ISUFST adopts four-day compressed workweek

The Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology has formally adopted a four-day compressed workweek for the entire second semester of Academic Year 2025–2026, becoming the first university in Western Visayas to implement the scheme under approved internal guidelines anchored on Civil Service Commission regulations.

The policy takes effect today, Feb. 2.

ISUFST President Dr. Nordy D. Siason Jr. formally announced the adoption of the compressed workweek on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 28, during a meeting at the University Library on the Main Campus–Poblacion Site attended by faculty members, staff, students and university officials.

University officials also discussed the internal guidelines governing the semester-long implementation and evaluation of the new work arrangement.

The ISUFST Board of Regents approved the policy during its first-quarter 2026 meeting at the Commission on Higher Education central office in Quezon City on Jan. 26, following weeks of internal consultations and an institutional survey used as a basis for the proposal.

Under the approved guidelines, the compressed workweek aims to enhance operational efficiency while maintaining the mandatory 40-hour workweek prescribed under civil service laws.

The university emphasized that the policy does not reduce actual working hours but reorganizes schedules to improve productivity, morale and work-life balance.

“The compressed workweek is a management option—not a privilege—that allows us to work smarter and healthier, while protecting service delivery,” Siason said.

“It will be closely monitored and may be modified or suspended if it affects academic operations or public access to services,” he added.

The guidelines cited cost efficiency, including reduced utility consumption, as a key rationale for the policy.

The arrangement is also positioned as a wellness-focused measure, recognizing that faculty members, staff and students perform better when work and learning schedules allow adequate rest and balance.

The compressed workweek applies to all ISUFST campuses and offices, including administrative, academic support and auxiliary units.

It covers all personnel—permanent, temporary or casual—unless specific roles require a different arrangement, subject to approval by the university president.

Personnel assigned to university-run farms, fishponds, agricultural stations and other field-based facilities will continue to follow existing schedules suited to on-site operational requirements.

Under the new scheme, personnel will work four days a week from Monday to Thursday, with duty hours and classes scheduled from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., inclusive of break periods.

Friday is designated as a no-duty and no-class day unless service exigencies require otherwise.

Attendance and timekeeping will remain strictly enforced, with one day of absence charged as 1.25 days to correspond with the 10-hour workday.

Overtime work and service on Fridays or rest days will require prior written approval and may be compensated through overtime pay or compensatory overtime credit, in accordance with existing rules.

To ensure continuity of essential services, frontline and academic offices are required to implement work rotation or alternative arrangements.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Stephen Raymund Jinon said academic processes, including internships, teaching enhancement, thesis and dissertation supervision, and research and extension activities, will be carefully adjusted to protect learning outcomes.

“The policy gives us flexibility, but it also demands discipline,” Jinon said.

“Academic delivery remains non-negotiable, and student learning will not be compromised,” he added.

Vice President for Administration and Finance Dr. Jescel Bito-onon said the policy aligns operational discipline with employee well-being and fiscal responsibility.

“This is a balanced approach,” Bito-onon said.

“We are improving work conditions while ensuring accountability, performance standards and responsible use of public resources,” he added.

The compressed workweek will be subject to continuous monitoring and periodic evaluation throughout the semester.

The Human Resource Management Office will consolidate attendance data, employee feedback and performance indicators.

Administrative and finance units will monitor utility use and potential savings, while office heads will regularly report on productivity and service delivery.

University officials said the pilot implementation allows ISUFST to assess real-world impacts and make evidence-based decisions consistent with institutional development goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on health, decent work and strong institutions. (Herman Lagon | PAMMCO)