The four-day, 40-hour work week pilot program announced on May 22, 2008, by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, has gone beyond the executive branch's 1,600 eligible employees. To date, the Sheriff's Department, Drain Office and Probate Court have implemented the 4/40 and, Circuit Court is seriously looking at it.

So far, 544 employees countywide are working 10 hours a day, four days a week, and the initial response has been extremely positive.

According to Karen Jones, supervisor of the Human Resource Department's Labor Relations/EEO Division, the only groups the program doesn't easily lend itself to those required to operate 24/7 such as the Sheriff's Office and Children's Village.  However, she adds there are certain units (non-24/7) within each of those areas that may be able to utilize the 4/40 program.

"The biggest challenge we've had implementing the program is figuring overtime and holidays," Jones said. "Our goal is to make work schedules as equitable as possible for all our employees."

Under the 4/40 pilot program, employees can try it out on a temporary basis to see if it works for them, because Jones said a few people are finding it difficult to adjust to a 10 hour workday.

"We will evaluate the pluses and minuses of the program in October by conducting a survey to get feedback from both supervisors and employees," said Nancy Scarlet, director of Human Resources.  'The survey results should tell us where we have to tweak the program a little to make it more appealing to employees and supervisors."

Whatever the future of the program, one thing is certain, and that is the 4/40 had generated dozens of calls from all over the country, mainly from public employee groups wanting more information on what Oakland County is doing.

Once again, Oakland County is leading the way.

(Originally published in the Oakland County Telegraph, Fall 2008)

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