City of Celina to implement four-day work week for administrative staff starting in December

Celina Record
By Audrey Henvey | Star Local Media
September 29, 2023

The city of Celina is gearing up to allow for a four-day work week for city staff.

A presentation shared to Celina City Council members during a special meeting on Thursday floated a proposal to have administrative services closed on Fridays, with new hours of operation being 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Department leaders would continue to be responsive on Fridays, weekends and after hours, and on-call crews would continue as needed, according to a presentation to the city council.

Currently, Celina City Hall is open from 7:30-11:30 a.m. on Fridays. Celina HR Director Kristina Peters said on average about three people come in during those times.

“And it is important to note that there isn’t one service we offer across the city that can’t be done online,” Peters said.

The move will mirror the four-day work week concept that is currently in effect for nearby cities including Farmers Branch, Rowlett, Wylie, Forney and Highland Village.

Peters said the city had been looking at the possibility of implementing a compressed work schedule for the past nine months.

Peters said the library would maintain normal working hours and that public safety agencies would continue to be working 24/7.

“I wouldn’t be up here if I didn’t believe in the staff and the employees that come in,” Peters said. “I have never in my 30 years (…) seen a staff work so hard for a common goal. I am so proud, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to step up, and service is not going to be impacted in any shape or fashion. In fact, I think it’s actually going to increase it if that’s even possible.”

Peters included a list of benefits related to a compressed schedule, including a larger applicant pool for recruitment efforts, better productivity, and benefits to employee retention factors.

One of those retention factors was a reduced commuting expense — Peters noted that the average commute for city of Celina employees is 40 miles, and that 122 employees drive over 20 miles each way.

She also noted that there had been a decline between 2020 and 2023 in applicant numbers for jobs like library assistant (115 applicants in 2020, 20 in 2023), management assistant (183 applicants in 2020, 17 in 2023) and parks maintenance (44 applicants in 2020, 24 in 2023).

Council members generally voiced support for the measure.

According to the Thursday presentation, the new hours will launch on Nov. 27, with the first Friday closure taking place in December.

Peters added that communication of the plan to the public would take place in the meantime. Communication will include information about new hours as well as information about how to access city services online.