On Nov. 12 a detailed 60-page report was presented to the county council on how the initiative is working after one year. A modified report was also presented at the Nov. 21 Washington Association of Counties County Leadership Conference (“Finding a Path Forward Together”) by county council chair Jane Fuller, county manager Jessica Hudson and Parks and Fair director Brandon Andrews.
Why the change?
County leaders turned to this solution in October 2023 when faced with a tight budget, approximately one in six staff positions vacant and a union workforce looking for their first raise since the pandemic.
A one-year report, issued to the citizens of San Juan County jointly by the employee Union Local 1849 and county leadership, states that the 32-hour work week resulted from negotiations between the county and the employees’ union.
The union’s executive committee wrote, “Our team worked hard to secure a fair, yet progressive, contract for our colleagues. The 32-hour work week win has been significant for our members. Our members are dedicated to continuing to work with the County to ensure the success of the 32-hour work week and to see it as the new standard for public servants throughout the state.”
Frances Robertson, a manager in the Department of Environmental Stewardship, serves as vice president of the local union and was on the negotiating committee. She said the idea of the 32-hour work week did not originate from the union. The union had proposed employee raises, then waited.
“Contract negotiations had been on hold for six months, waiting for a counteroffer,” Robertson said. The county “recognized the lay of the land, did their homework and made their offer,” she said. Employees were offered the same pay for 32 hours as they had received for a 40-hour work week.
Measuring outcomes
All 237 county employees were surveyed prior to implementing the proposal, at the six-month mark and again after one year, and 70% responded. Union members comprise 155 employees; elected officials and their staff, management and certain others are exempt.
Most notably, at the one-year mark, 84% of all employees “somewhat” or “strongly” agree that the 32-hour work week has improved their work/life balance.
Other quantitative benefits highlighted in the report include:
- The county saved $975,000.
- Turnover rate dropped 43%.
- Filling positions became 23.75% faster.
- Separations dropped 48%.
- Sick time was reduced by 23%.
All of the indicators show significant improvement in employee retention and recruitment. “Interest in County employment has dramatically increased. The total number of applicants has spiked by 85.5% and the time it takes to fill positions has dropped by 23.75% when comparing pre and post data,” the report notes.
Hudson said that, on a more qualitative basis, the survey asked why people want to stay in their county jobs; 66% said it is a heavy factor in why they choose to stay.
Clearly pleased with the results, Fuller called it a “fantastic report, with many very positive findings.”
Interest in San Juan County’s experience is evident, as county manager Jessica Hudson told the council that she was recently interviewed by CNN.
Asked by council member Christine Minney whether other municipalities are following similar plans, communications manager Erin Andrews said she has been contacted by other municipalities who are curious, and “others are in bargaining now.”
Continuing adjustments
The shift has not been without some confusion and frustration.
Each department head and elected official was given flexibility to manage the 32-hour work week in a way that maintained services in their department. Some departments have kept a five-day-a-week schedule, while others, including the financial wing of the assessor, auditor and treasurer offices, have switched to a four-day, Monday–Thursday work week.
This inconsistency has led to confusion both between departments and among the public. There is a desire to work toward a universal schedule, but Hudson told the council “that is probably very unlikely” due to the requirements for different departments, some of which must remain open five days a week.
Nonetheless the county will continue exploring all possible scheduling options in an effort to prioritize department productivity and support ease of public access. Andrews told the council they are working to get the word out to the public about open hours, and she also points out that many county services are now available 24/7 online, so there is access.
Another concern raised by the report is the fact that exempt employees are having to work more than 32 hours per week. These are salaried employees, not eligible for overtime pay. Hudson told the council that this is happening because “part of the promise of the 32-hour work week is that 100% of the work or productivity, would be done in 80% of the time.”
“The work still needs to get done,” said Hudson, and 31% of exempt employees, mostly managers and directors, responded that the initiative has had a negative impact on their workload. Nonetheless, 67% of exempt employee respondents agree that the initiative has improved their work/life balance.
Efforts are needed to make sure that there is parity, with everyone feeling the benefits, Hudson said.
Each department also identified its own key performance indicators (KPIs) to track productivity, which the report displays in its appendix. Hudson told the council there is wide variation in departmental activity, as some are more seasonal. Therefore, having two years of data a year from now will be important as adjustments are made.
Robertson told Salish Current in an interview that she is concerned the general public doesn’t have a full understanding. “I don’t think it has hindered our work,” she said.
She pointed out that another unintended benefit that she has noticed is that an extra day off is not only beneficial to the individual employee for work/life balance, but it often allows people to contribute to the community in other ways. She listed activities that “most of my colleagues in my department” are involved with on their days off: community theater, Audubon Society bird walks, involvement in nonprofit organizations and more. She herself just became a board member of the Whale Museum, for example.
With two new county council members joining Fuller in January, support for the 32-hour work week is evident. Council member elect Kari McVeigh told Salish Current before the election that “the 32-hour work week is a legitimately negotiated contractual agreement between the County and their employees and therefore cannot be reverted to 40 hours outside of another negotiated agreement.” She would like to see counter service available to the public five days a week, however, if possible.
Council member elect Justin Paulsen also supports the 32-hour week, saying it is “a creative solution to budgetary and employment obstacles. Employee satisfaction and retention are critical. I support the continuation of the program with consideration of operational modifications that the analysis may recommend to address any service concerns identified.”
An international trend?
Interest in the 32-hour work week has been building nationally and globally over the past decade.
A bill establishing a standard 32-hour work week was introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders into the U.S. Congress in March.
Research done in 2022 by Boston College, University College Dublin and Cambridge University concluded that “the trials have been a resounding success on virtually every dimension.”
Iceland began a reduced work week in 2019 and reports that “trials were an overwhelming success, and since completion, 86% of the country’s workforce are now working shorter hours.”
More countries are moving toward the 32-hour work week, as shown in an interactive map by World Population Review, and private businesses are also rethinking the 40-hour week.
In attempting to balance the budget, deal with employee burnout and recognize the efficiencies of new technologies, San Juan County now finds itself on the cutting edge of progress, and in the national spotlight: the little county that could.
The Salish Current originally published this article on Dec. 4, 2024.
