Kingston Approves Six-Month Trial of Four-Day Work Week for Town Hall Staff
Move aims to boost recruitment and retention while maintaining service hours through extended weekdays
KINGSTON - February 25 - The Kingston Board of Selectmen has approved a six-month trial of a four-day work week for town hall employees, with the building to be closed on Fridays beginning July 1.
The change, requested by the KTEU clerical union, will maintain the same 35-hour work week by extending hours Monday through Thursday and reducing lunch breaks from one hour to 30 minutes.
"From my point of view, the benefit I see for the town of Kingston is trying to attract qualified people," says Town Administrator Keith Hickey. "If we are able to offer a benefit that some other town may not, that could provide us the reason why a candidate accepts a position with the town of Kingston."
Under the new schedule, the town hall will be open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Tuesday hours will remain 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The building will be closed on Fridays.
The trial period will run through December 31, 2025, allowing the board to evaluate the impact before deciding whether to make the change permanent.
Selectman Kim Emberg expressed reservations about the change, noting the resident-facing nature of town hall positions.
"I struggle with it because it's a resident-facing role," Emberg says. "Everything in the townhouse is to serve the folks within the community, so I struggle with the limited hours."
Selectman Melissa Bateman highlighted the potential benefits of the trial period.
"I think it's worthwhile if we can attract people here to fill positions we need to, and we have a six-month trial period," Bateman says. "We can check back in with residents and ask them if there was a benefit to it or not, and then make that decision in December."
Hickey notes that the towns of Hull and Hingham have recently implemented similar four-day work weeks, with minimal concerns raised by taxpayers. He adds that the town is working to expand online services to reduce the need for in-person visits.
"We're working on providing online transfer station decal issuances so you don't have to go to streets, trees, and parks during the week," Hickey says. "We're also relaunching our building permit software, so ideally people who would like to apply for a building permit or get a transfer station decal can do that online."
John Sjostedt, KTEU President, clarified that while the proposal was offered to all union members, only town hall staff expressed interest in the four-day schedule.
The motion to approve the trial period passed with Emberg voting against it. The change will not affect the Council on Aging, police, fire, streets, trees and parks, water, or sewer departments, which will maintain their current schedules.
Chair Eric Crone expressed support for the trial, noting that Fridays are typically not busy at town hall. He mentioned his only concern was about signing the warrant, which he sometimes does on Friday mornings, but Hickey offered to accommodate as needed.
The board will reassess the four-day work week at the end of the trial period based on resident feedback and operational impacts.
In other business, the Board of Selectmen:
- Approved moving forward with the street acceptance process for Captain Jones Way and Barrows Brook Circle in Jones River Estates. The roads will need improvements, including replacing a non-compliant speed bump with a proper speed table, before they can be accepted as town roads.
- Created a working group for an age and dementia friendly study in conjunction with Old Colony Planning Council, following a $35,000 grant awarded to Kingston. The group will include representatives from various town departments and community organizations.
- Tabled a decision on renewing razor clam licenses to allow for further discussion about implementing potential minimum catch requirements for license holders.
- Opened the 2025 annual town meeting warrant effective February 26, 2025.
- Approved the MS Cape Cod gateway bike event to be held through Kingston on June 28, 2025, with conditions including acquiring proper permits and scheduling police details.
The board's next meeting is scheduled for March 6 to discuss the budget, followed by a regular meeting on March 11 at 6 p.m.