Fountain Valley City Hall may move to a four-day work week

A four-day work week could be in the offing for employees at Fountain Valley City Hall, as the City Council showed majority support for a pilot program adjusting the work schedule for city employees.

The proposed changes would promote the goal of attracting and retaining quality staff, city officials said during a study session on March 19.

City employees would work four days a week, 10 hours per day. City Hall would be closed every Friday, although its operating hours would be extended to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday through Thursday.

“We would be closing our doors every Friday,” said Meghan Wishner, a management analyst for the city. “However, we would be [staying open] one hour later Monday through Thursday, which would give individuals who may work an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. [shift] the opportunity to come in and visit City Hall past that 5 o’clock hour.”

City Hall is currently open to the public every other Friday.

Wishner added that 77% of eligible city staff expressed an interest in the four-day, 10-hours-per-day pilot program. That sampling did not include a dozen employees who did not respond to the survey. An additional six employees were not considered eligible because they were temporary members of the municipal workforce.

“We would plan to roll out the pilot program soon after the new fiscal year begins on July 1 and once labor negotiations have concluded,” Wishner said ahead of seeking direction from the City Council.

Council members expressed a willingness to go forward with a six-month trial of the new work schedule at City Hall, albeit with some concern of how to best serve residents.

“I want to serve the public, and in serving the public, we can’t do this if we’re closed every Friday,” Councilwoman Kim Constantine said. “... Can we not work out schedules to schedule the employees four [days]-10 [hours] and still be open on Fridays? Just have everything where we have coverage, and those who want to do the four [days]-10 [hours] can do that.”

If implemented, the new work schedule would mirror the hours for the city yard, as well as administration for the fire and police departments, city officials added.

“As far as code enforcement goes, I believe that they will still flex the schedule for code enforcement officers,” Wishner said. “They will still be able to enforce the code Monday through Saturday, as they do currently.”

Vice Mayor Ted Bui suggested that a box ought to be put outside during the trial period, allowing the public to record their visit and weigh in on the impact of City Hall being closed on Fridays.

Mayor Glenn Grandis also requested that another survey of city employees be conducted at the midway point of the pilot program.