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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-01-10 - AGENDA REPORTS - 9 80 WORK SCHEDULE UPDATE (2)AGENDA REPORT City Manager Ap val _ Item to a presented by: K skantp UNFINISHED BUSINESS DATE: JANUARY 10, 1995 SUBJECT: 9/80 WORK SCHEDULE: UPDATE DEPARTMENT: CITY MANAGER BACKGROUND At its meeting of September 27, 1994, the City Council expressed concerns regarding the City's current 9/80 work schedule. At that meeting, the Council directed the City Manager to research and provide to them a listing of options which outline alternatives to the current 9/80 work schedule. In response to this request, the following information presents the City Council with a complete description of all the existing types of work schedules which may be potentially developed and implemented by the City. These work schedules include: OPTION NO. 1 STAGGERED 9/80 WORK SCHEDULE: In January of 1992, the City implemented a 9/80 work schedule which incorporated alternating Mondays off for fifty percent (50%) of all City staff. Under this work schedule the City was able to meet the requirements of the South Coast Air Quality Management District's (SCAQMD) Rule 1501 (formerly Regulation XV), while providing City Hall administrative functions five days a week. This previous work schedule allowed the City to provide five day a week administrative functions and satisfy the requirements of Rule 1501. The factors which lead to the eventual modification of this work schedule in May of 1994 included: 1) lack of staff coverage; 2) difficulty in maintaining proper supervision; '3) 'productivity and efficiency impacts; 4) difficulty in scheduling meetings and 5) unavailability to the public. Under the previous staggered 9/80 work schedule, City employees utilized Mondays as their alternating 9/80 day off. With regard to administrative functions, staff has found Mondays to be the busiest day of the City's work week and would recommend that any return to a staggered 9/80 work schedule incorporate alternating Fridays off for fifty percent (50%) of all City staff. OPTION NO. 2 FLOATING 4/10 WORK SCHEDULE: The incorporation of a floating 4/10 work schedule could be implemented by the City in a manner which provides for five-day a week staff availability, This can be accomplished by developing a schedule which provides for twenty percent (20%) of all staff to be off on any given day during each work week. � gende Item: P F�1100 �w_ While this option would allow the City to provide five-day a week administrative functions, and meet the requirements of Rule 1501, staff believes that the City's overall efficiency would be dramatically reduced. In addition to experiencing staffing problems much like those associated with the City's previous staggered 9/80 work schedule, staff believes this type of program would be confusing for the public and cause hardship for employees with child care concerns. .� G M � �i►`C�At? RE -INTRODUCTION OF TRADITIONAL 5/40 WORK SCHEDULE: The re -introduction of a traditional 5/40 work schedule would provide for City administrative functions on a five-day a week basis, but would greatly effect the City's ability to meet the requirements of Rule 1501. At this time, the City has achieved the target Average Vehicle Ridership (AVR) of 1.3 persons per vehicle traveling to City Hall during the Monday through Friday work week as established by the SCAQMD's Rule 1501. The City has been able to obtain this goal as a result of its Rideshare Program and the implementation of the 9/80 work schedule. The elimination of the City's 9/80 schedule would be viewed by the SCAQMD as a significant step backwards on the part of Santa Clarita, as the City's AVR would be fall from its current level of 1.3 to an estimated level of 1.15 persons per vehicle traveling to City Hall. The City's current rideshare program offers a variety of incentives to encourage employees to utilize alternative modes of transportation. These incentives include: 1) monetary subsidies for all employees participating in the City's carpooling, walking, and bicycling programs; 2) subsidized monthly bus passes; 3) a sixty dollar ($60.00) subsidy for all employees utilizing Metrolink service; 4) on-site bicycle lockers; 5) preferred parking for carpooling employees and; 6) a Guaranteed Ride Home Program for all participating employees.. The re -implementation of a traditional 5/40 work schedule would require the City to make significant modifications to its existing Rideshare Program. Taking into consideration the components of the City's existing rideshare program, in the absence of a compressed work week the remaining available options to satisfy the requirements of Rule 1501 are limited. Potentially, to remain in compliance with Rule 1501, the City would need to explore options such as: 1) Presently the City provides a subsidy in the amount of $1.00 per day, for each day that an employee carpools to work, and a subsidy of $2.00 per day, for each day that an employee walks or bikes to work. In order to encourage greater