Washington County changes; 3 offices to have '4-10s' schedule
WEST BEND, Wis. - Working full-time, having a family, and finding time to schedule appointments can be difficult. But one Wisconsin county wants to help you and their employees out.
Three offices in Washington County are making changes to "better serve the public," according to a news release on Wednesday, March. 8.
The Washington County Board of Supervisors approved a request from the County Clerk, Treasurer, and Register of Deeds to implement a pilot program to change their office hours to a "4-10s" schedule – working four days a week, 10 hours a day.
"The more services we are able to offer outside of the normal working hours the more beneficial it can be to them," said Washington County Clerk Ashley Reichert.
Ashley Reichert
Their services include issuing passports, accepting property tax payments, and making certifications.
What is the reason behind havinga four-day week?
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
"It’s money certainly, everything comes down to money, but it also is about better customer service," said Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, who believes it could also attract new employees. "And make it a really recruiting tool for Washington County, we would certainly be the only government unit that does 4-10"s if we get to that place."
Josh Schoemann
The release says the proposed pilot program will be an expansion of the limited pilot program undertaken last summer when Reichert's office used the "4-10s" schedule. The results of that initial pilot program were positive, with 43% of all appointments scheduled outside the normal appointment times - before 8:15 a.m. and after 3:45 p.m. The success of this program led to consideration of an expanded pilot program.
The County Clerk, Register of Deeds, and County Treasurer’s offices will adjust their operation hours to a four-day work week, Monday through Thursday, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and will be closed on Fridays.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
The three Washington County offices will begin the new hours on Monday, April 3.
No other Washington County departments will be adjusting work hours at this time.