Innovative

Workplace
Flexibility Options
for Hourly Workers

Researched and written by WFD Consulting

 Acknowledgments



Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
is
a
product
of
Corporate
Voices
for
Working

Families’
Workplace
Flexibility
Project.
This
report
was
researched
and
written
by
WFD
Consulting.
This

research
was
supported
by
a
grant
from
the
Alfred
P.
Sloan
Foundation.




The
authors
would
like
to
thank
Arlene
Johnson
for
her
vision
and
leadership
in
making
this
project
a

reality
and
Kathleen
Christensen
for
her
guidance
and
support.
We
are
also
indebted
to
our
supporters

at
Corporate
Voices,
Donna
Klein
and
John
Wilcox,
for
their
sponsorship
and
encouragement.
We
are

grateful
to
Ellen
Galinsky
and
Jennifer
Swanberg
for
their
expertise
and
advice
on
this
topic.
Thank
you

also
to
Debbie
Magalhaes
for
her
assistance
in
preparation
of
this
report.




We
are
grateful
to
our
participating
companies,
Bright
Horizons,
Marriott,
PNC,
Procter
&
Gamble,
and
a

consumer
goods
manufacturer
who
wishes
to
remain
anonymous,
for
without
their
generosity
and

cooperation,
the
study
would
not
have
been
possible.








Authors


Amy
Richman


Diane
Burrus


Lisa
Buxbaum


Laurie
Shannon


Youme
Yai


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


1

 



TABLE
OF
CONTENTS








 Overview
 3
 


 


 Case
Studies
 17


 
 Bright
Horizons
 17


 
 Consumer
Goods
Manufacturer
 27


 
 Marriott
 37


 
 PNC
 46


 
 Procter
&
Gamble
 62


 


 Survey
Findings
 71

Workplace
Flexibility
Defined
 71


 
 Use
of
Flexibility
 72


 
 Support
for
Flexibility
 79


 
 Flexibility
Compatibility
 85


 
 Flexibility
Impacts
 90

About
the
Survey

 97








Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


2

 

OVERVIEW



Introduction



Lower
wage
workers
are
critical
to
the
growth
and
prosperity
of
the
U.S.
economy,
but
this
segment
of

the
 workforce
 remains
 underserved
 in
 both
 policy
 and
 research
 discussions.
 There
 is
 only
 faint

recognition
that
more
than
25
percent
of
the
U.S.
workforce
are
lower
wage
workers
who
earn
less
than

$10
 per
 hour
 (or
 less
 than
 $20,000
 annually)
 and
 that
 significant
 expansion
 in
 this
 labor
 segment
 is

anticipated
as
the
economy
grows.1,2
Estimates
suggest
that
the
majority
of
new
jobs
created
in
the
next

few
years
will
be
lower
wage.
Greater
attention
to
this
category
of
worker
—
especially
to
the
factors

that
enable
their
stability,
contribution
and
productivity
—
is
vital
both
to
the
health
of
businesses
and

to
the
well‐being
of
the
millions
of
individuals
in
the
lower
wage
workforce.



Workplace
flexibility
is
one
of
the
areas
in
which
workplace
policy
for
lower
income
workers
has
been

lacking
 but
 in
 which
 there
 is
 great
 potential
 for
 impact
 and
 change.
 Recent
 academic
 research
 and

business
 reports
 have
 demonstrated
 strong
 positive
 outcomes
 of
 flexibility
 for
 businesses
 and

employees.
 This
 research
 on
 the
 “business
 case”
 for
 workplace
 flexibility
 has
 proven
 to
 be
 influential,

both
in
garnering
the
attention
of
business
and
the
press
and
also
in
demonstrating
the
feasibility
and

importance
of
workplace
flexibility
as
a
business
tool.3
However,
the
focus
to
date
has
been
primarily
on

management
 and
 professional
 workers,
 and
 relatively
 little
 attention
 has
 gone
 to
 how
 and
 whether

voluntary
flexibility
can
work
for
lower
wage
employees
and
their
employers.
Little
is
known
about
what

kinds
 of
 flexibility
 are
 successful
 in
 lower
 wage
 jobs,
 resulting
 in
 a
 common
 assumption
 among

employers
 and
 managers
 that
 flexibility
 is
 less
 feasible,
 effective
 or
 necessary
 for
 these
 positions.

Research
 shows
 that,
 for
 a
 variety
 of
 reasons,
 lower
 wage
 workers
 generally
 have
 less
 access
 to

voluntary
flexibility
than
higher
wage
workers.
But
when
it
is
available
to
this
population,
flexibility
can

have
equal
or
even
more
powerful
outcomes.4




The
 purpose
 of
 this
 project
 was
 to
 create
 broader
 awareness
 of
 the
 positive
 business
 and
 employee

impacts
of
flexibility
for
lower
wage
hourly
and
nonexempt
workers
and
to
provide
practical
tools
and

information
about
the
conditions
and
practices
that
make
flexibility
possible
and
profitable.




The
project
sought
to
answer
several
research
questions.


• What
motivates
the
provision
of
and
use
of
flexibility
for
employers
and
lower
wage
workers?

• What
are
the
critical
success
factors
from
both
the
organizational
and
employee
perspectives?

• How
do
organizations
deal
with
and
overcome
the
barriers
to
flexibility?

• How
 do
 organizations
 ensure
 that
 business
 results
 have
 been
 achieved
 in
 the
 areas
 of
 talent

management,
human
capital
outcomes
and
financial
performance?


Based
on
research
in
five
organizations,
this
report
provides
documented
successful
flexibility
practice,

its
business
impact
and
the
practical
lessons
learned
from
corporate
experience
with
flexibility
for
lower

wage
hourly
and
nonexempt
workers.
The
report
presents
five
case
studies
of
flexibility
best
practices,

quantitative
 survey
 findings
 about
 flexibility
 use
 and
 impacts,
 and
 practical
 flexibility
 implementation

guides
for
managers
and
employees
with
concrete
tips
and
tools.







Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


3

 Description
of
the
Study



During
 2007
 and
 2008,
 five
 organizations
 that
 had
 already
 implemented
 flexibility
 successfully
 with

some
portion
(at
least
200
employees)
of
their
lower
wage
workforce
(generally
those
earning
$12
per

hour
or
less)
for
at
least
12
months
were
studied.5
In
some
cases
the
flexibility
that
is
being
documented

extends
 across
 the
 company;
 in
 other
 cases
 it
 has
 been
 implemented
 in
 a
 division
 or
 sector
 of
 the

business
or
within
specific
work
teams.
Companies
participated
in
both
qualitative
and
quantitative
data

collection.
 The
 participating
 organizations
 represent
 diverse
 industries
 (financial
 services,
 hospitality,

child
 care
 and
 consumer
 products)
 and
 job
 types
 (customer‐facing
 workers
 as
 well
 as
 operations

workers).
 Participating
 employees
 include
 child
 care
 providers,
 customer
 service
 representatives,

operations
specialists,
production
workers,
administrative
assistants,
sales
agents
and
others.






Workplace
Flexibility
Defined



The
flexibility
practices
investigated
fall
into
three
categories
that
address
distinct
needs
of
lower
wage

workers.
Research
has
shown
that
given
the
nature
of
their
jobs,
economic
constraints
and
family
needs,

the
types
of
flexibility
that
are
possible
and
beneficial
are
somewhat
different
for
lower
wage
workers

than
 for
 higher
 wage
 workers.
 Thus
 the
 types
 of
 flexibility
 studied
 include
 several
 of
 the
 “traditional”

forms
 of
 alternative
 work
 arrangements
 but
 also
 extend
 to
 include
 the
 flexibility
 that
 results
 from

greater
employee
control
over
scheduling
and
from
personnel
policies
regarding
occasional
or
episodic

flexibility
—
two
areas
in
which
lower
wage
employees
have
historically
had
less
access
than
exempt
and

higher
paid
employees.



(1) alternative
work
schedules
—
schedules
that
depart
from
the
standard
five
day
per
week,
full‐
time
 schedule,
 such
 as
 flexible
 start
 and
 end
 times,
 compressed
 workweeks,
 telework,
 and

voluntary
part
time
with
prorated
pay
and
benefits
(definitions
of
the
most
common
alternative

work
schedules
are
provided
at
the
end
of
the
report);


(2) employee
 control
 over
 scheduling
 to
 accommodate
 personal
 preferences
 or
 family

responsibilities
—
flexible
scheduling,
self
scheduling,
shift
swapping
and
control
of
unscheduled

overtime;


(3) progressive
 personnel
 policies
 for
 hourly
 workers
 that
 enable
 employees
 to
 manage
 periodic

and
unscheduled
personal
and
family
needs
and
emergencies
(sick
leave,
time
off
and
the
use
of

episodic
flexibility).



Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


4

 Methodology



The
data
for
this
report
come
from
several
sources:
review
of
company
business
information
concerning

flexibility
 policies
 and
 results,
 a
 quantitative
 survey,
 and
 qualitative
 focus
 groups
 and
 interviews.
 The

survey
 was
 conducted
 primarily
 online
 with
 more
 than
 200
 managers
 and
 approximately
 1,300
 lower

wage,
nonexempt
and
hourly
workers
who
utilize
flexibility.
A
small
comparison
sample
was
included
of

about
130
employees
who
perform
comparable
jobs
in
the
same
companies
but
do
not
use
flexibility.6

Printed
surveys
were
used
in
one
organization
in
which
employees
did
not
have
access
to
computers
or

the
 Internet
 at
 the
 workplace.
 (See
 “About
 the
 Corporate
 Voices
 Survey
 on
 Flexibility
 for
 Hourly
 and

Nonexempt
Workers”
later
in
the
report
for
a
detailed
description.)



