'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
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.