The 9-to-5 work schedule of your grandfather doesn't necessarily work in today's high-tech, rapid-decision work environment. Business owners and HR managers need to think beyond traditional work arrangements and consider flextime, job-sharing and telecommuting. As employers continue to look to hire the best and the brightest, they need to offer options that allow employees to balance work with the demands of home life.
For the first time in our history, today's workforce for the first time in our history is simultaneously comprised of four different generations of workers with four different sets of values and expectations. The Veterans, people who entered the workforce in the 1940s, are traditional and expect long-term loyalty. The Boomers, who entered the workforce in the 1960s, value teamwork, personal growth and being involved. The Gen Xers, who entered the workforce in the 1980s, value self-reliance, informality and fun. Finally, the GenYs, also known as the millenniums, entered the workforce in the 21st century and value realism, diversity and extreme fun. While the Veterans and the Boomers seem to live to work, the GenXers and GenYs tend to work to live. Despite these differences, all those groups will find common ground as the Boomers reach retirement age-they'll want flexibility.
Flexible working arrangements can be a solution to retain boomers who are looking to cut back. They still have much to contribute and many are finding that retirement is not what they thought it would be. The younger generations are looking to keep work and fun in balance.
Companies are finding a variety of ways to meet workers' demands for flexibility. For example, a small NH manufacturing company with 30 employees rearranged its workweek for the summer. Employees agreed to work an extra half hour Monday through Thursday and got to leave at 2:30 on Friday. The employees loved the schedule so much they requested that management implement it year round. Such an arrangement allows employees to do errands on Friday afternoon or head for the beach or mountains before traffic picks up.
Hospitals are well ahead of the curve when it comes to not only juggling multiple schedules, but finding a variety of ways to deliver flexible schedules. The HR department of a hospital in the Seacoast, in order to provide services to other departments that operate 24/7, is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To accommodate this schedule, some staff start at 7:30 a.m.; some at 8 a.m. and others at 8:30 a.m. and leave beginning at 2:30 p.m. Some choose to work fewer than 40 hours per week and arrange their schedule to accommodate their desire to be home when their children return from school. They arrange coverage with colleagues when necessary. It is a win-win arrangement for all.
Staff in other departments within the hospital can work three 12-hour shifts or four 10-hour shifts, and some choose per-diem work with no set schedule and no benefits. It provides them with maximum flexibility to control their own work schedule and personal life. Another department enabled two employees to coordinate a job-sharing arrangement. The employees each work part-time and communicate regularly with each other on issues that arise during their shift. They have learned to assume responsibility for each other's actions to assure a consistency within their communications.
These arrangements provide a mutual benefit and satisfaction for both the employee and the employer. In yet other departments, the director created the option of working from home for certain positions. These alternative work arrangements not only provide flexibility to take care of the day-to-day issues we all deal with in our personal lives, but also can cut down on the amount of gas employees use for commuting.
When employers think creatively in designing work schedules, employees respond with increased commitment, and they become more engaged and more aligned with the values of the organization. There is a shared purpose in creating alternative work arrangements. When an employer recognizes and appreciates the differences that today's worker brings to the job and includes them in the design of how and when that work is done, the results can be astounding. Employee work satisfaction can be higher. Employers should review the various state and federal labor laws prior to implementing any new staff schedule to insure continued compliance. These laws can be accessed though the the NH Department of Labor's Web site at www.labor.state.nh.us.
With the price of gas averaging $4 a gallon, allowing an employee to rearrange his or her schedule to work four 10-hour days versus the traditional Monday through Friday schedule could result in an almost 2 percent increase in take-home pay. For example, assume an employee is making $15 an hour and his or her take-home pay is around $480 per week (depending on their W2 elections). If the employee is commuting 20 miles one way working four days instead of five, the employee just reduced the commute by 40 miles for the week. If the car averages 20 miles per gallon, that's two gallons of gas or $8 a week saved. Some companies are creating incentives for employees to be flexible and share rides to work by offering preferred parking for carpools or by putting their names into a raffle for a gas card each month. (www.nh.gov/dot/nhrideshare is another resource for employers and employees alike.)
Creating flexible work schedules requires increased communication between supervisors and staff and among the staff itself. It requires a trust that the work will still be finished and it requires that the relationships within the office will be appreciated. Sharing certain activities and tasks needs to be discussed and aligned. A positive partnership is created between the employee and manager when the work environment is mutually satisfying. When you focus on the people, performance and production, profits will follow.
Bill Irvine is the owner of Irvine Consulting Group, LLC in Alton, focusing on human resource development and leadership coaching. He has an associate relationship with Key Partners Inc. in North Hampton. For more information, visit www.irvineconsultinggroup.com or www.keypartnersinc.com.
Business NH Magazine 2008
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