Suffolk is going to 4-day week for some employees

SUFFOLK

The city plans to begin four-day workweeks and other flexible schedules for some employees in an initiative that could begin as soon as next month.

Human Resources Director Ronnie Charles briefed the City Council about the plans Wednesday night.

After the meeting, Charles said the city would not know for about a week how many employees will be affected by the new scheduling.

He said some schedule changes would be optional and others mandatory, depending on how department heads handle the changes.

Charles also said the plan would not cut customer service hours.

"I'm 100 percent positive" this will only extend service hours, Charles said.

The city expects some cost savings but won't be able to estimate how much until it knows how many workers are affected, he said.

In his presentation to the council, Charles described the program as a wonderful opportunity that would give employees more flexibility.

City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn has had department directors review the plan, city spokeswoman Debbie George said.

The leaders of several city offices - including the treasurer, the commissioner of revenue and the clerk of circuit court - said Wednesday that they did not plan to use the new work schedules. Those offices do not report to the city manager.

Dave Forster, (757) 222-5563, dave.forster@pilotonline.com