Windham explores possibility of four-day workweek for employees

By Ed Pierce

The Town of Windham is looking into creating a four-day workweek for town hall employees and discussed the idea during a Windham Town Council workshop on Tuesday evening.

Members of the Windham Town Council discuss moving 
town employees to a four-day workweek schedule during
a council workshop on Tuesday evening. The proposal will
be taken up later in the year by the council.
COURTESY PHOTO

Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts told councilors that the idea would bring Windham into accord with what some nearby towns in Cumberland County are doing.

“So, in looking at the various challenges for work environments and finding the right avenue to be of better service to our residents but also provide opportunities for staff to work their schedules slightly different, we have taken a close look at a four-day workweek approach,” Tibbetts said.

According to Tibbetts, discussions have been held with staff about the feasibility of having the Windham Town Hall open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Currently the Windham Town Hall is open for services between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

He said all town hall employees would maintain 40-hour schedules of work hours and would adjust duty schedules to move to a four-day workweek.

“The staff think it’s a good thing for us to be competitive with other communities,” Tibbetts said.

In the past decade, Windham has offered a variety of services found at town hall online, he said.

“Each office at Town Hall would look to be properly staffed at core times, but departments would have to evaluate how to make this work if we adopted a four-day workweek,” Tibbetts said.

He told the council that some Windham departments, such as police and fire work entirely different schedules and would not follow the four-day workweek schedule if the proposal is adopted. Tibbetts said the same would apply for Windham Public Library employees, who operate on a six-day staggered schedule.

“It is my understanding that Windham went to a four-day workweek about 10 years ago but for some reason went away from it,” Tibbetts said. “The staff are ready to do it and try it again though.”

If the four-day workweek proposal is adopted by the council, Tibbetts said it would take a minimum of six to eight weeks before it could be implemented.

“We would have to allow time to educate the community about the new hours,” he said.

Not all councilors expressed support for the potential change.

“We’re here for services and it’s important for us to offer as many services as we can,” said Councilor Nick Kalogerakis. “I’m torn, but we need to be available as much as we can.”

Councilor Bill Reiner said he’s concerned about what would happen if a resident needed services and found the town hall closed on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and then for a legal holiday on a Monday.

“That’s four consecutive days we would be closed,” Reiner said. “Not everything can be done online. The long, extended weekends would be a problem.”

Reiner said be more in favor of the four-day workweek if it included early or late starts or possibly some employees available for shortened hours on Fridays, such being open to noon that day.

Councilor John Henry also expressed some reservations about Windham Town Hall always being closed on Fridays. He suggested exploring other days during the week could be considered, when fewer residents visit town departments for services.

Councilor David Nadeau said he recently read a newspaper article about how many towns and cities across America have adopted the four-day workweek for public and municipal employees and the transition has gone smoothly.

Tibbetts told councilors that he would further study the proposal and bring the concept back to a regular meeting of the council and possible vote later this year. <