SCDOT to Continue Four-Day Work Week Schedule Beyond the Summer Pilot Program

The following press release was submitted to wspa.com on Wednesday:

Transportation Secretary H.B. Limehouse Jr. has announced that the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) will allow employees to continue working extended hours on a four-day work schedule. The announcement was made to SCDOT staff on Wednesday August 13. Employees who did not opt for the four-day week during the summer can now enroll in the program. SCDOT began a summer pilot program on June 16, 2008 to give employees the opportunity to reduce fuel costs for commuting to work. At that time, 575 SCDOT workers signed up, with more enrolling later in June.

Secretary Limehouse said the four-day work week program has become popular among the employees. “The pilot program has proved to be successful because employee morale has gone to higher levels. Employees who are on the four-day schedule tell us they accomplish much more during the early morning hours before the traditional workday gets started and they can finish more tasks in the late afternoon hours while avoiding rush hour traffic,” said Limehouse.

Limehouse said the decision to extend the program now rather than wait until the pilot program ended on August 29 was an easy decision to make. “Many of the employees working four-day weeks have already expressed an interest in continuing the schedule. The school year will begin shortly, so we felt it was important to allow employees with children to get their work and home schedules set before schools open,” Limehouse said. The SCDOT Human Resources Office is currently conducting a survey to determine how many employees have elected to remain in the program and how many employees are signing up for the first time.

SCDOT will continue to operate Monday through Friday as usual, but employees enrolled in the program will work a four-day per-week schedule, typically from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Schedules will continue to be staggered so that services can be provided five days per week.

Limehouse cited other factors that benefit both SCDOT employees and the public:
·The extended work days will allow workers to commute to and from work before and after peak rush hour times.
·Fewer cars on the roads will reduce congestion, which saves fuel consumption for everyone.
·Reduced congestion has proved to increase the safety on the highways.
·A reduction in congested, stop-and-go traffic also reduces emissions that damage air quality, particularly during warm-weather months when “ozone alerts” that indicate immediate air quality problems are possible.

Limehouse also supports the four-day work schedule because it provides SCDOT employees with opportunities to spend more quality time with their families, and to perform volunteer work for their neighborhoods, communities, schools and churches.