Fairfax County (web|news) officials are considering a four-day workweek for county employees.
Fairfax County employee Brian Hamilton says he has always clocked at least a five-day work week in the 20 years he's been working. With high gas prices and heavy traffic, he's now interested in more options.
"With the right kind of overlap," Hamilton says, "the services won't be affected to the citizens."
The change could cut pollution and save workers and the government money, but some are concerned about how the county will maintain the quality of services.
Figuring out if the four-day work week is viable will be a complicated equation for the county. As it is, Fairfax County already has flexible work hours and telecommuting for many workers. " We have four different offices, each one of us works in the closest office at least one day a week," said county employee Ibrahim Muhamed.
Public safety and education are a couple of categories in county government that won't be considered for four tens, most taxpayers say as long as services aren't compromised, it might be a money saver. The county employs more than 17,500 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees.
Arlington County officials are considering similar steps. In Montgomery County (web|news), officials debated unpaid time off for employees around the holidays, but the proposal did not take off.
Fairfax officials expect to debate the issue later in the year.
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