According to a May 17 news release from the city, the changes will apply to operating hours at Keller Town Hall, the Municipal Service Center and the records department for Keller Police. The program is set to begin May 28 and run for about four months. Keller City Council will receive an update and give feedback on the compressed work week at its Oct. 4 meeting.
“In the months ahead, we’ll be collecting customer feedback; monitoring recruitment, retention and staff productivity; and surveying employees to determine whether this will be successful long term,” Keller City Manager Mark Hafner said in the release.
The new schedule means the included offices will extend their hours, operating from 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and closing on Friday. The program is “aimed at extending service opportunities for residents and improving work-life balance for staff,” the release states.
“Council is committed to Keller remaining Texas’ most family-friendly city, and one of our strategic goals is to ‘put people first’—which includes creating a workplace culture at Town Hall that not only retains dedicated city employees but also sets Keller apart in candidate recruitment,” Mayor Armin Mizani said in the release.
Keller Human Resources Director Marcia Reyna presented to City Council at its May 17 meeting and explained that most Keller employees in departments such as public safety, information technology and community facilities are already on compressed schedules, according to the release.
“Unlike some cities throughout the nation that are responding to industry challenges with unsustainable salary increases that burden taxpayers, Keller’s pilot program is financially responsible, sustainable and customer service-driven,” Mizani said in the release.
In the release, Hafner said the compressed work week will help with recruitment and retention as well as improve efficiency in departments such as public works and park maintenance “for which fewer, longer shifts mean that more work can be accomplished.”
“We’re competing for employees just like everyone else against both the public and private sector, and as an organization, we need to continue to adapt to the needs of the modern workforce,” Hafner said in the release.
