Monica Porter, 46, spends Fridays at home for a simple reason: to save money on gas.

Porter, an administrative aide in the Howard County State's Attorney's Office who lives a 20-minute drive from work in Baltimore County's Windsor Mill, opted in July to work a four-day work week because she wanted to spend less money driving to and from work.

"I stay home because gas is too high," Porter said.

Porter is one of about 30 employees in the State's Attorney's Office -- about three-quarters of the support staff -- who have opted to work four days a week rather than the traditional five, according to Wayne Kirwan a spokesman for Howard County State's Attorney Dario Broccolino.

Broccolino said he implemented the policy in his department after County Executive Kenneth Ulman issued a directive allowing a more flexible work schedule for some county employees.

"Quite frankly, a couple of people had been asking to do that, and I didn't want to go against county policies. So, I put it off to the side," he said. "When the county executive suggested it, I thought this would be a good time."

Before July, employees in the State's Attorney's Office worked 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with one hour off for lunch, five days a week. Now, employees working a four-day week are in the office from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and take half-hour lunch breaks, according to Kirwan.

The office's support staff, eligible for the flexible hours, includes secretaries, administrative assistants, paralegals and investigators, Kirwan said.

Prosecutors in the office are not eligible for the altered work schedule.

"What happens with the attorneys is still dictated by the court schedule," Kirwan explained.

Not every employee who opts for the flexible schedule is allowed to take off Fridays or Mondays and enjoy a three-day weekend. The more senior staff get to take off one of those days, while less senior staff must take a different day off, Kirwan said.

One side benefit of the flexible schedule is that the state's attorney's office is now open longer hours. Kirwan said phones are now staffed from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, not just 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Broccolino said the longer hours have enabled his staff to take calls they might have missed before.

"The nature of what we do here is oftentimes people don't want to leave a message, they want to speak to a real person," Broccolino said. "It's kind of confidential, they're kind of worried about who might hear it."

For Porter, getting off work after rush hour also means a shorter commute to the gymnastics class she teaches in Annapolis Junction some weekday evenings.

"When I leave at 6 o'clock, it's smooth sailing," she said.

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