TUMWATER, Wash. — Some Tumwater city employees will soon be working a four-day week as part of a new plan the city hopes will improve the workplace while saving taxpayers money.
The option was offered to 133 non-union city employees. Twenty-eight employees accepted by the end of October, or about 21%.
Their new schedules are set to begin in January.
“There’s definitely a level of excitement and nervousness. You know, all the emotions that come with any significant change,” said Tumwater City Administrator Paul Simmons. “But I’m excited to try something different, he said.
There is a trade-off for employees who choose the shorter workweek. They will have to forgo cost-of-living raises for at least two years, as well as part of the raise in the third year. (For example, forgoing a 4% raise this year, 4% next year, and 2% in year three, adding up to the city’s goal of 10% savings on wages for an employee who works 32 hours.)
Simmons said the city has been working on the plan since January as it faced both budget and recruiting challenges.
As a midsized city, Tumwater struggled to compete with salaries offered by larger nearby cities. City leaders began considering a four-day workweek as another way to attract and retain employees.
Simmons said officials looked at similar efforts in San Juan County, Washington, and Golden, Colorado, as they developed Tumwater’s plan.
San Juan County made its four-day workweek permanent this year following a successful two-year trial. The county said the plan saved $2 million over two years.
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