Starting in August, thousands of Utahns will begin enjoying mandatory three-day weekends. Some 17,000 government employees will switch to a compressed workweek — four days a week, 10 hours a day — as the state undergoes a yearlong experiment aimed at reducing energy and fuel costs as well as greenhouse-gas emissions. While employees of various U.S. counties and cities mandate a shortened week, Utah will be the first state to instigate such a program. About one-third of the state’s 3,000 government buildings will be closed on Fridays, and savings on heat and air conditioning are expected to hit $3 million a year. The state also expects to save on gas in government vehicles and on flak from cranky commuters. Despite some concerns about transportation schedules, child care, and public access to information, says Gov. Jon Huntsman (R), “The reaction (from the public) has been very much a willingness to give this a go.”
