LAKEWOOD — Wouldn't you love your job a bit more if Mondays didn't exist?

This fall, Lindsay Taft expects to scrap Monday from her workweek as an employee at Georgian Court University. Instead of working 35 hours total over the course of five days, she'll squeeze the same amount of work into four longer days.

"I'm looking forward to having the extra day," Taft, office manager for the Office of Institutional Advancement, told New Jersey 101.5.

GCU has announced that it will become the first higher-ed institution in New Jersey and one of just a few countrywide to introduce a four-day workweek year-round.

The private institution already runs on a four-day week over the summer — the university is closed on Fridays — but will now open up the option to full- and part-time staffers for the fall 2022 semester.

“Universities in Europe have been offering these kinds of work-life balance programs to their employees for years,” said GCU President Joseph Marbach. “GCU is proud to be leading the effort in New Jersey to make this kind of commitment to attract and keep the best and brightest employees, and to find ways to improve the university experience for our entire community.”

The idea came to light as part of a staff roundtable that meets every few months. Employees were trying to come up with benefits that aren't necessarily monetary but are still worth a lot to the average worker.

"We anticipate a large portion of our community taking part in this compressed workweek," Taft said.

The university will still be operational five days per week; different departments will decide how they want to spread days off among workers or whether they can close shop for the same day each week.

According to the university, the four-day option will be available to some 220 staff members. An eligible employee who wants the perk can get it, but schedule approval from their supervisor is needed.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

UP NEXT: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

New Jersey's license plate designs through the years

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM