New schedule will save money, may relieve burnout, police chief says. Union president says step could lead to more accidents, stress.
By ERIC STIRGUS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Overtime, sick leave lucrative for some COs
Keeping the ‘grave’ out of graveyard shift
Would you want to work a 12-hour shift?
ATLANTA, Ga. — Atlanta corrections officials have come up with an unconventional plan to slow the exodus of officers leaving the department.
Twelve-hour shifts.
Not every day, officials say. The plan is to have officers work 12 hours on three consecutive days and then have at least two days off.
Chief Frank Sizer believes the shifts will reduce overtime and give officers more time off, particularly on weekends.
“We’re hoping that it will [improve] retention rates and [reduce] sick leave,” Sizer said in a telephone interview.
Some officers aren’t as enthusiastic about the plan, which goes into effect in the next 30 days.
The president of the corrections chapter of the American Federation of State, Local and Municipal Employees, Local 1644, a union that represents some city workers, argues 12-hour shifts will result in officers feeling burned out at the city jail. Burnout can lead to more accidents and more trouble from inmates, said Sgt. Ellis Williams.
“We just don’t have enough staff to make it work,” he said.
Sizer countered Williams hasn’t complained when employees work overtime.
“I never hear the word burnout when I’m talking about time-and-a-half,” the chief said.
Most city departments work eight-hour shifts. The city’s 911 operations moved to 12-hour shifts last year.
From April 1 to Aug. 31, 105 sworn officers left the department, according to a Sept. 2 office memo. The department has 379 sworn officers, eight shy of the number budgeted, according to Sizer.
About 60 percent of those officers who left either made a career change, felt a lack of job security or quit to work with another agency, the memo says.
“They’re leaving because of the uncertainty,” said Williams.
The city laid off 22 corrections workers earlier this year during two rounds of budget cuts.
Sizer is hoping to slow overtime spending through the new work schedule. The Atlanta City Council in June approved a 12-month budget that set aside slightly more than $1 million in overtime for the corrections department.
The department spent nearly half its overtime budget --- $470,949 --- by the end of August, Sizer said.
The long hours are creating other problems in the department.
Corrections officers are requesting twice as much time off under the federal Family Medical Leave Act than any other Atlanta agency, city records show.
Sizer said it’s difficult to prove that officers abuse sick time since employees aren’t required to bring a physician’s note unless they’re off more than three consecutive days or if managers suspect the worker isn’t sick. Williams noted officers often are working with inmates with illnesses, so it should not be surprising that officers use more sick time.
The chief wrote in a memo to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee that his staff agreed on the 12-hour shift plan after talking to the city’s 911 operations, which moved to 12-hour shifts last year. The council’s approval is not required to change the work schedule.
Bill Kahnweiler, who teaches courses on human resources and organizational behavior at Georgia State University, says 12-hour shifts can lead to employees feeling more mental and physical fatigue. But he did suggest the change would have at least one benefit: Employees won’t have to commute to work as often.
“For some people, since they have to go to work anyway, especially in a place like Atlanta, if I have to commute three times a week, it’s better than four times a week or five times a week,” Kahnweiler said.
Sizer said he’ll meet with officers in the next 30 days to discuss the plan. The chief said he’ll employ the shifts for six months and make changes if necessary.
Copyright 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution