Alternative Work Arrangements

Brent Battye, Andrew Cook, Jeffery Inman, Brandon Long, Ryan Rumbold

Definition A work arrangement in which some or all of the work is

performed at an off-campus work site such as the home or in office space near home.”

Communication may be by one of several means, such as a computer, phone, modem, fax, and pager. Equipment may be owned and maintained by the employee or by the employer.

Types of Flexible Work Schedules Compressed Schedule

Involves longer but fewer work days Can complete a full 80 hours during each biweekly

pay period in less than 10 work days Flexible Schedule

Variety of options All involving certain core hours during which

everyone must be present, coupled with flexible arrival and departure times

Compressed Schedules Schedules are fixed, so no flexibility when

your arrive and depart from work each. Cannot change schedule

Most common schedules are 5-4/9 – Work 8 9 -hour days and 1 8-hour day in

the pay period and get an extra day off 4-10 – Work 4 10-hour days each week of pay

period and have an extra day off each week In every case you will work 80 hour s each bi-

weekly pay period Advantage is getting that extra day off

Flexible Schedules Name implies, more flexible schedules.

Doesn’t mean you come and go as you please, you still have to work out a schedule with your supervisor

2 things in common Core hours – You and everyone else in your unit

must be at work Flexible Times – Times you can vary to arrive and

depart from work

5 Types of Flexible Work Schedules Maxiflex – The Most flexible Schedule Variable Week – Daily and Weekly Flexibility Variable Day – Daily Flexibility Gliding – Flexibility in arrival and departure

times Flexi Tour – Almost the same as Gliding

Maxiflex Contains core hours which are established on

fewer than 10 workdays during each biweekly period

Schedules may include more hours in one week than the next

The basic requirement is to complete 80 hours of work during each biweekly pay period

Variable Week Basic requirement to complete 80 hours in

each biweekly pay period Must work during core hours on each of the 10

workdays in the pay period Flexibility is in the number of hours you work

each day and each week Schedules can vary from to week and day to

day, with more hours worked in one week than the other

Variable Day Schedule can vary each day around the hours,

but have to complete 40 hours each week Can’t work fewer hours one week than the

other during a biweekly pay period Schedule could have varied hours on different

days, 3 10-hour days, and two 5-hour days each week.

Gliding schedule Work 8 hours each day and 40 hours each

week Can vary the time you arrive and leave work

each day, as long as you’re there during the established core hours

Flexi Tour Similar to Gliding Schedule Work 8 hours each day and 40 hours each

week Schedule is the same every day until a formal

opportunity for changing it arises

Benefits and challenges

Benefits Increased employee retention Loyalty and morale Higher employee Higher productivity Improved recruiting of highly qualified workers

Challenges Difficulties with employee training, monitoring and

performance evaluation Difficulty in maintaining relationships between bosses and

employees

What employees want Many employees are placing flexible work

schedules on there list of desired benefits What do different types of employees want

from this Parents want more time with family Students want time for class and work Some people look for work after retirement Younger and older employees want different things

out of work

Generational differences Generation X or Y

Want as much out of life as possible Desire to blend work with there personal lives Expect to be treated as individuals with skills to

contribute Baby Boomers

Choosing to stretch retirement by slowly moving out of the workplace

Demand less demanding tasks Represent an issue as the the size of this

demographic exceeds current college graduates.

How does this relate Both baby boomers and Generations X and Y

are asking for work arrangements beyond the traditional 8 to 5 Monday to Friday workweek

Boomers want to accommodate their transition to retirement and X and Y want to be individualistic and do there own thing

Big Issue: Fuel Costs and environmental issues A May 2008 poll conducted by the Society for

Human Resource Management indicated that I8 percent of the responding organizations offered telecommuting in order to help employees with rising fuel costs.

Another report states that rising gas prices are encouraging companies to further expand telecommuting networks in order to help employees conserve fuel

Concerns about global warming have also fostered more concerns about commuting

What employees are doing Methods other than telecommuting of cutting

costs Carpools Public transportation Altered work schedules (4 day work week)

The economy The economy and the poor state of the

housing market limits peoples ability to move to new jobs

Long distance telecommuting is now a necessity in some cases

The economy is also increasing the amount of commuter marriages where spouses work in different cities Telecommuting for work is a good option here to

preserve the marriage

What’s going on in the world Many countries are pursuing alternative work

arrangements, some even enacting legislation The U.S has not made any laws but

demographic and economic changes might make it a necessity

Alternative work arrangements could play an important role in preparing the US economy for the future.

Sources http://

hr.commerce.gov/Employees/Leave/DEV01_005923

http://hr.commerce.gov/Employees/Leave/DEV01_006015

http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/toolkit/flexwork/types/index.html

http://www.fau.edu/hr/AWA.php