THE ISSUE: Four-day work week
OUR OPINION: SCDOT experience is example for others
What’s good for summer will continue into the fall. The S.C. Department of Transportation has announced that it will move forward with its pilot program allowing employees to work extended hours on a four-day schedule.
No, this does not mean SCDOT will be open only four days a week. The agency will continue to operate Monday through Friday as usual, but employees enrolled in the program will work a four-day-per-week schedule, typically from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Schedules will continue to be staggered so that services can be provided five days per week.
As much as the four-day week makes sense as the agency is trying to save money in expensive times, it appears to have other positive effects.
Transportation Secretary H.B. Limehouse Jr. said the four-day work week program has become popular among employees. “The pilot program has proved to be successful because employee morale has gone to higher levels. Employees who are on the four-day schedule tell us they accomplish much more during the early morning hours before the traditional workday gets started and they can finish more tasks in the late afternoon hours while avoiding rush-hour traffic,” Limehouse said.
Limehouse cited other factors that benefit both SCDOT employees and the public:
• The extended work days will allow workers to commute to and from work before and after peak rush hour times.
• Fewer cars on the roads will reduce congestion, which saves fuel consumption for everyone.
• Reduced congestion has proven to increase the safety on the highways.
• A reduction in congested, stop-and-go traffic also reduces emissions that damage air quality, particularly during warm-weather months when “ozone alerts” that indicate immediate air quality problems are possible.
Limehouse said the decision to extend the program now rather than wait until the pilot program ended on Aug. 29 was an easy one.
“Many of the employees working four-day weeks have already expressed an interest in continuing the schedule. The school year will begin shortly, so we felt it was important to allow employees with children to get their work and home schedules set before schools open,” Limehouse said.
The SCDOT Human Resources Office is currently conducting a survey to determine how many employees have elected to remain in the program and how many employees are signing up for the first time.
Employees who did not opt for the four-day week during the summer can now enroll in the program. SCDOT began a summer pilot program on June 16, 2008, to give employees the opportunity to reduce fuel costs for commuting to work. At that time, 575 SCDOT workers signed up, with more enrolling later in June.
And one more plus: As Limehouse notes, the four-day week gives SCDOT employees more opportunities to spend more quality time with their families, and to perform volunteer work for their neighborhoods, communities, schools and churches.