Lingle gifts state workers with extra 8 hours off

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

State employees are getting a bonus from Gov. Linda Lingle this holiday season - what adds up to a bonus day off, to be exact.

Last year, Lingle did not give state employees the holiday bonus, but she issued an executive memorandum to state agencies last week granting full-time, salaried workers eight hours off during the holiday season - four hours each on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, or the entire day off on one of them.

The edict is not expected to affect state services to the public. In fact, Lingle asked that those in agencies with a lot of foot traffic find another day to take the paid leave, to ensure the public is not inconvenienced.

Lingle's decision restarts an on-and-off tradition that dates back years but has not been in place at the state level since 1998, according to Kathleen Watanabe, the state's director of human resources.

"It's amazing what a morale booster this is," Watanabe said. "It really does a lot for the employees."

Former Gov. John Waihee allowed for the half-days off during his tenure as governor, from 1986 to 1994. Former Gov. Ben Cayetano allowed the bonus time only in three of his eight years in office. Lingle, who was sworn in early last December, cited budgetary reasons for not allowing the time off in her first go-around, Watanabe said.

In her memo, Lingle said she was granting the leave this year "in recognition of the loyal and faithful service of our public employees and in keeping with the spirit of the holiday season." The memo applies to salaried employees, who make up the bulk of the state's 45,000-plus work force, not those paid on an hourly basis.

At the state Bureau of Conveyances, among the busiest government agencies this time of year as property owners complete land transactions for accounting or tax reasons, 80 percent of the staff likely will defer their bonus day until the new year, said Carl Watanabe, state registrar of conveyances. "We'll keep staff on to ensure that recordings aren't delayed," he said.

Lynn Masumoto, administrator for the public libraries branch, said each of the state's libraries would adjust its schedule to reflect the needs of individual branches. Some employees will take off Christmas Eve, some on New Year's Eve, and some will take half days, she said. Libraries will be open until 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and operate with reduced staff, she said, but past practice has shown fewer patrons on those days.

Randy Perreira, deputy director of the Hawai'i Government Employees Association, applauded Lingle's decision. "The governor's come to realize that her work force has been really stressed and working under difficult situations," he said. Most government agencies have shrunk their staffs in recent years, while employee workloads and public expectations have remained high, he said.

Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris also has chosen to give city employees four hours off on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, said Harris spokeswoman Carol Costa.

Last year, city workers had the option of taking four hours off on one of the two days. In previous years under Harris, city workers had both half days off in 1996-98 and 2001, but not in 1994-95 or 1999-2000.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.