The City of Morgantown will begin a focused four-day workweek pilot program for most of its employees beginning July 6.
Employees participating in the pilot program will work four 10-hour days each week from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. City administrative offices will be closed on Fridays.
”Over the last two months, two things have become increasingly apparent,” said Interim City Manager Emily Muzzarelli. “The first is just how important it is to spend time with family. The second is that there is always room for improvement in how we provide services to our customers. By transitioning our schedules during this pilot program, we can provide extended hours to residents, businesses, and contractors while allowing our employees to spend more time at home with their families.”
For the past several months, city administration has conducted research on the focused workweek. Staff contacted other municipalities that operate on the four-day schedule to find out why they transitioned, what were the benefits and challenges, and if the transition was successful. City employees were also asked to take part in a survey which was used to identify potential benefits and challenges for each department.
The idea of a focused workweek was brought forward by city staff as a way to save costs, improve employee productivity and help create a better work/life balance in employee’s lives. There is also no cost to the city to conduct the pilot program.
Citizens will also benefit from the focused workweek through improved customer service. City buildings will be open longer for public access Monday through Thursday. This means that citizens will be able to conduct business with the city outside of regular work hours.
The focused workweek pilot program is planned for an initial one-year trial. The pilot program will begin July 6, 2020 and end, if not extended or modified, June 30, 2021. The program will be evaluated throughout the year to determine whether it will be made permanent.
The focused workweek pilot program will affect employees in Code Enforcement, Finance, Municipal Court, Information Technology, Arts and Culture, Human Resources, City Clerk, Development Services, Engineering, Communications, Urban Landscape, Public Works, City Manager’s Office, and the administrative offices for the Morgantown Police Department and BOPARC.