Tuscaloosa Police experimenting with four-day workweek

Working looks a whole lot different for many people two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, that means working from home. For others, it means swapping to a four-day workweek.

An increasing number of businesses around the country are moving their employees to a permanent four-day work week encompassing about 32 hours of work, with no pay decrease.

Most companies practicing the effort have employees working flexible working hours,

A four-day workweek is an arrangement where a workplace has its employees over the course of four days per week rather than the more customary five. This arrangement can come alongside a flexible work schedule, and some businesses use it to cut costs.

For both employees and those who employ them, a four-day workweek often comes with better productivity and higher work satisfaction.

The Tuscaloosa Police Department is experimenting with the trend, but with four 10-hour days before any overtime is factored.

“Having three days off to relax and recuperate and be able to enjoy their families after working a 40-hour week is beneficial to the police department,” said Deputy Police Chief Sebo Sanders.

TPD currently has about 150 officers from its patrol division working four days a week.

“Right now we plan on growing,” Sanders said. “We want to have more police officers on the street to be more visible, so going to a 10-hour shift four days a week you will see more officers on the street patroling and keeping the city of Tuscaloosa safe.”