Twenty‐five
focus
groups
(21
groups
with
employees
and
four
groups
with
managers)
and
25
interviews

were
 conducted
 with
 middle‐
 and
 senior‐level
 human
 resources
 (HR)
 and
 line
 managers;
 in
 one

organization,
 six
 individual
 interviews
 were
 conducted
 with
 first‐level
 managers
 in
 place
 of
 a
 focus

group.
 Most
 of
 the
 interviews
 and
 focus
 groups
 were
 conducted
 in
 person;
 three
 groups
 with

teleworking
 employees
 and
 four
 interviews
 with
 managers
 were
 conducted
 via
 telephone
 conference

call.





Business
Drivers
of
Flexibility



Flexibility
 has
 often
 been
 positioned
 as
 simply
 an
 accommodation
 to
 employees,
 but
 the
 data

summarized
 in
 this
 report
 demonstrate
 that
 employers
 can
 gain
 tremendous
 benefit
 from
 providing

flexibility
in
when
and
how
work
gets
done.
Flexibility
as
it
has
been
implemented
in
these
companies
is

used
 as
 a
 management
 tool
 to
 address
 a
 variety
 of
 business
 needs:
 to
 effectively
 manage
 human

resources
(recruit,
develop,
retain
talent),
control
costs
and
increase
productivity.



In
child
care,
where
there
is
a
shortage
of
qualified
early
childhood
teachers,
flexible
work
options
is
a

talent
 strategy
 to
 recruit
 and
 retain
 individuals
 who
 are
 committed
 to
 their
 profession
 and
 to
 tap
 a

wider
labor
pool
than
might
be
possible
with
more
limited
choice
of
work
schedule.



Companies
 have
 found
 that
 offering
 flexible
 schedules
 and
 innovative
 time‐off
 policies
 contributes
 to

being
an
employer
of
choice
for
younger
workers
in
their
competitive
labor
markets.



For
positions
in
customer
service
and
sales
with
typically
high
turnover,
flexibility
is
a
way
to
keep
high

performing
 employees
 in
 both
 the
 short
 term
 and
 the
 long
 term.
 These
 companies
 use
 flexibility
 to

respond
 to
 the
 changing
 needs
 of
 their
 workers
 over
 the
 life
 course
 (going
 back
 to
 school,
 raising
 a

family)
or
to
retain
mature
workers.



Flexible
 work
 options
 are
 being
 used
 in
 businesses
 with
 continuous
 operations
 that
 need
 weekend

coverage
or
whose
business
hours
extend
beyond
a
9‐to‐5,
eight‐hour
day.
This
includes
voluntary
part‐
time
positions
as
well
as
flextime
and
compressed
work
schedules.



Flexible
 schedules
 are
 an
 effective
 means
 of
 managing
 personnel
 costs,
 in
 particular
 overtime
 costs,

which
is
a
win‐win
for
employees
and
the
business.
Flexibility
is
cost
and
resource
neutral
when
planned

for
 and
 personnel
 and
 productivity
 costs
 of
 unscheduled
 absences
 are
 avoided.
 By
 building
 flexibility

into
 the
 staffing
 models,
 some
 of
 the
 companies
 reduce
 overtime
 costs
 and
 offer
 more
 control
 and


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


5

 choice
 to
 employees
 over
 their
 working
 hours.
 In
 addition,
 some
 of
 the
 companies
 have
 documented

productivity
gains
and
cycle
time
reductions
as
a
result
of
implementing
flexible
work
options.



These
innovations
in
flexibility
are
providing
nonexempt
and
hourly
workers
with
the
access
to
flexibility

that
 has
 become
 more
 commonplace
 for
 professional‐level
 workers
 —
 not
 only
 the
 formal

arrangements
but
the
occasional,
“just‐in‐time”
flexibility
that
may
be
the
difference
between
keeping

or
losing
one’s
job.





Flexibility
Best
Practices



The
following
examples
illustrate
how
several
flexibility
options
have
been
successfully
implemented
in

a
variety
of
hourly
and
nonexempt
jobs.



Flextime
in
production,
operations
and
other
settings
in
which
coverage
is
essential

Most
people
assume
that
flextime
will
not
work
in
a
production
environment,
but
we
found
that

production
teams
in
several
companies
do
have
flextime
schedules
—
either
formal
arrangements
or

occasional
flextime
managed
at
the
team
level.




In
a
consumer
goods
manufacturing
plant,
employees
arrange,
with
the
approval
of
their
work
teams,
to

either
work
up
to
two
hours
at
the
end
of
the
previous
shift
or
at
the
beginning
of
the
following
shift.

