn't just a crisis-management initiative. I think this is a long-term strategy for doing business."

He said there have been unexpected benefits, such as longer hours to serve the public and higher employee morale, and that the move has spurred improvements to its online services and telecommuting options.

About one-sixth of U.S. cities with populations of more than 25,000 now offer employees a shortened week, estimates Utah professor Rex Facer, who has studied the issue for several years.

His research has shown the move generally boosts morale and productivity. It also reduces utility and overtime costs, while cutting absenteeism and staff turnover.

There are barriers, however. Ten-hour days can be grueling for older workers. Child-care facilities aren't geared for longer work hours, nor is public transit, cautions Nora Spinks, president of Work-Life Harmony Enterprises.

She believes working four days should be voluntary, not mandatory.

Labor unions, however, are embracing the move….