In May 2007, gas prices in the St. Louis area rose to nearly $4 per gallon. While this may not seem like a big deal to our friends on the East and West coasts, the sudden surge in gas prices broke what St. Louisans consider the cost of living. Especially jWebbers.
Our headquarters in St. Charles offers a good half way point between our various employees, but some jWebbers drive as much as 66 miles a day. As a result, jWeb co-owners Jim and Amy decided to install a 4 day work week in the summer.
How It Works
This schedule gives everyone 3 day weekends throughout the summer months. By working 8am to 6pm instead of 9am to 5pm, we still putting in the same number of hours as we would in a typical 5 day work week.
Short Work Week Benefits
You may have heard of the many benefits of the 4 day work week that employees have experienced around the world, but the ones that affect jWebbers most are:
- Saving gas: In addition skipping a day of driving, our extended work hours mean we avoid rush hour. Less sitting in traffic = less gas used.
- Prolonging our cars’ lifespans: Excessive driving means heavy mileage, worn tires and brakes, and generally more maintenance responsibilities. Driving less helps are cars last longer.
- General morale: Summers are a popular time for travel and outdoor activities. By having an extra day, employees are less antsy during the work day from having more time on the weekends for adventures or relaxation.
Summers Only
Our 4 day work weeks are limited to summers only. As a small company, shorter weeks don’t work for us year round. Instead, we treat summer hours as an extra perk for working at jWeb.
Not Mandatory
jWeb’s summer hours are completely optional. If employees don’t live far from headquarters or they prefer working seven hour days instead of ten, they may not want participate in summer hours. As of this year, however, all our employees are happily opting in.