County workers wanted a pay hike, but got a 4-day workweek instead. Here’s what happened.

In the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington State, county workers never got the pay raise they demanded — but they’ve celebrated ever since. Lacking the funds to increase wages, the county decided instead to reduce employees’ workweek from five days to four days while keeping pay the same.

In the year since the reduced work week went into effect, avoiding a big pay raise saved San Juan County nearly $1 million. Job applications are up 85%, the turnover rate is down 43% and employees calling in sick is down 23%.

The workers seem happier, too.

“At the end of the day, money only does so much for you. And what’s the good of having money anyway if I can’t use it to do anything for fun?” said Nadine Varsovia, who works in Human Resources.

The change didn’t come without skeptics, according to Brandon Andrews, the county’s parks and fair director. Many county offices are now closed on Fridays, which had some residents worried at first, he said. But Andrews, who helped negotiate the deal, said what looked at first to be a no-win situation ended up being a win-win.

“Do you want us to raise taxes when things are already expensive? Do you want us to cut services? Or do you want us to get creative?” Andrews said.

In the U.K., a 2022 pilot program led by the nonprofit 4 Day Week Global found similar success on a much larger scale. Thousands of workers at over 60 companies switched to a four-day work week for six months. The majority of companies and employees said they benefited from the abbreviated workweek and would keep the same schedule moving forward, according to a review of the program.

Last year, Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced legislation to enact a 32-hour workweek on a national scale. A handful of states have also considered similar laws. 

For Katie Fleming, San Juan County’s solid waste coordinator, it has meant more time for her family and volunteering. She also says she is just as productive and her department is getting the same amount of work done.

“Work-life balance, that is I think the biggest biggest thing,” Fleming said.

Varsovia says her job in human resources has also become easier because the four-day workweek helps with recruiting new talent to fill open positions. She’s used her extra day off to get her master’s degree.

Now Varsovia says she wouldn’t return to 40 hours, even if she got a pay raise.

“Money is only worth so much. I’d rather have that time for myself,” she said.