4-day work weeks september 25, 2008 robert l. whiddon editor, employee benefit adviser\...
TRANSCRIPT
4-day work weeksSeptember 25, 2008
Robert L. Whiddon
Editor, Employee Benefit Adviser\
202-504-1120
Today’s speaker
Rex Facer
Bringham Young University
Romney Institute of Public Management
Rex Facer
Facer is an assistant professor of public finance and management and a Warren Jones Fellow in BYU’s Romney Institute of Public Management. His expertise includes city management, public finance, public management strategy and public policy analysis.
Research highlights include public budgeting and finance, municipal annexation, public service motivation, public and private organizational differences, and organizational change.
Facer received his PhD in public administration from the University of Georgia in 2002.
Implementing a 4-Day Work Week: Implementing a 4-Day Work Week: Maximizing the Benefits, Overcoming the Maximizing the Benefits, Overcoming the
ObstaclesObstacles
Rex L. Facer II, PhDLori Wadsworth, PhD
Romney Institute of Public [email protected]
AgendaAgenda
ResearchResearch
Implementation Implementation Issues: 5 PsIssues: 5 Ps
BackgroundBackground
Phronesis: Phronesis: Practical WisdomPractical Wisdom
BackgroundBackground
• History of work schedules– 1840’s– Great Depression– FLSA – law governing workweek
• Introduction of Alternative Work Schedules
Alternative Work SchedulesAlternative Work Schedules
• Flex-time• Telecommuting/Teleworking• Job Sharing• Compressed Workweek
Forms of Compressed WorkweekForms of Compressed Workweek
• 3/36• 4/32• 9/80• 4/10
Our ResearchOur Research
Alternative Work Schedules and Work-Family Balance, Review of Public Personnel Administration, June 2008, pp 166-77 (available free of charge at rop.sagepub.com)
• Employee Surveys• Citizen Survey• HR Directors• Pre- and Post-change Surveys
Implementation IssuesImplementation Issues
• People• Purpose• Process• Performance• Perceptions
PeoplePeople
• Employees• Customers/Clients• Managers & supervisors
PurposePurpose
• Organizational economics • Impact of rising fuel prices
– Employee impact– Organizational impact
• Environmental impact• Employee recruitment and
retention
ProcessProcess
• How do you start?– Employee participation– Experience of others– Employee surveys– Pilot program
ProcessProcess
• Implementation considerations:– Mandatory or optional– Scheduling choices
• Office staggered• Employee staggered• Office closed down
– Technology implications
ProcessProcess
• Policy issues– Vacation & sick leave– Holiday pay
• Legal issues– ADA accommodations– FMLA– FLSA– State laws
PerformancePerformance
• Ensure accountability for performance
• Monitor performance• Periodic assessment• What to measure?
PerceptionsPerceptions
• Employees – extremely positive
• Clients/Customers – mixed, depends on service access
• Unions – mixed, but trend to greater support of AWS
• Managers – very positive• Organization – very positive
Perceptions: Employee BenefitsPerceptions: Employee Benefits
• Work-life balance• Stress• Transportation• Costs• Autonomy• Sick leave
Perceptions: Employee DrawbacksPerceptions: Employee Drawbacks
• Fatigue• Stress• Isolation• “Face time”• Child care/Elder care
Perceptions: Organizational Perceptions: Organizational BenefitsBenefits
• Employee morale• Work-life balance• Customer service• Productivity• Talent management• Absenteeism• Costs
Perceptions: Organizational Perceptions: Organizational DrawbacksDrawbacks
• Interfacing• “Face time”• Fairness• Payroll• Productivity• Customer service
Phronesis: Practical WisdomPhronesis: Practical Wisdom
• Phronesis comes from the work of Aristotle. It is the ability to make changes to enhance the quality of life.– Small wins– Organizational champion– Sufficient resources for success
Questions???
Stay tuned for our next edition of the Friday Fray – an occasional online discussion series, offering benefits
professionals the opportunity to interact with each other and leading experts on a variety of important subjects.
Next Friday (Oct. 3): Wellness Rx – How to create an effective and compliant wellness program.
Register online.
E-mail [email protected] with future Fray suggestions, questions, or comments.