Saint John to introduce four-day work week, city offices to close on Fridays
![Saint John Saint John](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2022/8/19/saint-john-1-6034816-1660946739676.png)
The City of Saint John is introducing a four-day compressed work week for most employees, following unanimous approval from city councillors.
The change will take effect Oct. 17 and will see most municipal offices closed Friday through Sunday.
The city says morning and evening hours will be extended at its Customer Service Centre and One Stop Development Shop, Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The current hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Specific municipal services and facilities, including the City Market, recreational locations, public works, transit, and parking enforcement will continue to operate as usual, according to city manager John Collin.
“We’ve gone this way because we’re focused on helping our employees with the best possible work conditions,” says Collin.
The compressed work week plan is part of a one-year pilot project for an unspecified number of employees. Collin says compressed work week policies from around the world were researched beforehand with a focus on employee recruitment and retention.
“The literature is very clear,” says Collin. “Almost everybody without exception has said that it has been beneficial and they wish they would’ve done it years ago. I’m quite optimistic we’ll get the same result.”
Several other four-day trial and pilot projects are reporting success.
The world’s largest UK-based four-day work week experiment, which includes approximately 3,300 workers across 70 different companies, is showing positive results at its halfway point.
The CEO of a Toronto tech company says early-results from their company’s four-day work week trial, which began in June for 500 employees, has shown employees are “clearly happier.”
Four-day work week trials are also underway in Quispamsis, Riverview, and Sackville.
The City of Saint John says people shouldn’t notice any other changes to service, other than different hours at its Customer Service Centre and One Stop Development Shop.
“I think it’s good, but it’s going to be a lot of paperwork to condition people that Friday’s are going to be closed,” says Janice Buckley.
“Most stuff is done online now,” says Amanda Beckham. “And honestly, how often do you go to those offices? Maybe once every 10 years.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6940954.1719356980!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Smith tells Trudeau Alberta will opt out of federal dental plan
Alberta is opting out of the federal dental plan, the premier told the Canadian government late Tuesday afternoon.
One of Canada's most popular vehicles recalled over transmission issue; 95,000 impacted
One of the country's most popular vehicles is being recalled in Canada due to a transmission issue that may impact tens of thousands of drivers.
WikiLeaks' Assange pleads guilty in deal with U.S. that secures his freedom, ends legal fight
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has pleaded guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that secures his liberty and concludes a drawn-out legal saga that raised divisive questions about press freedom and national security.
'We need to regroup,' says Liberal minister and Ontario campaign co-chair in light of byelection loss
A member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet and the party's Ontario co-chair for the next campaign says the Liberals 'need to regroup' after a shocking overnight byelection loss to Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives.
Pre-med students can't take MCAT in Quebec because of Bill 96
Areeba Ahmed says she's always dreamed of becoming a surgeon but her road to the operating room has become a complicated one ever since Quebec's French language law came into effect.
Protesters try to topple Queen Victoria statue near pro-Palestinian encampment in Montreal
Montreal police were called to intervene after protesters attempted to tear down the Queen Victoria statue at Victoria Square.
Cup Noodles serves up notoriously poisonous pufferfish
Pufferfish is regarded as a luxury in Japan and a meal featuring the potentially poisonous delicacy can easily cost up to 20,000 yen (US$125) at high-end restaurants.
'Truly a great British Columbian': Former B.C. premier John Horgan has cancer again
Former B.C. premier and current Canadian ambassador to Germany John Horgan has been diagnosed with cancer for a third time.
New experience in Halifax gets people up close and personal to the ocean's most feared predator
Atlantic Shark Expeditions launched a new shark cage experience which gives brave attendees a chance to get up close and personal with the oceans most feared predator.