'It's just been a win-win': More Maritime municipalities are trying out a 4-day workweek
More Maritime municipalities are testing a four-day workweek to see if working fewer days can help boost workplace morale and productivity.
The Town of Quispamsis in New Brunswick will be piloting its four-day workweek for its employees starting next month.
"The five-day workweek, you might argue, is a bit of an antiqued notion, and why not give it a try and see if we can be just as efficient, as effective, through four days of the week than through five, and I think that we can," said Aaron Kennedy, the acting CAO of the Town of Quispamsis.
The town’s pilot project will run for 24 weeks, beginning May 1 and ending in the middle of October.
"We're excited about the opportunity to see what will unfold," said Kennedy.
"So, we've basically broken up our municipal staff into two teams. One team will work Monday to Thursday, the other team will work Tuesday to Friday, and then we'll flip."
Michelle Child, who works for the Town of Quispamsis, says she's pleased with the pilot project and what it could mean for her.
"I think anybody with a family, especially, I mean, I have three children, so it's going to be nice to have that extra time with them," she said. "I think all around, it's going to work out well."
And the Town of Quispamsis isn't alone. Sackville, N.B., is also considering moving to a four-day workweek.
"I think, sometimes, you need to take a step back and look a little inward at your workforce and lead by example," said Jamie Burke, the CAO of the Town of Sackville.
"Show them that the work they do is important, and I think this is one program we can try and see if it can be a win-win all around."
In Nova Scotia, the Municipality of the District of Guysborough has made its four-day workweek pilot program permanent.
"Honestly, it's been an uplift in the workplace. Our sick leave has fallen dramatically, the sick-leave numbers, and it's just been a win-win," said Municipality of the District of Guysborough CAO Barry Carroll.
Carroll says, while sick leave has gone down, he believes productivity has gone up.
He says the new program has attracted attention from across Canada and even internationally.
"We're done interviews with BBC, we've had some conversations with communities in Scotland, but certainly right across Canada and some in the U.S. have contacted us," he said.
"And I'll tell you, a lot of those come back to us afterward and say we now have the four-day workweek."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'We have no judge for you': Man's assault charges dropped weeks before trial due to lack of judges in Toronto
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.