In 2022, a Canadian city in BC announced it would try out a four-day workweek for staff, but how has it been going?
Last September, we reported that Merritt, BC, was instituting a four-day workweek pilot for an entire year, making the rest of the province jealous.
The program began in November 2022, and the end of April will mark six months for the pilot.
We reached out to Merritt for a progress report, and while it couldn’t provide many details, what it could share was overwhelmingly positive.
- You might also like:
- A BC city is launching a year-long four-day workweek pilot for staff
- "People are exhausted": BC political leader calls for four-day workweek across the province
- Majority of Canadians want a four-day workweek for same pay: report
Merritt’s website states, “The new compressed work week will not only add to the City’s ability to retain and attract staff but will also increase morale and performance. Studies also indicate that extended open service hours for the community would be an undeniable benefit for those residents who work Monday to Friday.”
“All good so far,” a communications rep from Merritt told Daily Hive.
In the coming months, Merritt will be doing a survey to gauge employee and community response.
One of the aspects of the pilot program for staff to compensate for the shortened week was to keep the doors open longer from Tuesday to Friday. The survey will gauge the community’s response to the extended hours.
Currently, the City of Merritt doesn’t have a lot of visitors, but it should have a better idea soon.
However, the community rep did tell Daily Hive that staff “are generally much happier” with the four-day workweek.”
The hunger for a four-day workweek has been growing across the country.
Just last month, a political leader in BC called for a four-day workweek across the province because people are exhausted and burnt out from the rising cost of living.
Today I am calling on this government to pilot a four-day workweek across the province. 1/ #bcpoli #4DayWorkWeek pic.twitter.com/PglB67tOqq
ā Sonia Furstenau (@SoniaFurstenau) February 23, 2023
There was also a report conducted last year suggesting a majority of Canadians want a four-day workweek.
Follow Channels and Categories