OCCU Launches 4-Day Workweek Pilot Program

Officials with the $3.4 billion Oregon Community Credit Union (OCCU) announced Thursday that it has started a four-day workweek pilot program with its inbound call center team to test whether a shorter workweek helps with employee health, engagement, retention and productivity.

The pilot program, which began last week, includes 61 employees in the OCCU Member Contact Center.

In a statement from OCCU, officials explained that the concept of a four-day workweek has gained momentum, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic began three years ago as other countries and industries have adopted similar, shorter workweek policies.

OCCU explained that during the pilot, team members would work four eight-hour shifts and be “compensated at a rate equivalent to what they would have been paid for five eight-hour shifts.” The extra day off each week will allow “for additional time with family, to attend to appointments and generally decompress from a traditionally stressful role.”

OCCU COO Tracey Keffer said, “We’re excited to see if the four-day workweek is the right fit for OCCU. Our hope is that stepping outside the traditional workweek schedule and seeking innovative solutions will result in a positive impact to our team members’ well-being and create a positive and engaging workplace culture. This new model has the potential to boost employee health and engagement, decrease turnover, increase productivity and, as a result, provide the best experience possible for our members.”

CU Times asked OCCU to explain how officials will measure the success or failure of the pilot program. In an email, an OCCU spokesperson said the Eugene, Ore.-based credit union is “tracking 10 performance metrics that correlate to service levels and member and employee experience.”

According to the spokesperson, the following call center metrics for the pilot program include:

• Abandonment rate;
• Time to answer;
• Average queue time (percent of time in queue compared to percent of time scheduled to be in queue); and
• Employee absenteeism and turnover ratios.

Through the pilot, which is anticipated to run at least three months, OCCU is not changing its service hours or bringing on additional employees to support the new scheduling.

“The team instead will work to ensure that overall productivity remains high and that absenteeism, unplanned time off and turnover are within acceptable ranges. If the four-day, 32-hour workweek pilot proves successful, the credit union will consider implementing the model in other business units,” OCCU’s statement read.

An unknown Reddit user posted the announcement on the r/Eugene subreddit nearly a month ago and the post has since been deleted. But, comments left on the thread about OCCU’s pilot program were mostly supportive of the idea.

“OCCU just announced it today. The contact center is overjoyed!” one comment stated. Another user said, “That’s amazing! I hope it catches on!”

OCCU could be the first credit union in the country to test out the four-day workweek with this type of program, with a reduction of hours and no reduction of pay. Earlier this year, the $3.1 billion Metro Credit Union in Chelsea, Mass., announced the option for eligible employees to work four days each week for 10 hours each day.

OCCU has 14 branches and serves a membership of 260,993. According to the latest NCUA Call Report, the credit union has 580 full-time and 39 part-time employees.