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In the fall of 2023, the 32HWW was adopted to support the County in maintaining fiscal health in the face of rising wage and inflation pressure, improving employee recruitment and retention to strengthen the workforce, and prioritizing the well-being of islanders.
“We’re encouraged by the initial results of the 32-hour work week check-in,” said the County’s Interim County Manager Mark Tompkins. “However, we know that more data and more time with the schedule will be vital to understanding its true impacts on the organization. Six months is really just a drop in the bucket, and I look forward to seeing what the one-year and two-year check-ins will reveal.”
The three-year labor contract calls for regular check-ins at the six-month, one-year, and two-year marks. The County hosted a series of internal surveys, meetings, and interviews to collect data about the impacts of the 32HWW. Survey results and department findings are compiled into a comprehensive report available on the County’s Engage website. The results lay the groundwork for making systematic improvements as the County moves forward with the new schedule.
The report features key findings in four main areas: Fiscal Health, Employee Recruitment and Retention, Islander Wellness, and Evaluating County Operations. Highlights include:
Fiscal Health: During negotiations for the 2023-2025 labor contract, Union representatives requested increased cost-of-living adjustments and additional benefits that reflected the period of hyper-inflation that occurred beginning in the pandemic. The County calculates that Union-requested increases at a 40-hour work week would have amounted to an unsustainable budget difference of approximately $975,000 more than the 32HWW budget in 2024. The County continues to carefully analyze the financial implications of the 32HWW and develop other strategies to maintain fiscal health.
Recruitment and Retention: Since the implementation of the 32HWW, interest in County employment has dramatically increased. The number of applicants has spiked and the time it takes to fill positions has dropped by 62%. Data from the Department of Human Resources shows voluntary separations (quitting, retiring) have decreased by 46% between Q1 of 2023 vs Q1 of 2024, allowing the County to retain a skilled workforce.
Islander Wellness: San Juan County employees are generally supportive of the 32HWW, mentioning the positive impacts on their mental health and stress levels, the ability to spend time with family and children, and improved energy levels and physical health in survey responses. Even during respiratory illness season, employee timesheet data showed that employees used an average of 31% less sick time than before the 32HWW. See the full survey in Appendix II of the report.
Evaluating County Operations: Since implementing the 32HWW, the County has experienced little variation in its ability to deliver key programs and services. No staff positions or programs have been cut and public services are being maintained. Many departments continue their ‘on-call’ services and respond to after-hours needs. A list of department-specific key performance indicators is located in Appendix I of the report.
Evaluating County Operations: Employee timesheets show that a 20% reduction in hours for full-time employees (1.0 FTE) did not necessarily equate to 20% less hours worked across the organization. In fact, employee hours worked only dropped by an average of 8%, thanks to fewer vacancies and the continuous support of part-time staff whose hours were unchanged. The County will continue to monitor the total number of hours worked across the organization at the one-year and two-year milestones.
As one of the first Counties to adopt a 32HWW, there were few precedents to follow, and every department and office was met with its own set of challenges, including:
Adjusting to the new schedule (setting new office hours if needed, balancing employee schedules, coordinating with partner agencies and/or other departments)
Re-organizing priorities (reviewing yearly goals, re-evaluating staff training needs)
Sustaining front-desk / phone coverage (aligning staff schedules with customer service needs)
Maintaining productivity (identifying key deliverables, focusing on efficiency)
The transition to a 32HWW demands creative problem-solving, flexibility, and collaboration across the organization to address obstacles and maintain efficiencies. The County will continue to work toward solutions and adapt strategies based off the findings from this, and every other, check-in through 2025.
A 'six-month check-in' serves as a valuable interim assessment point, offering an opportunity to gauge progress, address any immediate concerns, and course-correct if necessary. The County also recognizes there’s much more to learn and improve upon.
That’s why the organization is working toward a final report at the two-year milestone. Over the course of two years, the 32HWW will be observed across multiple budget and project cycles, various seasonal workflows, new procedures, and staffing changes to more comprehensively understand its efficacy and sustainability.
In the meantime, the County will focus on increased communication, employee training and skills development, and establishing a team to integrate report findings into County operations.
By diligently monitoring the impacts of the new schedule, the County will adapt its strategies, address challenges, and optimize the benefits of the 32HWW.
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SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA August 22, 2023 - San Juan County is pleased to announce the adoption of a 32-hour work week for employees represented by AFSCME 1849. A large majority of the County’s employees are included in this bargaining unit, with the exception of the Sheriff’s Office and Management. This measure will support the County in maintaining fiscal health, improving employee recruitment and retention, and prioritizing the well-being of islanders.
Beginning on October 1, 2023, the County’s affected workforce will move to a 32-hour work week.
