Cumberland joins growing list of N.S. municipalities turning to 4-day work week

A municipality in northern Nova Scotia will allow some employees to work longer days in exchange for a shorter work week, one of a growing number of municipalities turning to a measure aimed at boosting worker morale while also extending service hours.

The council of the Municipality of Cumberland this week voted in favour of a compressed work week. Those employees who qualify for the program, and who are willing, will work the same number of hours a week, but will do so in four days, not five.

Mayor Murray Scott said Thursday it's challenging to attract and retain employees, and the hope is the policy is an appealing work-life incentive.

"We're being told some of the benefits are leading to a happier workplace," he said.

Not all employees will qualify, including unionized workers bound by collective agreements, and it's not clear how many employees will actually take part. Those who volunteer will work either Monday to Thursday or Tuesday to Friday. 

Adopting the measure won't cost the municipality any money and there is an added incentive for the public, Scott said. The extended workdays mean the municipality's administrative centres will be open an hour longer.

4-day week trend

The measure has become more common in Nova Scotia since the Municipality of the District of Guysborough drew notice when it tested the policy in 2020 during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside the province, Saint John adopted a four-day work week in 2022, and rural Ontario municipalities are doing the same.

At the Municipality of Barrington in southwest Nova Scotia, which adopted the four-day policy last year, more than three-quarters of its 25 full-time workers have now chosen a condensed work week. Those who work 35 hours a week are now on the job 8.75 hours a day, while those on a 40-hour week do four 10-hour days.

Chief administrative officer Chris Frotten said he knows of at least half a dozen other municipalities in southwest Nova Scotia that are doing the same.

With employees choosing to work a longer day, he said Barrington can keep its municipal office open an hour longer, and it no longer closes for lunchtime.

"We can serve the public longer hours and have our facilities open longer," Frotten said. "And also productivity has remained the same, or even increased, because of that work-life balance that some require to be productive, and to be healthy, positive."

In Cumberland, an April survey of municipal staff found 93 per cent were interested in a compressed work week.

A report prepared by the deputy chief administrator said compressed work weeks lead to better morale and also cut down on absenteeism, as it allows employees to go to medical and other appointments on their Mondays or Fridays off.