The Houston Chronicle has an article today on the suggested closing of Lubbock's courthouse on Fridays to save energy as well as gasoline. Do you think that is a good idea? Employees would go to a four day ten hour a day schedule.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5851377.html

I remember participating in a study when I worked in Fort Bend. You know the type, where the county paid big money for a private study then totally ignored what the participants had to say. I was a member of at least two of those studies back in the mid-90's.


The study I was a member of was studying the best way to accomplish energy savings for employees in the courthouse work place. The unanimus result from the study was that all participants favored four-ten's and that a only a very few of the participants favored van pooling as a way to reduce carbon footprint and the number of car-employee related trips to the courthouse on a weekly basis.

I recall that the folks doing the study were surprised that all of us county minions wanted four-ten's. Very surprised, because they clearly then attempted to convince our group to vote for van pooling, which due to the rural nature of Fort Bend at that time, wasn't gonna work with far-flung employees. They tried to influence that vote by bringing up the bad points of four ten's. Nobody changed their vote, and the study results, of course, were never released that I can recall.

I used to work at a business on a four-ten schedule, and it was really nice. You didn't really notice the extra two hours on the day, and then you had Friday to do your errands when businesses are actually open. (Besides, don't most of us work ten hours most days? ) They still stayed open on Fridays with a minimal crew to handle phones and if anyone wanted to pull some overtime. It was received very positively by everyone, from the execs to the floor workers.

A lot of government agencies are going to that schedule now. I think it can be done in a court setting if the court runs efficiently. If not, well, that's another story.

Colorado County is contemplating a 4-day, 10-hour workweek beginning in 2009. I think it will work. I could still come in on Fridays and get a ton of work done without dealing with phone callers.

Another benefit: if jury trials were held on 10 hour days instead of 8, you could potentially complete a trial in fewer days, thus saving jury service fees.

Where are all the 10 hour day care centers?

Amen Alex !

How do parents with kids in daycare do 4 tens ??
I barely make it to my kid's daycares on time as it is and thats only because one closes at 6 instead of 5:30 like the other one.

I was thinking the same thing. I would love the extra day off to spend with my child but her daycare closes at 5:30.

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Originally posted by Stacey L. Brownlee:
Amen Alex !

How do parents with kids in daycare do 4 tens ??
I barely make it to my kid's daycares on time as it is and thats only because one closes at 6 instead of 5:30 like the other one.

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Maybe you could do the extra two hours on the morning end?

Good thought, GG, but most daycares don't open that early. Maybe it's time to start pushing the county commissioners to have county employee childcare available.

We have been discussing 4/10s but the folks that it would benefit the most (a couple of assistants that have a 100 mile round trip commute to the office) have the same kid daycare problem plus the drive over an hour, work ten, then drive home over an hour. We have discussed having the non exempt personnel work 4/10s and and allow the exempt personnel (ADAs) to "telecommute" one day a week or maybe give them a choice. They could take home intake, work on briefs, etc and probably get more done without the constant interruptions of the office. I know it would save those assistants a nice chunk of change cutting 400 miles/month out of their budget.

Telecommute good.

Potter looked at trying a "summer experiment" with 4/10s, earlier this Spring. For some reason(s) the plan never made it to a vote.

During the discussion several of my friends in Colorado pointed out that their State began using 4/10s in the mid 90's, with great success. So successful that they think that a majority of the mid to large government type offices have gone away from 5/8s.

(The one caveat is that most of the offices have gone to 5/10s with employees getting Friday, Monday or Wednesday off.) In addition, those who cannot work a 10 hour day (ie: daycare problems) get to work an eight hour day.

My friends claim that the citizens like the before and after hours access to governmental offices and that the employees are happy as well. They say that the trend continues to be offices adopting extended hours and not offices returning to 5/8s.

I have yet to get a defensible reply from my tree hugger sisters and brethern as to how their enlightened work week has done anything to shrink their carbon footprint. But, given our State's attitude toward tree hugging, I do not see that as a real problem for us.

I worked in a government office in which most employees worked a nine-hour day, and had every other Friday off, if they did not have a court setting. The office was open regular business hours five days each week. It worked very well.

The only problem with three-day weekends is that Monday following - Add to that a 10 hour Monday. Maybe they would agree to 12 hours days Tuesday - Thrusday and just 4 hours on Monday.

Well, if we were doing that we probably wouldn't be getting a Monday or a Friday off. More like a T, W, or TH. Fridays and Mondays are the big days in warranties and repairs.

The Lizard Man is innocent!

Greg,

I thought Fort Bend's plan to reduce energy consumption was to send their prosecutors to Bastrop.

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Originally posted by Wesley Wittig:
Greg,

I thought Fort Bend's plan to reduce energy consumption was to send their prosecutors to Bastrop.

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And it worked out better than my wildest imagination.

Utah is making it mandatory for state workers to do a 4 day week.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-30-four-day_N.htm

Many persons fought many years for an eight-hour workday. There must be some definite advantages to it. But, I see a market for expanded-hours day care or maybe "supplemental" evening-care facilities.