CANTON, CT — Canton Town Hall and other municipal offices will be closed on Fridays through the end of the year following a vote last week by the Canton Board of Selectmen.
Selectmen voted 4-1 to allow employees to work four-day work weeks, a move that requires Canton Town Hall to be closed on Fridays.
The vote took place at the Canton Board of Selectmen meeting on Aug. 14.
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According to Canton Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner, the move toward a four-day week was “more complicated than expected.”
He said having town hall closed on Fridays may be inconvenient to some residents and the conclusion to try a four-day week came with input from town employees.
Find out what's happening in Cantonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Skinner said while workers would be working four days, they would be working longer days Monday through Thursday, with town hall also open longer on those days as well.
He emphasized workers wouldn’t be working less hours, just more hours over four days instead of five.
Skinner said the public works department, library, and Canton Police Department will have the same hours and days, with town hall and senior/social services most impacted.
Residents have the option of accessing services online, according to Skinner.
One bugaboo, he said, would be the requirement to juggle staff holidays that happen to fall on a Friday.
Those holidays would have to be taken on days other than the holiday, requiring a bit more staff organization, Skinner said.
Selectmen said the four-day work week is just a trial and it will be evaluated at the start of the next calendar year to see if it should be a permanent means.
Supporters said the four-day work week gives some employees a three-day weekend, which might be a nice benefit considering Canton’s coffers aren’t able to pay municipal workers as much as other towns.
The lone dissenter, Selectman Stephen Sedor, said he opposed closing town hall on Fridays, saying that could be a problem for people needing to do business with the town that day to meet a deadline.
Canton First Selectman Kevin Witkos said a four-day workweek provides employees with a good “work-life balance,” something necessary, especially, since some departments only have one staff member.
He said the four-day workweek will be re-evaluated at the end of the year to determine if it is feasible.
For the minutes of the Aug. 14 Canton Board of Selectmen meeting, click on this link.
To view the Aug. 14 Canton Board of Selectmen meeting, click on this link.
From July 23: ‘Canton Mulls 4-Day Work Week For Town Employees’
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