For many, the normal five-day week in the office or at school is becoming something of the past.

Businesses and schools are allowing telecommuting and four-day weeks to fight the rising gas prices and adapt to the current economic state.

A survey released last month by placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas revealed that 57 percent of the 100 polled employers were offering alternatives to help employees cope, CNN reported.

Replacements Ltd, a company located in Greensboro, N.C., that sells old and new china, silver and crystal, is just one example of an organization trying telecommuting, four 10-hour days, and organized carpools to save money.

Scott Hovey, the Web site manager of Replacements Ltd., telecommutes one day a week on a rotating schedule with his five other division employees. "This is a great example of taking hold of a great idea and it is paying off," said Hovey.

Telecommuting, which is on trial from Memorial Day to Labor Day, is done mainly in the technological departments of the company, where employees can easily work from home.

"This is a great benefit," Hovey said. "I avoid the evening and morning commutes. I have a family, and not having to commute gives me more time in the morning and allows me to help finish the morning routine with them."

Hovey's work quality has also benefited because "in some instances, there is less distraction, and I can get more quality work done when compared to sitting in an office where the phone could ring and you can get distracted," he said.

Hovey is not the only one happy with the company changes.

"Enthusiasm and excitement are very high. It has been very well received throughout the company," said Scott Fleming, president of Replacements Ltd.

There were only a few implementation problems, including the reliability of the phone center, which is used for daily check-ins.

"There were a few technological hiccups," said Fleming. "Not too bad ...but there are a few things to work on."

Fleming credits the willingness to try telecommuting on the progressive nature of the company and its interest in using innovative ideas to accommodate the needs of employees.

He said, "It isn't unusual for us to be innovative and think over new ideas to create a win-win situation for our company."

Utah Workers Have Four-Day Weeks

Private companies are not the only ones looking for new ideas to save money in the dismal economy. Some state and local governments are taking action as well.

Starting Aug. 4, 17,000 of Utah's government employees will have a mandatory four-day week.

In an effort to cut energy use, workers will put in 10-hour days Monday through Thursday, except for state police officers, prison guards, court employees and public university workers, wrote USA Today.

"One of the jokes is that one of the biggest benefits will be for golf courses," Ryan Walker, 49, an information technology director, told the Associated Press.

Gov. Jon Huntsman told USA Today that the change will help Utah reach its goal of reducing energy use by 20 percent by 2015 and is expected to save the state millions in energy costs.

Turning off the lights, the heat, and the air conditioning on Fridays in 1,000 of 3,000 government buildings will save about $3 million a year out of a state budget of $11 billion, according to the governor's spokeswoman, Lisa Roskelley. The state will also save on gasoline used by official vehicles, but authorities have not figured out how much.

Jacqueline Byers, director of research at the National Association of Counties, told USA Today that the four-day work week is also gaining popularity among other county governments. Marion County, Fla., has a mandatory four-day work week for employees; Oconee County, S.C., and Walworth County, Wis., have it for road work crews, while Will County, Ill., has it for the auditor's office. Oakland County, Mich., is seeking volunteers for a four-day work week, and Miami-Dade County, Fla., and Suffolk County, N.Y., are moving toward it, she said.

Other cities offering employees condensed work weeks include Coconut Creek, Fla., Birmingham, Ala., and Avondale, Ariz., according to the National League of Cities.

A Snow Day Every Week

Schools are also taking measures to save money on transportation, food, and electricity by proposing shortened weeks with longer days.

Voice of America, a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government, said schools in 12 states have already established shortened school weeks.

The MACCRAY school district in western Minnesota recently won approval for a four-day school week, starting with the upcoming school year.

MACCRAY is a rural 700-student school district that includes the communities of Maynard, Clara City and Raymond.

"We wouldn't do the four-day school week if we had money," MACCRAY Superintendent Greg Schmidt said in May. "With the state budget the way it is, there's just no hope right now."

Schmidt said in a KARE-TV news report that the MACCRAY schools would be closed on Mondays, while adding roughly an hour to the regular school day to make up for 23 lost Mondays.

Teacher salaries would not be impacted, but the district estimates it would save about $85,000 a year in costs for busing, heating, substitute teachers and school lunches.