President Black has recently offered faculty and staff the option for a revised work week schedule, in hopes of reducing travel costs. According to a memo sent from Dr. Black to faculty and staff, available options include: “Work four extended days per week (e.g., Four ten-hour days if one works 40 hours per week); or work from home up to eight hours per-week; or work off peak hours.”
The schedule changes are intended only for full-time staff, administration and non-teaching faculty.
According to the memo from Dr. Black, “The desired outcomes are financial relief (reduction of transportation costs by 20%) for our employees, if possible and conservation of resources.”
Employees such as Joy Dlugosz, Reader Services Librarian, may benefit from the chance to avoid commutes once a week. Dlugosz drives 34 miles to and from the university every day, and while the ten-hour work day option would not be feasible for her, she is interested in the possibility of working from home one day a week. “I would definitely opt to do that,” Dlugosz said.
For Technical Services Librarian Jonathan Beasely, the four-day work schedule holds little appeal. “I’m not interested in it,” Beasely said. “I certainly thought about it, but it would mean four very long days.” Beasely says his job would not allow him to accomplish enough work in an eight-hour day at home, unlike Information Services Librarian Mark Puterbaugh who plans on taking advantage of the opportunity.
“I’m all for it,” Puterbaugh said. “I work from home already.”
Puterbaugh does not save on gas costs by working at home, but he avoids a daily one-and-a-half hour commute by bus and train.
Mimi VanBueren, Student Development Clerical Assistant, thinks the revised work week is a good idea, but she does not qualify to use it.
“I live less than a mile away from school,” VanBueren said. “Most of the time I walk.”
The option of changing the work week has been in effect since June 30.