“The workplace of today is not the same workplace that existed even two years ago – retention, work-life balance, compensation, and remote work, are all issues the County and likely most employers must find a way to deal with in order to maintain a workforce,” said Mike Thomas, County Manager.
A 32-hour work week is an increasingly recognized approach to balancing employee and employer needs within the workplace. Studies show many positive impacts associated with a 32-hour work week, including high productivity, greater job satisfaction, less absenteeism, and greater recruitment and retention (UK Pilot Study in 2023). San Juan County is eager to enact this work week change to help ensure its success as an employer in a highly competitive municipal job market.
A changed schedule doesn’t come with a change in County services. As County employees move to a 32-hour work week, the following services will remain:
County offices will remain open to the public and hold regular hours of operation. Some departments may adjust their hours or close one day a week, but their hours of operation will be properly noticed and remain consistent once a new precedent is set.
The County will continue to provide the same services it does today.
The Sheriff’s Office and its services remain unimpacted, as do other emergency responses performed by the Departments of Emergency Management, Public Works, and Superior Court Services.
Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, the County has been grappling with rising service costs and wage pressure, supply chain issues, economic uncertainty, and the Islands’ high cost of housing. To stay within its current taxing authority, the County is taking the bold step of holding wages relatively constant but reducing the work week by 8 hours. This effectively gives the employee a sizeable increase in hourly wages.
“Asking the voters to increase taxes in the current economic climate is the path of last resort. There are other measures such as changing the work week that must be exercised first,” said Thomas.
This creative approach enables the County to live within its financial means and provides employees with the wage increase and schedule flexibility that island life demands. Learn more about how San Juan County is Maintaining Fiscal Responsibility by visiting the Engage page.
“It has always been challenging to recruit and retain workers in the San Juan Islands, due to how remote we are and the high cost of living here,” said Angie Baird, Director of Human Resources and Risk Management. “Today’s workforce insists on a better work/life balance. No other time in history has the workforce held this much power. San Juan County must respond to employee needs to remain a competitive employer.”
The County has been operating with a chronic 10-15% job vacancy rate across many key departments, making it difficult to meet deadlines, avoid employee burnout, and retain institutional knowledge. Furthermore, approximately 15% of San Juan County’s current workforce will hit retirement age or become eligible for retirement within the next three years. This workforce crisis is mirrored across the state and country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, thanks to the pandemic’s “Great Resignation.”
“We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘You can’t find anybody to do anything,’ from organizations and business owners – including many in the Islands,” said Baird. “Our local restaurants, retail shops, and other services have reduced hours, reduced staffing, or have gone out of business. The County is getting creative in how we strengthen our workforce, entice new employees, retain existing employees, and stay within our operating budget.”
Learn more about how San Juan County is working to Boost Recruitment by visiting the Engage page.
Distinguished Above the Rest
The Pandemic underscored the need for flexibility in the workplace – especially in the Islands. The 32-hour work week allows employees additional time and flexibility to take care of their personal and professional needs in a way that will not interrupt normal working hours and County operations. It is no longer tenable to offer employees pay and two weeks of vacation. New employees, especially Gen X and Z, are looking for employers that share the same values and who support the whole person – not just the employee.
“The 32-hour work week is both fiscally responsible and socially responsive. It takes into account a full-time, working islander’s way of life.” said Council Chair Cindy Wolf. “This change brings the opportunity to spend more concentrated time with family, volunteer locally, travel, schedule medical appointments, and do all the many things which are important to personal and community well-being without interrupting workflow.”
San Juan County knows its strength lies in the staff who run its departments and programs. By prioritizing the people who keep the County running, the organization is setting the standard for quality work-life balance in the Islands. Learn more about how San Juan County is Prioritizing Islander Wellness by visiting the Engage page.
With an anticipated implementation date of October 1, 2023, the County is continuing to establish internal systems to foster a smooth transition and monitor the organization’s progress. The County will be tracking various metrics including:
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The post Pandemic inflationary period has left the County grappling with high costs to provide services to the citizens of San Juan County. Wage pressure brought about by consumer inflation, economic uncertainty, and the Island’s high cost of housing all created the expectation and want for a substantial double-digit wage increase.
The high cost of services, goods, and wages places extraordinary pressure on the County’s budget. To stay within the limits of the current budget, as well as the voter-approved taxing authority, the County took the bold step of holding wages relatively constant but reducing the work week by 8 hours. This effectively gives the employee a sizeable increase in hourly wages. Holding the total cost of wages (payroll) relatively constant, even for a short time in an era of rising wages, is a prudent hedge against future anticipated wage inflation.
This creative approach enables the County to live within its financial means, and it provides the employee with a wage increase and schedule flexibility, so that they do not have to use leave balances to take care of personal and family business.
