New Hours for City Hall Under Pilot Program

By Adam Swift

The city is looking to implement a pilot program for a four-day work week for some city personnel that will see extended evening hours at City Hall on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Claudia Correa, the city’s Chief of Talent and Culture, presented the pilot program, scheduled to run from May 1 to Sept. 28, to the City Council on Monday night.

Councillors were generally supportive of the proposal, which would see City Hall closed on Fridays, but did raise some concerns about services at the Senior Center being available on Fridays.

“After months of doing some research … and consulting with other HR professionals, we will be rolling out a pilot where we will be changing hours of operation,” said Correa.

City Hall will open at 8 a.m., rather than 8:15 a.m., Monday through Thursday. It will remain open until 7 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and closed on Fridays.

“It will provide residents with more options to access city services,” Correa said. “A large number of Revere residents have day jobs … so we want to be able to provide those residents with access to services after five o’clock.”

The four-day work week for the city employees affected by the change will also help increase their work-life balance, she said.

“We talked to every single department one-on-one, and at first there were some concerns,” Correa said. “At first, some of the employees felt they had to work the two night shifts, the Monday and the Wednesday nights.”

Correa said the city administration talked to the unions and the department heads to get feedback on the pilot program and worked on a plan where employees could rotate and not have to work both later shifts every week. She also noted that while there is a move to a four-day work week, full-time employees will still be working 39 hours and will not have their hours cut.

“We had conversations with all of the departments that will be impacted, mostly the ones that offer front-facing services,” Correa said.

Some departments, such as the municipal inspectors and code enforcement officers, will still be working on Fridays. Correa also noted that the change in hours will not affect the public works department.

In addition, there will be one 311 operator on duty to take calls on Fridays, she said.

In addition to increasing availability for residents, Correa said the city should also save money since there will be areas of City Hall that are not in operation on Fridays.

“This is a pilot, it is not permanent, so we will be collecting data,” said Correa. “Our greeters, 311, and the departments will help us keep track of how many people we are serving during those additional proposed hours.”

Ward 6 Councillor Richard Serino said he thinks the move is a great idea.

“I was the councillor who proposed moving meeting times up to 5 p.m. because the taxpayers can never get to City Hall for public meetings,” he said. ‘In terms of city services, it is the same thing. If you work full time and you have a 9 to 5 job, you really can’t get over to City Hall to pay a water bill or to get over to the election department or the City Clerk’s office to get a birth certificate.”

Council President Pro Tem Joanne McKenna said her only concern was with Friday hours at the Senior Center, since many seniors go to the center on Fridays for lunch.

Correa noted that field staff such as the drivers who take seniors to their appointments would still be working on Fridays. She said she would have a further discussion with Elder Affairs Director Deb Peczka regarding the Friday hours for the center itself.

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