He realised that if swaths of public sector workers all worked a shorter week in unison, he’d be able to close public buildings on the extra day, so saving money. But something like this hadn’t been tried state-wide before. All kinds of problems might emerge, from childcare to public anger over lack of access to services. “I thought, we can study this for another six months or we can do it, and figure it out as we go,” Huntsman recalls.
At only a month’s notice, 18,000 of the state’s 25,000 workforce were put on a four-day week. Around 900 public buildings closed on Fridays, with even more partially closing. Many of the state’s vehicles were left in their garages on the extra day, travelling 3m fewer miles. Only essential safety services and a few other staff were exempt. You might expect such a quick and significant change to cause turmoil.
“It started with a one-year test period, and there were hiccups at the beginning,” says Professor Rex Facer, from Brigham Young University, an adviser on the initiative who also analysed its impact. “Some businesses complained about access to public officials on the day departments closed. But the agencies figured out the problems, the state communicated what it was doing better, and in six months complaints dropped to zero.”
Facer looked into how the public and state employees responded. Eight out of 10 employees liked the four-day week and wanted it to continue. Nearly two-thirds said it made them more productive and many said it reduced conflict at home and work. Only 3% said it made childcare harder. Workplaces across the state reported higher staff morale and lower absenteeism. There were other surprises, too. One in three among the public thought the new arrangements actually improved access to services. “The programme achieved exactly what was intended,” Facer says. “The public and businesses adapted to it. The extended opening times on the four days when employees worked were actually preferred by many. It was more convenient for them being able to contact public bodies before and after conventional working hours.”
Falling energy prices reduced the expected economies, but the change still saved the state millions. Staff wellbeing went up with the longer weekend and with shorter, easier commuting outside the normal rush hour, which benefited other commuters, too, by reducing congestion. It wasn’t the objective, but at a stroke the four-day week cut carbon emissions by 14%.
