The move from a five-day workweek to a four-day workweek in the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office has been a success, said Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee.

But no final decision has been made to expand or keep the work schedule.

It has been a little over three months since the Clerk and Recorder’s Office moved to a four-day week as part of a pilot program. The move came at a time when other employers, such as the Bayfield and Ignacio school districts and La Plata Electric Association, began trying out four-day weeks to boost employee morale and prevent employees from having to commute a fifth day.

Lee has been collecting feedback from her employees and said it has been mostly positive. Some have commented about how one less day in the office saves them money on gas while others said the longer workdays Monday through Thursday allows them to accomplish more work.

“We’ve received a really good response from the motor vehicle side all the way to the recording side of the office,” Lee said.

La Plata County spokesman Ted Holteen said there are no immediate plans to switch to a four-day workweek countywide, but county officials continue to track results from the Clerk and Recorder’s Office.

Holteen said schedules differ based on department and what’s required for the job. Some departments within the county already work four-day weeks like road and bridge during the winter. Others may have only four days of operations but still have employees who work a fifth day.

County Manager Chuck Stevens is reviewing information from Lee in order to evaluate whether the change in schedule is viable for other departments. According to Lee, Stevens will also be evaluating the positive and negative comments about the work schedule.

“The real question is what sort of feedback has Tiffany gotten about that Friday closure?” Holteen said.

In September, the office switched its daily hours to 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with an exception of Wednesdays when the office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. because of staff meetings.

The change in hours has given residents more opportunity to register their vehicles later in the day. Records from the Clerk and Recorder’s Office show that from Sept. 12 to Dec. 14, the office had more than 530 customers stop by from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The four-day workweeks have helped retain employees, and, as a result, the office does not have any vacant positions, Lee said.

She said the office saw a high volume of customers on Fridays and still does through online transactions.

Complaints about the office being closed Friday have been minimal. Lee said there has been only two since the switch was made. The vehicle registration kiosk at City Market at 3130 Main Ave. has also been able to help customers when the Clerk and Recorder’s Office is not open on Fridays.

Clear Creek and Dolores county clerk and recorder’s offices also switched to a four-day schedule this week.

tbrown@durangoherald.com