Four Day Work Week For The Town Office?? I Don't Think So

God, I hope the Post Office doesn't hear about this - They might just decide they should go on a five day week instead of delivering the mail on Saturdays.

In case you haven't guessed, I am not in favor of a four day work week, especially for places that provide a service to the public. I remember when the banks worked a 5 day week, but closed at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. If one had to do business at the bank back then and you worked days, you had to take time off from work to do so. ATM's as of late have been a big help, although our TD Banknorth ATM here in town will no longer take deposits after July 31, 2008, so guess we have to mail in the deposits.

The Post Office right now is difficult for some people who work in Burlington to get in when they are open as they are not open when they leave for work and are closed by the time they get back.

Our town office here in town is open until 8 p.m. on Monday nights, so it does give people an opportunity who work in Burlington to at least go in on Monday nights when they get home from work.

I most likely will have a few more thoughts on this later on, but for now something I thought some feed back from this commuter community might be interesting. I am sure that most people who work in Burlington would welcome a 4 day week as right off the bat, they would save 20% on their gas bills. I seriously doubt that the people of Middlebury will notice any decrease in their tax bills because the Town Office has gone to a 4 day week. I think this is more of a Town Office Preference.

Below is the report on Middlebury that I am talking about:

Middlebury Adopts Four-Day Work Week

Middlebury, Vermont - July 8, 2008

It's a typical day inside the Middlebury Town Clerk's office-- but you can throw that normalcy out the window come this Friday. The lights will be off, the door closed, and the employees gone.

"We'd like to encourage all the offices to close," says Town Clerk Ann Webster.

The town clerk's office is adopting a four day work week.

"I think it's a great idea," says Middlebury Energy Coordinator Laura Asermily.

"I think if you looked at a lot of people doing this it could make a huge difference," says Webster.

The Town Clerk's office is the only department in the building moving to a four-day work week, but the employees inside this office envision a day when the whole building will be closed on Fridays.

Webster says two of her assistants will save a combined $700 a year in fuel costs-- both commute to Middlebury from nearby towns.

She also hopes the change will cut down on energy costs for the town. All computers, printers, and other electronic devices will be turned off Friday through Sunday.

"They realize it will be limited because you don't have all the offices on a four-day work week, but they'll test it and see what the results are," explains Asermily.

This summer is just a trial run. Webster thinks most people will appreciate the longer hours Monday through Thursday, but wants to gauge public reaction before instituting a permanent four-day work week. "I'm more concerned about the everyday citizen who wonders in expecting you're open and if you're not, can we meet their needs?"

And it's a pilot program that many towns will likely be watching, as energy costs continue to soar.