participation among employees, one option would be increasing monetary subsidies offered to employees who carpool, bike or walk to work. It is important to note that the City currently administers all rideshare programs through funds made available by California Assembly Bill 2766. The funds are distributed by the SCAQMD, and have been specifically designated for any use which is designed to reduce mobile source emissions. Currently, the City's Rideshare Program receives $12,500 of the approximate $140,000 the City receives in AB 2766 Funding annually, with the remaining portion of these funds designated to the Transit Division. If the City were to double monetary subsidies offered to employees who carpool, bike or walk to work, staff estimates that an additional $12,500 to $15,000 in AB 2766 Funds would be needed to fund these programs. 2) Development of an Employee Telecommute Program which would allow specific employees the opportunity to work out of their homes one day every two weeks. 3) Development of a program which would allow City employees to drive their work vehicle to and from work, provided that they carpool with at least one other co-worker at all times. OPTION NO. 4 MAINTAIN CURRENT 9/80 WORK SCHEDULE: After evaluating the concerns associated with the City's previous work schedule, and researching the different work schedules which have been implemented by other municipal and governmental agencies, in May of 1994 the City Council approved a modified 9/80 work schedule which incorporated the closing of the City's administrative offices on an every -other -Friday basis. Under this program, the City has: 1) resolved the concerns associated with the City's previous work schedule; 2) continued to meet the requirements of the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Rule 1501; 3) increased the number of hours that the City's administrative offices are available to the community during the work week and; 4) continued to maintain a variety of City functions on a Five -to -seven day work week, as they existed prior to the implementation of this work schedule. At this time it is staff's recommendation that the Council direct the City Manager to maintain the current 9/80 work schedule. It is staff belief that the City's current work schedule provides an optimal level of service for our residents, allows our staff to operate at an efficient level of productivity, and allows for the City's continual compliance with regard to the SCAQMD's Rule 1501 requirement. RECOMMENDATION That the City Council receive staff's report and direct the City Manager to maintain the current 9/80 work schedule. KRP:kmt 980agen.195 ATTACHMENT December 22, 1994 Interoffice Memorandum from Ken Pulskamp to George A. Caravalho CITY OF SANTA CLARITA INTEROFFICE MEMORANDOM TO: George A. Caravalho, City Manager FROM: Ken Pulskamp, Assistant City Manager DATE: December 22,'1994 SUBJECT: 9/80 Work Schedule: Analysis BACKGROUND At its meeting of March 8, 1994, the City Council received a report from staff which outlined a number of concerns relating to the City's 9/80 schedule which had been implemented in January of 1992, and incorporated a work schedule which provided for fifty percent (50%) of the City's total staff to be off on alternating Mondays. These concerns included: 1) lack of staff coverage; 2) unavailability to the public; 3) difficulty in maintaining proper supervision; 4) productivity and efficiency impacts and: 5) difficulty in scheduling meetings. After evaluating the concerns associated with the City's previous work schedule, and researching the different work schedules which have been implemented by other municipal and governmental agencies, in May of 1994 the City Council approved a modified 9/80 work schedule which incorporated the closing of the City's administrative offices on an every -other -Friday basis. Under this program, the City has:: 1) resolved the concerns associated with the City's previous work schedule; 2) continued to meet the requirements of the South Coast Air Quality Management District's Rule 1501; 3) increased the number of hours that the City's administrative offices are available to the community during the work week and; 4) continued to maintain a variety of City functions on a five -to -seven day work week, as they existed prior to the implementation of this work schedule. In the months since the implementation of the City's modified 9/80 work schedule, concerns regarding the availability of City services to the public have prompted a request that the City Manager provide the Council with an evaluation as to the effectiveness of the City's present work schedule, and a recommended course of action based upon these findings. The following provides the Council with an encompassing evaluation of the present 9/80 work schedule. Staffs evaluation includes information which discusses: 1) efforts to resolve initial program concerns; 2) trends in work schedules; 3) cost savings to the City and; 4) conclusion and recommendation. EFFORTS TO RESOLVE INITIAL PROGRAM CONCERNS In July of 1994, Departments were requested to evaluate the effects of the revised 9/80 work schedule on Departmental operations. Specifically, staff was asked to determine what if any problems had been experienced since the 9/80 program was implemented in May of this year. Of particular interest in this evaluation were complaints or negative comments that the City staff may have received from the public regarding the unavailability of staff or city services every other Friday. 