Editorials

Government’s justification for existing is to serve the people, so citizens of Utah might have good reason to question their state government’s new four-day workweek.

Starting next month, Utah will become the first state to switch to a four-day workweek for thousands of government employees, an Associated Press report said. It is billed as a yearlong experiment aimed at reducing the state’s energy costs and commuters’ gasoline expense.

State government employees might be the only Utah residents happy about the new schedule, which calls for workers to put in 10-hour days Monday through Thursday and having Fridays off.

People seeking government services will have to arrange their schedules accordingly. The inconvenience to those who need state services of having state offices closed on Fridays doesn’t appear to be a concern to state officials.

The order issued by Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman will affect about 17,000 of 24,000 executive branch employees. It will not cover state police officers, prison guards or employees of the courts or Utah’s public universities.

Also, the report said, state-run liquor stores will stay open on Fridays. They appear to have their priorities in order.

Employees like the idea, as might be expected.

“I’m thrilled,” the AP report quoted an executive at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality as saying. “Now I can do anything I want. I can have lunch with my friends, spend time with my grandchildren or just chill out.”

Turning off the lights, the heat and the air conditioning on Fridays in 1,000 of 3,000 government buildings will save about $3 million a year out of a state budget of $112 billion, a governor’s spokesperson said. Nobody has tried to figure out the cost and inconvenience it might cause the people.

State officials will evaluate the program after a year and decide whether to extend it.

Officials said the state also will save on gasoline used by official vehicles, but authorities have not figured out how much. The governor said the new schedule also could help recruit younger workers who prefer a three-day weekend. What about looking for some who just want a job and expect to work hard, be productive and build a successful career?

Because of the downturn in the economy and high gasoline prices, many states are looking at cost-saving measures, the AP report noted.

Leslie Scott, executive director of the National Association of State Personnel Executives, indicated the Utah example is being watched. “Everyone’s going to keep a close eye on it and see what happens in Utah and whether they can demonstrate employee effectiveness and the energy savings, too,” Scott said.

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality estimate employees in six buildings alone will save themselves more than $300,000 spent on gas to commute to work. If they figure they can get their job done effectively in four days a week, maybe there is room for even more cutbacks. Potential savings from closing the department completely might be something to consider.

Utah residents are being encouraged to use the Internet for hundreds of ordinary services, such as automobile registration renewals, the report said.

Other state employee groups may be watching Utah’s experiment as a possible example to follow, but taxpayers might use it to measure how much some current costly state “services” are really worth.

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