Municipal workers in Brockton are working shorter weeks in an effort to help the environment.
Workers are on a four-day work week schedule, in hopes to cut down on commuting.
A cutback in commuting, would mean a decrease in emissions.
Mayor Charlie Bagnato says a study shows they’ll decrease their emissions by 20 per cent per worker, by switching to the four-day work week.
He says it may not seem like much, but everyone should be doing their small part.
Bagnato says staff at the municipal offices now work four, eight-and-three-quarter-hour days per week, and in turn, they get either Monday or Friday off.
He says one staff member lives in Mitchell, so it’s one extra day a week she doesn’t have to drive all the way to Walkerton and back.
As for long weekends mandated by statutory holidays, Bagnato says the workers will just work four eight-hour-days instead.
He says they’ll run on this trial schedule until December 31st, and make adjustments if they have to.
Bagnato says he’s surprised at how quickly the new hours were implemented.
He says he brought the idea forward during an environmental committee meeting in June, and then approached the CAO and CFO to study how it could be done.
Bagnato didn’t expect any changes for another year, but the changes were implemented as of August 11th.
Municipal offices are still open in Brockton during regular hours Monday-Friday.
