OTC fights rising gas prices with four-day workweek

OTC employees have the option to work a summer schedule of four 10-hour days each week, instead of the standard five eight-hour days. The changed schedule would eliminate one round-trip commute for employees.

“We have faculty and staff that travel from all over southwest Missouri to our various locations, and the commute becomes an issue when we’re paying so much for gas,” OTC President Hal Higdon said in a news release.

The national average for a gallon of gas as of May 14 was $3.10, up 15.6 cents from the same time a year ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As gas inventories are likely to remain low, retail prices are expected to stay close to $3 per gallon this summer, according to the EIA.