Saint John to introduce four-day work week, city offices to close on Fridays
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
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Closing arguments heard in trial for Sask. dad accused of abducting daughter
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.