Office of the City Manager
Reference: Target 36 Pilot Program
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Michael P. Martinez, City Manager
Prepared By: Michael Martinez, City Manager
Date Prepared: 05/07/2025
PURPOSE
To present the City Council with the details of the Target 36 compressed workweek pilot program.
BACKGROUND
Over the past year, City of Brighton leadership has been working on creating an innovative program that adapts to today’s changing workplace environment and allows us to remain competitive with employee retention and attraction. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, municipalities throughout the United States and locally in Colorado have begun to reimagine current workplace standards, creating flexible schedules that aim to increase employee satisfaction while maintaining the same level of customer service and workload as traditional schedules. A demand for a greater work-life balance for employees is on the rise and the modified workweek has shown to be a solution that both improves employee wellbeing and does not compromise customer service and operational excellence. While the City of Brighton has adapted, we have recognized that we are losing our competitive edge as more and more municipalities in Colorado alter their traditional work schedules to attract and retain staff.
Given the challenge of creating a program that allows us to compete with the ever-changing workplace, the City Manager’s Office enlisted the help of the University of Colorado-Denver’s Public Administration Graduate Program in 2023. Working with faculty, a graduate student was chosen to complete a capstone project that would look at the changing workplace environment in government, evaluate innovative programs and recommend best practices and metrics as a template for a potential pilot program within Brighton. From that project, a taskforce was made comprised of department directors, the City Manager’s Office, The City Attorney’s Office, and other key personnel. Throughout the year, this group met frequently to discuss the pilot program, and from that group, the “Target 36” Pilot Program was created.
The goal of “Target 36" is to create a compressed work schedule for City of Brighton employees while maintaining the same levels of customer service and responsibility our residents expect. A compressed workweek is an alternative work schedule to the traditional 5-day, 40-hour work week. Many organizations in both Europe and the United States, including local governments, have been piloting an alternative modified schedule (e.g., 4-day, 32-hour workweek) without the reduction in employee pay.
The basic premise of the program is that employees will have the opportunity to work a compressed work week with 36 hours being the target. Employees will still be expected to complete the same workload as they are today. City Hall will be open Monday through Thursday from 8am-5pm and on Fridays from 8am-12pm. However, to ensure continued quality customer service and sufficient time for employees to complete their job duties in support of the “Target 36” program, employee schedules will be tailored to Department and resident needs. This program will not affect the hours of other City of Brighton facilities such as the Brighton Recreation Center, The Sue Corbett Active Adult Center at Eagle View and the Brighton Police Department.
As employee workload will not change in the “Target 36” program, employees are strongly encouraged to identify work efficiencies that will ensure the completion of required job duties within 36-hours. During the pilot period, full-time will still be defined as 40-hours-a-week and any tasks not completed within the 36-hour time period should be completed in the standard 40.
The “Target 36” Pilot Program is set to begin on Monday, July 7, 2025, and will be re-evaluated in six months. By implementing a modified workweek pilot, the City of Brighton has the opportunity to improve the wellbeing of employees while maintaining or increasing organizational productivity and performance. In addition, studies of the impacts of modified workweeks identified decreases in employee absenteeism and employee burnout, significant fiscal savings, an increase in organizational productivity and performance, and overall improved morale.
The City of Brighton strives to redefine productivity in the workplace with an innovative, cutting-edge solution to attract prospective workers while retaining current employees. This shift focuses on the quality of employee output rather than the quantity of hours worked will have an impact on employee work-life balance, retain our talented employees, attract prospective employees, and maintain quality customer service.
OPTIONS FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
This item is informational and does not require Council action
ATTACHMENTS
Presentation