One year into testing a four-day, 32-hour workweek, the Golden (Colorado) Police Department reports positive results in employee retention, community engagement, and productivity.
The trial program began last summer as the City of Golden sought new ways to attract and retain employees, particularly for the police department.
"I might be one of the few agencies in the state of Colorado that is fully staffed," Golden Police Chief Joe Harvey told Denver 7.
"There was one other time for about 15 days that we were fully staffed. Fifteen days. About 15 days in 10 years was the only time we were fully staffed," he said.
Harvey partially attributes his fully-staffed department to the compressed workweek. The program has been an attractive incentive for current officers and those who want in.
Officer Phil Rogers says two years ago his shift looked like any other officer's shift in any other city. He said his new workweek has given him benefits that can't be measured by numbers on a bar graph.
"I've got a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old," said Rogers. "Everything that I do is for my family. So any time that I get to spend with them, an extra two hours a day, makes a world of difference."
