Below are some facts about one of the City's alternate work schedules, known as the 9-80 schedule. It's important to note that all employees work approximately the same number of hours, regardless of schedule. In addition, the 9-80 schedule has a number of benefits for residents.
9-80 Explained
Most management and executive staff work more than 80 hours, without overtime pay. Instead, they are allotted a certain number of administrative leave hours yearly. Other alternate schedules offered at the City are 4-10 (four, 10-hour workdays) and 3-12 (three, 12-hour workdays,) which are mostly used by police and fire staff.
History of the 9-80 Schedule
The 9-80 schedule began in 1990, when the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) required all employers with more than 100 employees to reduce peak-hour commute trips by 20 percent. The intent was to get more vehicles off the road and reduce air pollution. The 9-80 schedule was developed as one tool to meet that requirement. Since then, the mandate has been repealed but 9-80 continues to be offered by many other cities and other local organizations, including, Disney Corp., UCLA, Boeing, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Northrop Grumman Corp. and Kaiser Permanente.
Benefits of the 9-80 Schedule
The 9-80 schedule allows City Hall to be open longer hours—from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday—which are the busiest days of the week. On Friday, City Hall is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Some cities with 9-80 schedules close down entirely on alternate Fridays.) The alternate schedule also reduces traffic and air pollution in the City and frees up parking in City parking structures. In addition, the alternative schedules have proven to be a valuable tool to attract and retain the best employees.
A discussion of the City's alternate work schedules took place at the Aug. 2, 2011 study session.
This blog is intended as a means of keeping the community informed about City government. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of Beverly Hills Patch.