Workforce Studies
In 2019, the
Henley Business School at the University of Reading surveyed over 500 business leaders and 2,000 employees that have implemented, or are considering implementing, a flexible working week such as the 32-hour schedule. The results explore the benefits and challenges to this schedule, as well as the cost savings. "The combined savings to UK business is already as high as £92 billion a year, 2% of total annual turnover," the study shows.
Benefits of a Flexible Work Week (2019)
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The switch to a 32-hour work week is expected to draw attention to the County as an employer, but other efforts are needed to be truly effective at recruitment. Prospective recruits sited difficulties in finding housing (whether to own or rent), lack luster pay, and remoteness, as reasons why they decided not to take a County job or why they left after a short period of time.
In conjunction with a 32-hour week, the County is taking other steps to boost recruitment. They include:
Internship program: The opportunity is intended for college-aged adults to gain insights into County work and gain real life experiences that can build their resumes.
Leased housing: The County is securing housing that can be used to transition new employees onto the Islands, thus giving them time to find housing.
Compensation study: An assessment of the County’s wages relative to comparative local governments will help the County chart a pathway to compensation levels it can afford and make the organization competitive within the larger job market.
Recruiting bonus: For hard to fill positions, a financial bonus may be offered as a recruiting incentive.
The County’s decision to move to a 32-hour work week cannot come soon enough to address the dramatic shift in workplace perspectives and employee expectations.
According to 2019 research from the Henley Business School at the University of Reading:
- 63% of businesses say that flexible working options help them attract the right talent.
- This schedule is seen to attract older talent to a business (70%), as well as younger workers (64%).
- 69% of workers say they would enjoy their work more if they were able to work a four-day (32-hour) week.
More recent data can be found in the world’s largest four-day working week trial to date: The UK’S Four-Day Week Pilot. Comprising 61 companies and around 2,900 workers, the study took place in the UK from June to December 2022. Some of the identified benefits include:
- The number of staff leaving participating companies decreased significantly, dropping by 57% over the trial period.
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San Juan County knows its strength lies in the public servants who run its departments and programs. By prioritizing the people who keep the County running and promoting employee wellness with a 32-hour work week, San Juan County is setting the standard for quality work-life balance in the islands.
Adapting to Island Life
San Juan County is well known for its beautiful, remote location – accessible only by ferry, private boat, or plane. While its unique location is one of its many draws, it also poses considerable problems when it comes to accessing essential services.
Served by the Washington State Ferry system, the County and its residents often travel to the mainland for medical appointments, shopping, and entertainment opportunities. These trips are not only costly but time consuming. The 32-hour work week allows additional time for employees to schedule off-island travel in a way that will not interrupt normal working hours and County operations. Pilots and studies of a 32-hour work week show that when employees are given the option of tending to personal matters during time off on a weekday, absenteeism drops significantly and productivity increases.
Overall Well-Being
Research from the Henley Business School at the University of Reading in the UK shows there are clear benefits to a flexible workweek. "We found that those organizations already offering it are seeing improvements in employee satisfaction, increased staff productivity, and a reduction in sickness absences," the study said. Employees are reportedly less stressed and happier in organizations implementing a flexible working week. "Our research highlights positive impacts on family life, mental health, and physical fitness."
More recent data can be found in the world’s largest four-day working week trial to date: The UK’S Four-Day Week Pilot. Comprising 61 companies and around 2,900 workers, the study took place in the UK from June to December 2022. Some of the most extensive benefits of shorter working hours were found in employees’ well-being:
- ‘Before and after’ data shows that 39% of employees were less stressed.
- 71% of employees had reduced levels of burnout at the end of the trial.
- Levels of anxiety, fatigue, and sleep issues decreased, while mental and physical health both improved.
"It is time the United States equally prioritize quality of life and productivity," states a one-page report from a California 'Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act.' "The question of a shortened workweek is a productivity issue for employers and a quality-of-life issue for employees that branches into spheres beyond just work; healthcare, education, and childcare are all affected by the number of hours employees spend at work." This act was endorsed by the National Employment Law Project (NELP), Economic Policy Institute (EPI), 4 Day Week Global, and others.
Protecting Family Time
The 32-hour work week supports growing families and offers working parents greater flexibility to align with their children's schedules. Parents are afforded one less day of childcare, the opportunity to pick their child up from school, or travel with their team to an off-island game or meet – all in an effort to make room for more meaningful family time.
Research from the Henley Business School at the University of Reading in the UK found that 69% of employees believe family life would improve as a result of the change in working practices. When asked how they would spend their extra time, meeting up with the family was the most popular activity across all generations (66%). There would also be a positive impact on the local economy with 54% of people saying they’d use the extra day to go shopping. Charities and non-profit organizations may also see a boost, with a quarter of respondents saying they’d use the extra time to volunteer.
San Juan County is choosing to support the whole person – not just the employee.
