Georgia town approves four-day work week

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — Grantville, a small city south of Atlanta, has approved a proposal to make their four-day work week schedule permanent for city workers after completing a successful trial period that began in October 2015.

City Manager Al Grieshaber states that he initially proposed "The Four Day Work Week," as he formally calls the city's employee schedule, as "an incentive for city employees who receive few benefits and no longer have access to a retirement plan."

Grieshaber says that the idea evolved after reading a study of top workplaces and books like "Good to Great," which shows that four-day work weeks significantly improve morale and increase employee engagement.

Since previous administrations had deemed an employee retirement plan too expensive and health costs too high for any adjustments, Grieshaber began searching for a type of benefit that wouldn't pull from the city's general fund or impact customer service to their residents.

While there was initially some skepticism from residents and former elected officials, the mayor and city council approved a 90-day trial period, which was later extended to 180 days. Not only did the trial period show "The Four Day Work Week" improved work performance and cut employee overtime, it revealed an added benefit for city residents. Since residents were given more time to pay their utility bills, service disconnects for late payments were reduced by eleven per month and fewer individuals were added to the cut-off list.

Although some municipalities in Florida are using four-day work weeks, Grantville is currently the only municipality in the state of Georgia that has one. Grieshaber says there are government organizations watching them, however, so "The Four Day Work Week" could one day soon become commonplace in other cities as well.

Cox Media Group