Benefits
- increase retention
- lower training costs for employee turnover
- employees are more motivated to work well
- employees sleep better
- quality of work improves with greater rest time &. work/life balance
Downsides
- one day less coverage/availability unless shifts are staggered
Anecdotal examples
Officer-initiated efforts — including relationship-boosting chats with residents — have jumped, while response times have shortened. The department used less than half of the $335,000 budgeted for 2023 overtime in the police force, which has 53 sworn officers and 20 non-sworn officers. Traffic stops and arrest numbers have stayed the same since the pilot launched last July.
“Our people are motivated. They’re refreshed. They want to come to work. They want to get their stuff done, and it gives them the opportunity to go out there and do more of that proactive stuff,” Sgt. Stephanie Sipes said. Her duties include recruiting, and she plans to highlight the schedule feature.
Staff members have more time with family, more time for their kids’ after-school activities and smaller childcare bills, she said, adding: “I think a lot of people are getting much better sleep.” With the stress and strange hours of police work, that’s no small thing.1