WASHINGTON, USA - Skyrocketing energy costs have fuelled fresh interest in the four-day workweek across the United States as a means to help workers as well as employers cope with the surge.

In Birmingham, Alabama, city officials decided to implement a four-day week starting July 1 for 2,400 municipal employees and later, for 1,000 police and firefighters.

The move, allowing employees to work four 10-hour days, may save up to US$1 million (RM3.3 million) annually in fuel costs alone for the employees, according to April Odom, director of communications for the mayor's office in the city of 242,000 people.

"Our employees are excited and ready to start today," Odom said.

"Our biggest motivation was to give our employees a cost savings due to petrol prices here. But it will also give parents an extra day with their children and save on day care costs."
In Maynard, Minnesota, the MacCray school district will start a four-day week for the school year, saving around one per cent of its budget, mainly from transportation costs.

"We were going out for transportation quotes and the difference between the four-day and five-day school week was US$55,000," superintendent Greg Schmidt said.

The shift will mean 149 school days instead of 172, but each day will include an extra 65 minutes for instruction.

At the elementary school level, he said "there are some teachers worried about the long days for (younger) kids."

On the other hand, he said, "the majority of high school students like the idea. A lot of these kids work, so it gives them an extra day".

Petrol costs have surged to around US$4 a gallon in much of the US, up some 30 per cent from a year ago.

The compressed four-day week is among many options being used by employees and employers in the US, including telecommuting and carpooling, to keep transportation costs down.

A survey last year by the Society of Human Resource Management found 38 per cent of companies offering a compressed workweek for some employees as part of flexible work benefits.

The US government for years has allowed some employees to work a compressed schedule. Many local governments are also studying these options.

Meanwhile, consulting firm Robert Half International, in a survey released last month, said 44 per cent of professionals interviewed said higher petrol prices have affected their commutes, with many changing their work plans.

The changes include carpooling, using more fuel-efficient cars or telecommuting. Some 26 per cent said they were working fewer days of the week to trim commuting costs.

A survey by consultancy Challenger Gray & Christmas found the most popular programme, utilised by 23 per cent of companies, is a condensed workweek, which typically consists of four 10-hour days.