A message from ICLS Executive Director Tessie Solorzano:
We are excited to share that Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS) is implementing a trial of a four-day working week from September 1, 2024 – February 28, 2025. The basis of the trial is the concept of 100% pay for 80% hours worked for 100% productivity. During the trial, ICLS will test whether and to what extent this concept can be applied in our workplace.
Since 1958, ICLS has grown substantially, constantly adapting and expanding to meet the legal needs in our communities. As the 4-day work week gained traction in the U.S., we saw the potential for our organization to improve staff wellbeing and recruitment, to increase productivity and efficiency, and to position ourselves on the front lines of workplace innovation. For the past three months, ICLS has invested in developing a Pilot that was truly formed by all staff at ICLS including reviewing workflows, identifying efficiencies, participating in trainings and brainstorming sessions, and establishing key metrics we will collectively hold ourselves accountable to.
The trial is part of a larger, coordinated 6-month pilot program led by 4 Day Week Global in collaboration with Boston College, University College Dublin, and The University of Cambridge. This will involve measurement of success in several ways, including employer and employee surveys and further data analysis.
Why Pilot the 4 Day Week?
Improve recruitment and retention of experienced staff members: ICLS values our talented staff. Their dedication to advocating on behalf of our community, guaranteeing access to public benefits, defending against debt, and keeping families safe and housed is incredible to witness. However, turnover rates at ICLS and other legal aid organizations are high—one in three attorneys working at California legal aid organizations leave those positions within two years. Legal aid vacancies take three to six months to fill, and recruitment is challenging, especially as we focus on hiring staff with diverse life experiences.. This revolving door creates burnout for current staff as they attempt to meet the ever-expanding need for civil legal aid, which is a calling they cannot help but try to answer. It also creates inequitable distributions of workloads as duties are shifted to provide continuity of services and meet the professional duties owed to our clients. Administratively it is a costly burden, expenses for recruitment, including staff time for conducting interviews, ads, onboarding, and training can cost ICLS thousands of dollars per each new hire.
Now envision a shift in staff—no longer on the brink of burnout but energized, with increased experience and increased tenure at ICLS, and new positions filled quickly by folxs passionate about access to justice and looking for a better work-life balance. Studies conducted on the 4 Day Week have demonstrated lasting impact on recruitment and retention of talented staff—including a 25% increase in attorneys providing direct services, a 29% increase in cases closed (i.e. increase in persons receiving assistance), and a 13% increase in years of experience per staff attorney.
Maintain productivity and improve efficiencies
Did you know that any distraction, no matter how brief, can take up to 23 minutes for you to regain your focus? Don’t believe it? Next time you’re working, track how many interruptions you entertain in a day, whether it’s a colleague messaging you on teams, an e-mail notification, or a phone call or text. Then measure how long it takes to regain your focus on the task that you were originally trying to complete. ICLS staff tested this exercise during a short week and noted almost three hours of work time jumbled into busy, but not necessarily productive, time due to the flow of interruptions and needing to refocus on their designated task.
The shift for ICLS will be on maintaining productivity while improving efficiencies such as minimizing interruptions, increasing focus time, improving the workflow for busy or repetitive tasks resulting in maximizing staff ability to focus on complex legal issues and advocacy efforts. An important note, these efforts to maximize productivity must still align and make space for ICLS core values of connectivity as a community of zealous advocates, connection and accessibility for our clients, and our relationships with community partners, volunteers, and outreach.
Key Performance Indicators
Throughout the pilot, ICLS will be tracking key performance indicators on a monthly basis including:
- Number of new clients.
- Number of closed cases and levels of service.
- Number of new applicants.
- Demographics of persons assisted.
- Number of outreaches.
- Changes in revenue.
- Staff retention and recruitment.
- Staff engagement and wellbeing.
- Client feedback.
- Community feedback.
These KPIs are not an exhaustive list, and certainly additional metrics will be added based on feedback from our clients, staff, and the community. Also, flexibility is a cornerstone of the 4–Day Week Pilot—as feedback is provided, ICLS will consider the feedback and make targeted improvements in real time.
ICLS goals for 2024/2025 are incredibly ambitious, and we are committed to achieving them in a manner that is centered both on the health and wellbeing of our staff and on the needs of our clients. I look forward to providing you with an update toward the end of the Pilot! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out or schedule a time to meet with me.
Cheers to revolutionizing the 9-5 grind!
Tessie Solorzano
Executive Director
Inland Counties Legal Services