Lyonel Doherty, Times Chronicle
The Town of Oliver is considering a four-day work week and extending its hours of operation.
On Monday, council decided to defer the proposal for more information rather than approve a staff recommendation to adopt a one-year trial that would see the Town Hall closed on Mondays and its hours extended from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Chief Administrative Officer Ed Chow said the proposal is a means to retain and attract staff and improve morale. The work hours for Town Hall and the finance department would be Tuesday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., and the offices open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. The current work hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with public access from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Chow said the benefit to residents is Town Hall would be open half an hour earlier and one hour and 15 minutes later.
He noted that the City of Merritt piloted this program as a means to combat turnover, attract/retain talent and improve wellness.
Mayor Martin Johansen said the proposal sounds interesting considering the workplace challenges they have in staff retention. He noted it would improve work-life balance and accommodate people who have medical appointments or events to attend with their children.
The mayor said it costs the town a minimum of $40,000 to replace an employee.
Johansen said he would like feedback from other municipalities about the lessons they learned. He pointed out that the City of Kelowna has an earned day off program that took a while to function to ensure it wasn’t causing more problems than it solved.
Chief Financial Officer Wayne Anderson said in Merritt, some people had issues working later in the day, noting it wasn’t a good fit for them for daycare services and being home for dinner at 5 p.m. But there is some flexibility there, he pointed out.
“It’s not for everyone; some people prefer the five days a week to get everything done in that five-day period,” Anderson said.
Councillor Aimee Grice said it’s difficult for municipalities the size of Oliver to compete with the wages offered by larger cities like Penticton or Kelowna.
“If we can do things to improve our work-life balance that would be great.”
She noted the extended hours would benefit the public who normally work nine to five.
Water Councillor Rick Machial said he doesn’t want to rush into a big decision and recommended that council defer the issue to a later meeting.
Council unanimously approved a motion by Coun. Terry Schafer to defer the proposal to a future meeting.