9/80 Work Schedule: Analysis December 22, 1994 Page 2 It is important to note that a July '1994 evaluation of the City's 9/80 work schedule found that few members of the public registered complaints either about not reaching staff or not having services available to them on the alternate Friday off or having to wait until the following Monday to conduct City business. To the contrary, an informal departmental survey indicated that residents seem to prefer the City's current hours of operation, as this schedule provides residents to opportunity to conduct business prior to or after traditional 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. business hours. Still, since the implementation of the revised 9/80 work schedule, staff has incorporated some improvements which we believe to have been beneficial.. These improvements include: 1) the placement of signage announcing the City's closure at every major entrance to City Hall on the Wednesday prior to each off Friday; 2) A receptionist at the main switchboard every off Friday to answer general questions of the public; 3) a standardized telephone answer machine process, whereby callers receive a message regarding the closure of City Hall and; 4) the development of a public information piece discussing the City's hours of operation which is disseminated by the guard at City Hall to patrons accessing City Hall on off Fridays. In addition to these improvements, it is important for the Council to note that while administrative functions are not available during the alternate Friday closures, the City continues to provide the same level of field and program services as was available or was provided under the previous work schedule. The field and program services which are available on these Friday's include: Park and Recreation operations and maintenance, contract transit functions, building safety recovery efforts including plan check, permit issuance and inspections. Additionally, the City maintains a five day a week work schedule so that our Facility Maintenance Division may provide service to City Hall building tenants. Lastly, it is important to note that all senior City managers have been provided with pagers, and can always be reached by the City Council during non -working hours. TRENDS IN WORK SCHEDULES The implementation of a compressed work week by employers to address air quality issues appears to be a growing trend among not only public agencies within the County of Los Angeles, but among private agencies within the state and nationwide. Including Santa Clarita, presently thirty-two of the eighty-seven municipalities which encompass the County of Los Angeles, as well as cities in Orange and San Bernardino County, have implemented some type of compressed work week to meet the air quality improvement goals established by the SCAQMD Rule 1501 requirement (refer to attachment "A" for a listing of these municipalities). Though each agency's program may vary in some manner, these figures indicate that thirty-seven percent (37%) of cities within the County of Los Angeles have embraced a non-traditional work schedule. To gain a better understanding of these municipalities and the effectiveness of their specific work schedules, staff contacted representatives from twenty of these cities in an effort to research their existing programs. Staff's research has found that the majority of agencies contacted which had 9/80 programs similar to the City's former program experienced the same problems and concerns that we encountered. 9/80 Work Schedule: Analysis December 22, 1994 Page 3 Closures of city administrative offices on alternate Fridays is the preferred method of operation among cities which have switched to a compressed work schedule. Of the twenty (20) cities contacted by staff, currently ten (10) of these cities maintain a work schedule which incorporates an alternate Friday closure of City Hall Administrative functions; six (6) operate under a 4/10 work schedule; while the remaining four (4) continue to provide five day a week service through a staggered 9/80 work schedule. Staff found that a majority of the cities that were surveyed experienced similar concerns the initial implementation of their 9/80 work schedule. These concerns were consistant in nature to the concerns experienced by our City, and primarily included: 1) confusion among the community as to which specific Friday's administrative services were available and; 2) concerns that the closure of City Hall on alternating Fridays create a negative perception among the community. However every city contacted by staff reported that following the initial "break in period", the implementation of their compressed work schedules have been embraced by their communities. Further, these cities report that residents have expressed a high level of appreciation with regard to the additional hours of availability in which they may interact with City Hall staff. Lastly, it appears that the trend to explore alternatives to the traditional work week is not limited to just public municipalities. Recent articles in both the Los Angeles Times and Daily News reported that the move among employers to abandon traditional work schedules in favor of compressed work weeks is gaining momentum., Nationwide, approximately 25% of large private sector companies offer a compressed work week to at least a portion of their employees. COST SAVINGS TO THE CITY A number of the cities surveyed indicated that as a result of their 9/80 work schedules, several types of cost savings have been achieved. These agencies have reported that a reduction in absenteeism and the use of overtime among staff has coincided with the implementation of their alternate work schedule. Staff has had an opportunity to review the use of sick leave among employees, comparing similar periods prior to and following the implementation of our current work schedule. By comparing the first six months of the City's current work schedule (May - October 1994) to the same time period in 1993, staff has found a four and one half (4.5) hour average reduction in the usage of sick leave per employee as compared to the same period in 1993. While these figures only represent a six month period, they do represent a 21% reduction in sick leave usage. Based upon these projected figures, this represents a potential cost savings to the City of $42,529.89. As mentioned above, surveyed cities have also reported a general decrease in the use of overtime hours among employees as a result of their 9/80 schedules. Discussions with the City's Payroll Division seems to indicate that the City has in fact experienced a reduction in the number of overtime hours utilized since the modification of the City's work schedule. However, as a result of the Northridge Earthquake, at this time staff does not have the ability to present an accurate assessment of these numbers, and would appreciate, the opportunity to quantify these figures for the Council at a later date. 9/80 Work Schedule; Analysis December 22, 1994 Page 4 CONCLUSION At this time it is staffs recommendation that the Council direct the City Manager to maintain the current 9/80 work schedule. It is staff belief that the City's current work schedule provides an optimal level of service for our residents, allows our staff to operate at an efficient level of productivity, and allows for the City's continual compliance with regard to the SCAQMD's Rule 1501 requirement. Still, in an effort to utilize the City's Total Quality Management (TQM) practices, staff would like to incorporate the following improvements into our 9/80 program: a continual effort to improve the level of community awareness to our work schedule and; the introduction of a Customer Survey Form to gather direct public input regarding our current hours of operation. For the Council's review, staff has provided a sample of the proposed Customer Survey Form. It is staffs intent to conduct these surveys via our numerous public counters and over the telephone. In considering this approach, it was staff s belief that the results of a survey conducted in this manner would provide for more accurate results as opposed to placing a survey in the City's quarterly Municipal Report. Staffs thought behind this approach is that, while the number of responses received will be significantly less than a City-wide distribution, the results will be more true as all the response received will be from the residents who interact with City staff on a regular or semi -regular basis. That the City Council receive staffs report and direct the City Manager to: 1) maintain the current 9/80 work schedule; 2) implement improvements suggested within this report and; 3) direct staff to return to Council in the summer of 1995, at which time staff will return and present Council with a one year evaluation of this program which will include the results of our Customer Survey, ATTACHMENTS Listing of Cities Within the County of Los Angeles Implementing a Compressed Work Schedule KRP:kmt 980agen.119 Attachment A CITIES WITHIN THE SOUTH COAST BASIN THAT FACILITATE A COMPRESSED WORK SCHEDULE Alhambra - ■ Hawthorne Azusa - 0 Hemet Baldwin Park - 0 Hermosa Beverly Hills - * Huntington Beach Brea - * Long Beach Buena Park - * Lynwood - 0 Burbank Montclair Carson - 0 Norwalk - Claremont Pasadena - Colton Rialto Corona Santa Monica Culver City - * South Gate - o Cypress South Pasadena - Downey - * Torrance El Monte - 0 Tustin El Segundo - ■ Upland Fullerton West Covina ■ Gardena West Hollywood - Garden Grove Whittier - ■ Glendale - * = 9/80 Work Schedule with Alternating Friday Closure of City Hall Administrative Function. 0 = 4/10 Work Schedule. 0 = Staggered 9/80 Work Schedule