A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Midlothian ISD is on a four-day week. It is on a hybrid schedule.
DeSoto could be the latest city in North Texas to have a four-day work week.
City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry and Human Resources director Denae Greenly proposed the idea to the city council Tuesday evening.
Al-Ghafry said the idea is to create more perks for city employees aside from increased salaries.
“Retaining five different generations within the workforce is really challenging,” Al-Ghafry said. “Simply paying higher wage is no longer enough to really attract and retain top notch employees.”
He said potential benefits for the the city included improved productivity, enhanced employee wellbeing and better employee retention. He said a four-day workweek also comes with environmental and economic benefits.
According to a survey of CEOs by the financial services firm KPMG, 30% of large organizations are exploring new work schedules, including four-day workweeks.
DeSoto is not alone — other municipalities in the area have adopted or are considering a four-day workweek, said Greenly, including Wylie, Rowlett, Forney, Farmers Branch, Weatherford and Lewisville. Greenly said at least 80 school districts in the state have a four-day work week, including Mineral Wells.
Greenly said employees have been asking for a compressed work week. The proposed schedule would set new operating hours for DeSoto City Hall — Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. She said department leaders would continue to be responsive on Fridays, weekends and after hours, and on-all crews will continue to serve the community as needed.
Some of the pros she cited included extended hours for citizens to come and do business, decreasing their need to take PTO from their jobs, and some of the cons could potential be employee exhaustion from an extended workday and increased pressure to meet deadlines within four days.
The proposal came with questions from some city council members who said they needed more information to make a decision. Council Member Crystal Chism said she reached out to Rowlett, which has a four-day work week with some employees off on Monday and others on Friday.
“I don't think that just saying closed Friday is best because we hinder certain groups like parks and then it becomes of them versus us environment,” she said. “I think we give it more flexibility, extend the hours so residents feel the benefit of it and then we move forward that way.”
DeSoto resident Mary Bonaparte told the council she was opposed to city offices being closed on Fridays.
“I keep hearing about what the employers are asking for,” she said. “Have we talked to the citizens and the taxpayers to say, is this what you want?”
For now, the discussion has been tabled. Al-Ghafry said after hearing input, they will go back to the drawing board and look at some alternatives to present to the city council possibly as soon as next month.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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