With this in mind, managers must seek out ways to make workers feel like more of a part of the organization. One way that this has been done is through the implementation of various work schedules that adapt to the needs of the worker. Compressed work schedules, job sharing, and telecommuting have all been used with a measure of success in the workplace. They all have benefits, as well as drawbacks associated with them. The two items that seems to be irrefutable is that they have increased the satisfaction of the worker, and at the same time, the quality of work within the organization that they are used.
The first of these practices in use is the compressed work schedule. This concept involves a full-time employee who wishes to increase the amount of actual days they can spend out of the office. This schedule came about primarily in response to single parents who desired to spend more time out of the office and more time with their families. Additionally, the compressed schedule does not affect the earning potential of an employee since he or she still works a 40-hour workweek. (Models of Compressed, 2000).
Compressed schedules are basically broken down into three different work cycles. They are the four-day workweek, the three-day workweek, and the 5/4-9 compressed plan. The agency, management in this case, determines the schedules and hours associated with all three of these plans. Overtime work typically must be approved in advance and is in excess of the work schedule's basic work requirement. (Models of Compressed, 2000).
The first schedule, the four-day workweek, is comprised of a 10-hour day, 40 hours per week, and 80 hours a biweekly period. Part-time employees must work in a four-day workweek and a set number of hours in a bi-weekly period. In part-time work, the agency determines the number of hours in a bi-weekly period. The "tour of duty- is established by the agency and is limited to four 10-hour days.
