When I
negotiated for my current contract, one of the things I asked for was a 4-day
workweek. Since it’s an hour-commute each way every day, I just didn’t want to
drive that far every day. Besides, since this is only a Temporary Contract I
wanted to keep one day free for resumes and interviews. Fortunately they went
for it. So now I get a 3-day weekend every.single.week. WAHOO!
Most of today I completely forgot about it,
and it was only when I was asked about scheduling a meeting for tomorrow and …
“oh, I don’t work on Fridays”, followed by a bit of jealousy (ok, maybe more
than a “bit”.) And there are a couple of
guys at this office that have it particularly rough -- because this is a 24/7
call center, and most of the managers end up working on rotating Saturdays. I
not only never have to work Saturdays, but I don’t even have to work on
Fridays.
And apparently, the 4-day workweek is
starting to gain in popularity. A number of years ago, Utah decided to shut
down all State Offices on Fridays – in a cost-saving measure. Although it only
lasted a few years, it was tremendously popular with employees – and a number
of them didn’t want to switch back when the time came. Now that the Job Market
is so much healthier, many companies are having to be more creative to draw in
the best employees. A friend of mine works at Hill Air Force Base, and he works
five 9-hour days – giving him every-other-Friday off. Also a very nice option,
and apparently quite common at HAFB in Layton.
Plus, the 4-day workweek is a benefit to the
environment. If everyone implemented it, we could reduce commuter emissions by
20%. It also reduces electricity and lighting use, and eliminates janitorial
needs by 20%. And, personally, it is saving me 20% of my cost in gas, since I
commute to out near the Salt Lake Airport (from Provo) for this job.
And it does give me one day each week for
resumes, interviews, etc. I do have a phone interview tomorrow, and it was nice
to have a day to schedule it – instead of trying to do it in my car on my lunch
hour. (I’ve done that before, and it’s less than ideal.)
There is also some down-side to the 4-day
workweek: it makes for some really long days. I’m working 10-hour days, plus it
takes me an hour to commute. So I typically leave the house at 6:30 a.m., and
don’t get home until 6:30 p.m. That means that I leave in the dark and get home
in the dark – especially since we just changed our clocks last week. And with
my insomnia, getting up at 5:30 a.m. is rather a challenge for me.
It’s also a bit of a challenge on my
workweek social life. I had two dates this week, and both had to be rather late
dinners because I work so late – but starting late also meant they went until
later in the evening. And ending a date at 11 p.m. or midnight on a work night,
well that makes the next morning a bit tough. Neither of the guys complained at
the time, but in texts they next morning they both admitted to being a bit
tired. (Although, apparently I’m worth it!) Guess I’ll just have to keep dating
to being a weekend-only activity.
Even with the pros and cons, I much prefer
this 4-day workweek. It’s not quite the 3-day workweek of George Jetson fame, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Between working from
home and 4-day workweeks, I’ve really had it pretty easy the past few months.
And having worked in Corporate America for more than 30 years now, I do see
some definite changes and improvements from throughout the years. Although a little
bit of a hassle to haul around, it is also nice to be able to resolve a “work
crisis” with just a laptop and a cellphone – which certainly makes it easier to
be available “just-in-case” on those days when I’m not working. Personally, I
think that is one of the reasons that employers are granting this type of
flexibility – because even when you’re not physically in the office, you are
always just a phone call away. And if that’s what it takes to be able to have a
3-day weekend each week, it is certainly a price I am more than willing to pay.
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