Community Work Time Plan

Toronto – Mayoral candidate Gil Penalosa today announced his Community Work Time plan, which would see the City of Toronto’s 40,000 employees adopt flexible working hours to ease congestion and transit overcrowding and create a supportive work environment. Gil will also encourage large public and private sector organizations to follow suit, ensuring that all employees can collaborate on site during core hours of 11am to 3pm, with the rest of the workday set at their discretion. 

“The City will lead the way on flexible work times to make commutes faster for all Torontonians while saving millions of tax dollars on maintaining roads and operating buses,” said Penalosa. “Our Community Work Time program will also help attract and retain the most talented employees in the country by allowing a schedule that fits their needs.”

Flexible working hours will ease congestion and transit overcrowding. Studies show that adopting staggered working hours can lead to a 10-15% reduction in peak-hour traffic congestion, saving commuters 3-4 minutes per trip. Gil’s Community Work Time plan will cost taxpayers nothing. In comparison, the Gardiner East is planned to be rebuilt at a cost of $2-billion – all to save just 2% of commuters 3 minutes.

The pandemic demonstrated face-to-face collaboration is important, but not necessary for the entirety of the working day. Gil’s Community Work Time will provide opportunities for teams to share ideas in the middle of the day while recognizing that people need to drop off their kids at school or childcare and run errands, and that they have different sleep schedules – 7am-3pm may work for some employees, while 11am-7pm might suit others better. Research suggests that staggering working hours can lead to a healthier work environment and lead to increased participation of women in the workforce.

Benefits of Gil’s Community Work Time plan include:

• Reducing peak hour traffic by 10-15%, which will lead to a decrease of 3-4 minutes in average commute time.
• Saving significantly on transit and road infrastructure costs by reducing need for more buses and additional traffic lanes.
• Enabling more women and caregivers to enter the workforce thanks to a schedule that meets their needs.
• Making picking up and dropping off children at school and childcare easier for families.
• Helping employees be more productive at work with a plan that fits their sleep schedule and daily routines.

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flexible working hours for all!