Text-Only Version
Deb Neuman, Director, Target
Technology Incubator: "Many businesses are really looking at how
they work in terms of the number of hours that they work, and
reducing their work hours. More and more companies are really
looking at, "Can we go to a four-day work week, or perhaps we have
to be open five days, but do we have to be open eight hours?" Could
we go from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.? That way, if
you go from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., you save 10 hours a week in energy
costs, heating the office, heating the building, lights, etc. It's
interesting as well that many employees say this is great--it's a
benefit for them, it's an advantage for them to have that extra day
a week or those extra hours each day to take care of those personal
needs that are very difficult during a regular 8 a.m. - 5 p.m, or 9
a.m. - 5 p.m. work day. Another interesting point about this is that
many employees--and this is very true for many businesses in
Maine--travel a very long distance to get to the job--many a half
hour, an hour or more. So, that means for them that there's one a
day week that they don't have to make that drive--it's better for
the environment, it's win-win for everybody. We're also beginning to
see--and we'll continue to see--employers and small businesses being
a lot more flexible in terms of telecommuting time so people don't
have to come into the office every day. Employers are starting to
offer gas cards and assist their employees with that expense of
getting to work, and in Maine, again, it's a particular issue
because our workforce is very rural and many people are driving from
Millinocket to work in Bangor, or the coast to work in Bangor, or
Bangor to work on the coast, so smart employers and smart businesses
are recognizing that and saying, "Hey, we want you to come work for
us, and we know that's an hour drive for you each way. That's two
hours a day. We're going to help offset that expense for you if
you'll come work for our business." I think we're going to see more
and more of that happening. Another tip is to really think about
your business travel and try to reduce that as much as possible. I
know, personally, if I've been asked to come to a meeting two hours
from here, I will try to do it either by phone or, if I have to go,
set up other meetings while I'm down there. So, make your travel
more efficient and try to reduce the time on the road."
