Hancock County Commissioners have approved a four-day workweek for county employees but agreed to keep operating hours unchanged to preserve public access to services.
Commissioners unanimously backed the plan at their most recent meeting, allowing employees to compress their hours into four days while maintaining the same customer-facing schedule for residents.
The hours of operation for county services such as the Registry of Deeds, Registry of Probate and the Treasurer’s Office will not change. Those will still be available five days a week, eight hours a day, according to Josh Griffin, the county personnel manager.
“Unlike many of the cities and towns across the state, we are not closing offices one day a week,” said Griffin. “We will still be open Monday through Friday so the general public will not be impacted by this change. Our official hours of operation for the courthouse will also stay the same.”
Supporters said the shift is intended to improve employee morale and well-being without reducing public access to county services.
The move follows a growing trend among municipalities exploring shorter workweeks as a way to retain workers and maintain service levels. County officials said they will monitor the rollout to ensure operations continue without disruption.
