San Juan County staff present final 2‑year 32‑hour workweek report; council affirms it as county standard

San Juan County staff presented a final two‑year assessment of the county’s 32‑hour workweek on Dec. 16 and recommended the schedule remain the county’s standard while officials monitor operational impacts on certain job classes.

Erin Andrews, communications coordinator, summarized methodologies and key outcomes: the county used pre‑implementation baseline data and averaged percent changes across the two years to arrive at headline figures. "Ultimately, we found that the 32 hour work week helped the county's 24, 25 biennial budget save approximately $2,000,000," Andrews said, attributing most savings to payroll effects and avoided staff cuts. She also reported lower voluntary separations and recruitment improvements: time‑to‑fill positions improved, applications rose substantially and voluntary separations decreased in year‑one, though some metrics moderated in year two.

The report found operations adjusted in different ways across departments — some staggered coverage across five days, others consolidated into four — and stressed the need to watch hours of operation for public‑facing services. Andrews highlighted equity concerns: survey results showed union‑represented staff reported larger perceived benefits than exempt managers, and about 45% of employees identified as consistently working more than 32 hours are supervisors and directors.

Council members praised the thorough data work and suggested periodic KPIs and targeted follow‑ups to support managers who face workload challenges. Staff said future updates will be tied to collective bargaining and specific departmental reporting, and recommended continuing internal monitoring rather than standing public reports focused specifically on the 32‑hour policy since the schedule is now integrated into operations.

Council did not take a formal policy change beyond endorsing continued monitoring and integration of findings into departmental planning.