Some businesses prefer alternatives to traditional work hours.
According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the purpose of alternative work schedules is to help businesses and organizations meet their goals while allowing employees to spend time with their families and engage in other meaningful life activities. Alternatives include flex-time, wherein employees come into the office at different times of day or night than the usual 9-to-5 or 8-to-4 work hours. Another alternative, the compressed workweek, allows employees to work 40 hours in less than five days by working longer hours on certain days. As employers and employees consider the possibilities of alternative work schedules, they should consider the advantages and disadvantages such schedules present.
Advantage: Improved Morale
Flexible schedules allow people to arrange their schedules around their personal lives. Rather than feeling chained to a desk and sensing that life is passing them by, employees may feel liberated, and the quality of their work will reflect this positive attitude.
Disadvantage: Administrative Complications
Managers and supervisors must keep track of the various schedules their employees work. In some cases, it may be necessary that certain employees work at the same time, and management will have to deal with conflicts regarding whose schedule preference prevails.
Advantage: Recruiting Fresh Talent
As the ranks of women in the workplace continue to evolve and they become more powerful, alternative work schedules may be seen as a lucrative benefit for talented female employees who are also raising young children. Talented young people who have little experience with ordinary 9-to-5 schedules may also be attracted to the freedom of alternative work schedules.
Disadvantage: Coverage
Inevitably, some businesses will need people in the office or on the job at unpopular hours. Management may have to negotiate arrangements with employees to take turns working less flexible hours when the needs of the business dictate it. In some cases, certain employees simply must be on the job at inflexible hours. This could lead to bitterness and lowered morale on the part of the employees who don't enjoy the same freedoms as their co-workers.
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