Hoyer seeks more information on flexible work schedules

The House majority leader on Friday sent a letter to the Office of Personnel Management asking for more thorough information about the feasibility of establishing a four-day workweek for federal employees.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., asked OPM acting Director Michael Hager to provide agency-by-agency statistics on how many federal employees would be eligible for flexible work schedules or are currently working under such arrangements. "This detailed information … will be essential as Congress reviews federal workplace policy to cope with economic realities that affect us all," Hoyer wrote.

The majority leader's request came in response to an Aug. 29 letter in which Hager argued that mandating a four-day, 40-hour workweek for federal employees would hurt the government's ability to provide essential services and weaken national security. The OPM chief also said agencies already have adequate workplace flexibilities, noting that more than half of federal employees have some type of flexible arrangement.

But Hoyer indicated on Friday that OPM misunderstood the four-day workweek proposal. He clarified that the compressed workweek would not extend to jobs that require daily face-to-face interaction.

"It is not my intention to mandate a four-day, 10-hour [a day] workweek for all federal employees," he said. "However, it is my belief that a significant number of employees, if given the opportunity to work such a schedule, would readily accept it."

Hoyer said his proposal would take about 20 percent of federal employees off the roads on any given weekday, generating significant savings for U.S. taxpayers without a drop in productivity or a decrease in service. He also noted that several local and state governments already have moved to compressed weeks. Utah, for instance, closes its state offices on Fridays.

"The federal government has a responsibility to seriously examine all options to lower commuting costs for its employees, reduce energy consumption and save money," Hoyer wrote. "This should be one of them."

Hoyer also pointed to joint efforts with Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., to expand telework options for federal employees. But, he added, the "efforts to bring flexibility to the 21st century federal worker have consistently been met with significant opposition from managers who cling tightly to the historic ideas of workplace supervision and organization."