New Swampscott Town Hall Hours Begin This Week

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Swampscott Town Hall's new schedule that begins this week includes late hours on Wednesdays and closed Fridays as part of a four-day workweek for municipal employees.

Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald proposed the changes early last month as part of a Select Board-requested plan to address the recruitment and retention of town staff.

Fitzgerald told Patch the four-day workweek was one of the proposals staff supported as a way to help create a better work-life balance following two years of COVID-19 restrictions and virtual meetings.

Fitzgerald told Patch that Fridays had traditionally between among the slowest times for Town Hall business, while there was a desire among some who responded to have later hours at least one day per week for those who work outside of the town.

Starting this week, Town Hall will be open for visitors Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

"We want to be making an investment in the culture of Swampscott," Fitzgerald told Patch of the changes. "Staff shouldn't be thought of as part of the help, but part of the community."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)