Roughly one-third of Boulder County offices and departments will try out a Monday through Thursday extended schedule, starting Jan. 4. The new arrangement affects administrative, planning and non-emergency walk-in services through at least the first four months of the year, according to a news release.
While each of the six — out of a total of 19 — participating offices and departments will have some scheduling discretion in continuing a minimum 40-hour week for full-time employees, the intention of the pilot is to test out a Monday through Thursday schedule with no public services available on Fridays, the release states.
Law enforcement, public safety, 20th Judicial District courts, emergency services, snow removal, and other 24/7 operations will continue as usual, according to the release.
Officials will measure the impact of the pilot program on employee productivity, public satisfaction and cost savings. At the end of April, the county will look at data and feedback from participating departments and determine next steps.
“One of the surprising benefits coming from COVID-19 closure of public buildings is that Boulder County has been able to give residents more options for accessing many public services, which don’t require driving to physical offices during specific business hours,” Michelle Krezek, chief of staff for the Boulder County Commissioners’ Office, stated in the release. “These changes have also allowed us to rethink how our employees provide these services, which allows for expanded access for the public, cost savings for the taxpayers, and potentially, a better working environment for our employees.”
Participating offices and departments will increase “open” hours Monday through Thursday, according to the release. Since many county walk-in services have been replaced temporarily with remote services because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the offices and departments participating in the pilot will be open for either remote public access by phone or email or in-person services from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The current schedule for most offices is 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Boulder County’s pilot program follows Jefferson and Adams counties’ adoption of the four-day workweek earlier in the year, the news release states.
In addition to the extended half-hour at the start and end of the work day, staff will have time outside of their public-facing hours to complete their workloads. For example, Motor Vehicle Division employees will have time out of “open hours” to return phone calls and reply to emails, the news release states.
The departments that plan to begin the pilot on Jan. 4 are:
- Assessor’s Office
- County commissioners
- Clerk and Recorder Office: Elections, Motor Vehicle and Recording divisions.
- Human Resources Department
- Community Planning & Permitting Department (starting Feb. 1)
- Public Works Department, including the Transportation and Resource Conservation divisions.
The four-day workweek plan could end at any time, and even with positive outcomes, the county could decide not to institute the four-day workweek on a permanent basis, according to the release.
