Farmers Branch leads the way in redefining the workweek

Farmers Branch, Texas - Farmers Branch is starting a four-day work week for many of its city workers, meaning they will now have Thursdays as the new end to their work week.

Starting next week, these employees will work longer days but get an extra day off. While other nearby cities also tried this and shut some departments on Fridays, Farmers Branch plans to keep everything open all week. They're doing this by giving some workers Monday off and changing some job roles.

The City Manager, Ben Williamson, mentioned they have to compete with other job places, so they're trying this new plan.

A while ago, they tested this idea with parks and other departments, but firefighters and police officers will keep their regular hours. The city is also blending some jobs and adding new ones to make this change work.

City hall will now be open for residents from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., which means people have more hours to use city services.

Kerry Phillips, who works for the parks, said this change helps his department work better. He also likes having one less day to drive to work and more time with his family. He shared that his co-workers are happy because they get to spend more time with their families too.

In short, Farmers Branch is trying a new way to balance work and personal time, hoping to be a good example for other cities.

Credit: City of Farmers Branch, Dallas Metro News