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Flextime for state workers would save money, gas, lawmaker says Wednesday, May 14, 2008 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Allowing state employees who travel long distances to their jobs to work four days a week instead of five would help them with the hardship of skyrocketing gas prices, a state senator said Tuesday. Sen. Tracy Steele, D-North Little Rock, said he plans to ask the Legislative Council on Friday to allow legislative researchers to study the possibility of reducing the number of days some state employees work each week. "This will target those who drive a long distance," Steele said. "This would ask the research bureau to get the numbers and ... we could determine where to draw the line, if it's 30 miles, 40 miles, 50 miles, whatever the case." Former Gov. Mike Huckabee in 1997 issued a directive allowing state agencies to develop their own flextime policies. Gov. Mike Beebe kept the policy when he succeeded Huckabee in 2007. Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said Tuesday the governor likes the current policy but would is willing to look at any proposal Steele develops. Steele said his proposal would tighten the current policy and allow the flextime for just those employees who live at least a certain number of miles from work. He said he envisions allowing employees to work four 10-hour days a week, as long as the department or agency is adequately staffed during regular weekday business hours. Three state agencies already had flex time policies that have been approved by Beebe, DeCample said. Last summer, the state Department of Education instituted a flextime policy for eight weeks, during which employees could work four-day weeks at 10 hours each day, as long as their offices were fully staffed during the entire five-day work week, department spokeswoman Julie Thompson said. She said employees reported driving less improved morale and saved them money. "It also was good because with the flextime there were some people at work at 7 a.m. and some people in the office until 6 p.m.," Thompson said. More than 50 percent of the department's employees participated, and the department has submitted a similar request for this summer, she said. The Department of Correction has received flextime permission for one employee, and the state Board of Cosmetology also has received approval for flextime for its staff, DeCample said. |
