GOLDEN, Colo. — More than four months after the Golden Police Department launched its pilot program testing a four-day, 32-hour workweek for all employees, preliminary data shows promising results related to productivity, morale and retention.
The pilot program, which started in July, reduced badged employees from four 10-hour shifts to four 8-hour shifts, and administrative employees from five 8-hour shifts to four. Corporal McKenzie Metzger, who has been with the department for four years, said she has noticed a major improvement in her own happiness and mental health and those of her coworkers.
"I'm able to focus on being mentally prepared for work, more so, every single day," Metzger said. "Because I'm getting more sleep. I'm doing the things that I want to do outside of work. And I have more of a healthy work-life balance."
One might assume the announcement of an 8-hour reduction in scheduled hours each week would be received immediately as good news. Metzger, however, said she was skeptical at first and concerned it would impact her ability to complete all of her work.
"I was just concerned we weren't going to be able to give the same level of policing that we had before," she recalled.
Golden
Golden to launch four-day work week pilot for police department
The results shared by the department so far, though, suggest the exact opposite.
GPD employees report being much happier and mentally healthier, and more productive at work. According to data from the first three months of the pilot, GPD found a reduced average response time each month by several minutes, despite responding to slightly more calls.
Beyond that, the department saved money with an almost 80 percent reduction in overtime spending due to fewer overtime hours being worked. Resignations from the department were cut in half.
"It's all about mental resilience, right? And wellness for your officers," Metzger said. "And that's how you're gonna keep officers doing their job and staying in one agency."
These findings are preliminary and partial, with more than a month to go in the pilot program. With that said, the schedule switch has not yet been permanently adopted. Still, the City of Golden called the findings so far "promising" and told Denver7 earlier this year that a switch for all city employees is being considered.
Detective Nicco Fanelli-Poole said he believed the switch would be beneficial for all city departments. At a time when police departments are seeing high levels of turnover, Golden is hopeful this shift will be a tool to attract employees and keep them.
"I'm not shoving so much into my day, so I get to just enjoy family and more time to work out, focus on my mental health. And it's really beneficial," Fanelli-Poole said. "Dialing things back, and truly being able to separate that work versus life is phenomenal. I can't even explain to you, it's so good."
The pilot program is scheduled to conclude at the end of 2023. Golden PD said it will continue to monitor several metrics regarding the program, with a report on six-month results scheduled to be released to the community in February 2024.