The town of Canton, Connecticut, population 10,124, has been trialing a four-day workweek for its employees for nearly a month — and so far, it’s been a success.
On September 16, the town’s non-unionized employees who work in the town hall, social services, and senior services began getting Fridays off.
“I wanted to find a work-life balance for my employees because I think that if you can take care of your personal items at home and you’re not worried about making appointments and taking care of your kids, etc, then you’ll be more laser-focused at work,” Canton’s First Selectman Kevin Witkos told WTNH News on Monday.
He added that town employees on the four-day schedule “love it” and “the feedback has been great” from residents.
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Town hall employees now work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and work an extra hour on Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Senior and social services employees’ new schedule is from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Administrators in the town’s Department of Public Works and Police Department are also taking part in the four-day workweek, per Witkos. The trial period lasts four months, until January.
Canton joins other Connecticut towns, including Plainville, Redding, and Mansfield in implementing a four-day workweek.
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Meanwhile, Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor told Kevin O’Leary in July that the company implemented a 4-day workweek and they’re “very productive” within those four days.
“I love the fact that the people at our company have interests,” Taylor said.
Most people are willing to work more hours Monday through Thursday if they get Friday off. According to a November 2023 Gallup poll, 77% of the U.S. workforce are in favor of a 40-hour, 4-day workweek and say it would positively affect their well-being.
The four-day workweek has also had proven outcomes. In June 2021, 70 companies in the UK experimented with it for six months. The majority found that business productivity was about the same or slightly higher than it was with a standard five-day week.
Zoom CEO Eric Yuan told The Verge in June that AI can help cut the workweek to three or four days.
“Why not spend more time with your family?” Yuan said. “Why not focus on some more creative things, giving you back your time, giving back to the community and society to help others, right? Today, the reason why we cannot do that is because every day is busy, five days a week. It’s boring.”
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