Utah's four-day work week has been in place for nearly a year and the numbers are in. According to state officials, the energy savings have not materialized but there have been increases in employee productivity and reported worker satisfaction. State planners report the following benefits to the four-day work week:
- Less overtime hours worked
- Less leave taken
- 70% satisfaction
NPR ran an article on the reduced-workweek program. There was no mention in the article about how the "increased productivity" was measured. But it did include the opinion of one state employee who is not in the 70% of "happy workers."
Nicki Lockheart is quoted in the article as saying about the alternative work schedule, "I hate it." "A 10-hour day for me is like eternity," she says.
By the time the customer service agent gets home and eats dinner, she says, it's time for bed. By Friday, Lockhart is so stressed out, she gets headaches.
Gov. Huntsman will decide whether the pilot program goes permanent later this summer.
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