1. Green Friday Initiative GFOA Conference 2009

2. Background  An idea proposed by the Employee Retention & Recruitment Committee  A different kind of alternative work schedule; an innovative, “thinking outside the box” proposal  60% of employees were already working some form of alternative work schedule

3. Green Friday Concept  Typically known as Dark Friday or Black Friday in some public and private sectors  Practiced in North Las Vegas, some California cities  City of Yuma has been closing every other Friday for the past three years  City Hall closed on Friday – in exchange for extended hours Monday through Thursday (7 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

4. Green Friday Concept  Committee came up with term “Green Friday” because of heavy focus on environmental stewardship  Allows Avondale to conduct business in an environmentally friendly manner, while expanding customer service opportunities

5. Benefits of Green Friday  Enhanced customer service – longer City Hall hours Monday through Thursday  Ensures that Avondale meets its trip reduction goal for City Hall  Driving to work one less day – personal cost savings, cuts down on associated trips (driving to the daycare) – overall better for the environment  Savings - janitorial services, electrical/water use at City Hall  Reduce carbon footprint at City Hall

6. First Employee Survey  Majority supported Green Friday concept  Scheduling doctor/dental appointments on Friday minimizes time off during the week  Employees save on commuting, child care, lunch, GAS!  Allow for more family and personal time  Good for morale; could reduce sick leave  Arguably – more productive

7. Implementing Green Friday  April 14, 2008 City Council gave green light for pilot program  Planned launch June 2  Four-month trial period  Staff to present findings on Oct. 6

8. Implementing Green Friday  Green Friday Committee to address issues such as holidays, payroll, customer service, impact to departments, water shut-offs

9. Considerations  Doesn’t work across the organization  Departments will have to carefully review employees’ roles, develop specific policies regarding implementation  Need to raise public awareness of new schedule  Enhance technology to minimize impact of Friday closure (ie. online bill payments and class registration)  Ongoing evaluation to ensure customer service delivery is not negatively impacted

10. Public Outreach/Marketing  Surveyed the public  Internal – FAQs via email, Employee newsletter, department meetings  All employees involved in the public information process

11. Public Outreach/Marketing  Developed logo/brand  Information for website – FAQs, hotline numbers  Press release issued May 6; subsequent interviews with TV, Radio and print  Water bills, posters, Post-its, outgoing email, voice mail  Staff volunteers to work the first couple of Fridays

12. Findings to Council  Trip Reduction – 200 vehicles off the road on Friday during peak hours  Extended hours – 550 customers served during 7-8 a.m. and 6-7 p.m.  Resident Satisfaction – no major complaints; 82% surveyed said keep Green Friday schedule

13. Employee Survey  42% of workforce responded to survey  82% said keep Green Friday schedule; 4% no opinion; 6% summertime only  8% who said no – cited issues with childcare, school, “longer days.”  Mostly, employees felt more productive; enjoy 3 day weekend

14. Cost Savings Janitorial Services  4 day cleaning schedule provided a $787.00 per month savings  Annual savings$9,444.00

15. Energy Savings -- Electrical  City hall electric meter 5 day work schedule93,800 kw per/mo 4 day work schedule81,760 kw per/mo Average savings12,040 kw per/mo Percentage reduction13% Average monthly savings $1,135.37 Average annual savings$13,624.44

16. Energy Savings  Chiller Plant 5 day work schedule125,120 kw per/mo 4 day work schedule77,200 kw per/mo Average savings47,920 kw per/mo Percentage reduction38% Average monthly savings $2,571.46 Average annual savings$30,857.52

17. Holiday Pay -- Objectives  Equalize allocation for each full-time regular employee to receive 88 hours per fiscal year.  Identify ways to maximize the number of days that City offices are open to serve citizens.  Increase flexibility for employees.  Insure that adoption of Green Friday or other alternate schedules does not increase the cost of doing business.

18. Holiday Pay -- Proposal  Each FT regular employee receives 88 hours to use between July 1-June 30.  City holidays would be announced in June for the upcoming fiscal year.  Holidays that fall on Friday, Saturday or Sunday for those working Green Friday schedule would be handled as floating holidays.

19.  A listing of premium holidays will be prepared in June of each year. On a premium holiday, any non-exempt employee will be paid 1 ½ times their normal rate for any hours worked. Premium holidays for 2008-09:  Independence Day*Labor Day*  Veterans DayThanksgiving  Christmas DayNew Year’s Day  MLK DayPresidents Day  Memorial Day *already past for ‘08

20. Green Friday – catching on  Dozens of newspaper articles, TV interviews – including USA TODAY, LA Times, America’s Cities & Towns Magazine, S. Korean documentary  Other cities and governments following suit – Queen Creek, Buckeye, state of Utah, Birmingham, AL  A nationwide trend

21. Questions? www.avondale.org Pier Simeri psimeri@avondale.org psimeri@avondale.org Dan Davis ddavis@avondale.org