Members
of
one’s
own
shift
cover
 their
work
on
that
day.
This
type
of
flexibility
is
used
frequently
to

enable
shift
workers
to
participate
in
their
children’s
extracurricular
and
sports
activities
or
to
attend
a

regular
weekly
appointment
or
class.



In
bank
operations
in
which
the
usual
workday
is
8:00
a.m.
to
4:30
p.m.,
teams
have
flextime
schedules

that
start
as
early
as
6
a.m.
and
end
as
late
as
5:30
p.m.;
staff
choose
start
times
in
15‐minute
or
half‐
hour
intervals
up
to
8:30.
Teams
typically
have
daily
service
level
targets
that
must
be
met
and
everyone

on
the
team,
regardless
of
work
schedule,
contributes
toward
meeting
the
goal.
In
these
environments,

the
flexible
schedules
build
teamwork
and
greater
ownership
of
results.
Both
employees
and
managers

also
reported
that
staff
can
be
more
productive
during
early
morning
and
late
afternoon
hours
when
the

volume
 of
 customer
 interactions
 is
 lower,
 allowing
 employees
 to
 complete
 tasks
 that
 are
 more
 time

consuming
or
require
research
or
more
focused
attention.



In
child
care
centers
with
11‐
and
12‐hour
operations,
flextime
meets
several
business
needs.
It
is
a
way

to
have
staff
with
appropriate
certification
levels
on
site
all
day
so
that
the
center
is
in
compliance
with

state
regulations
concerning
staff‐to‐child
ratios
and
training.
It
is
responsive
to
the
peaks
and
valleys
of

business
by
matching
staffing
levels
to
the
fluctuation
in
customer
demand.
It
enables
the
directors
to

recruit
high
quality
staff
committed
to
the
early
childhood
field
as
their
profession
by
offering
full‐time

teaching
positions
to
students
enrolled
in
college
or
graduate
school
courses.




Flexible
“flexibility
policies”
and
“just‐in‐time”
time
off
reduces
absenteeism
and
overtime
and

increases
retention

Companies
offer
several
innovative
examples
of
“just‐in‐time”
time
off.
Successful
“just‐in‐time”
time‐
off
practices
are
a
function
of
progressive
personnel
policies,
supportive
manager
attitudes,
accurate

knowledge
of
peaks
and
valleys
in
work
demands,
and
efficient
scheduling
tools.




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


6

 Company
 flexibility
 and
 time‐off
 policies
 as
 they
 pertain
 to
 nonexempt
 and
 hourly
 workers
 are

fundamental
to
determining
whether
employees
are
able
to
manage
the
day‐to‐day
life
situations
that

arise
without
incurring
penalties
in
performance
or
compensation.
Employers
in
this
project
have
put
in

place
policies
and
benefits
that
provide
nonexempt
and
hourly
workers
access
to
flexibility,
both
formal

arrangements
 and
 “just‐in‐time”
 flexibility.
 This
 type
 of
 occasional
 flexibility
 is
 greatly
 valued
 by

employees
and
has
become
more
common
among
professional‐level
workers
but
is
still
uncommon
for

nonexempt
 and
 hourly
 positions
 in
 which
 attendance
 policies
 are
 rigorously
 enforced.
 Participating

companies
either
have
policies
that
enable
employees
to
take
vacation
time,
personal
time
and
sick
time

in
hourly
increments
rather
than
whole
days
or
the
individual
managers
allow
employees
to
take
time

off
in
small
units.
“Just‐in‐time”
time
off
also
refers
to
the
ability
to
take
single
vacation
days
on
short

notice
in
systems
in
which
vacation
is
often
scheduled
in
weekly
increments
several
months
in
advance.



The
ability
to
use
some
personal
time
—
either
vacation
time
or
sick
time
—
in
small
increments
enables

employees
to
take
care
of
personal
or
family
matters
as
they
arise
even
if
the
bulk
of
vacation
time
must

be
scheduled
long
in
advance
and
taken
in
larger
units.
This
reduces
“call‐offs”
and
avoids
short
staffing

and
overtime
(a
benefit
to
both
co‐workers
and
the
company)
since
the
employee
can
take
off
an
hour

or
two
instead
of
being
out
for
an
entire
day.
Being
able
to
make
up
a
couple
of
missed
hours
at
another

time
within
the
pay
period
also
has
a
tremendous
impact
on
workers
who
are
counting
on
every
hour
of

pay.
 As
 with
 using
 time
 off
 in
 small
 increments,
 the
 ability
 to
 make
 up
 time
 is
 also
 less
 disruptive
 to

staffing
since
employees
are
not
forced
to
call
in
sick
or
take
an
entire
or
half
shift
off
because
they
need

to
go
to
an
appointment
or
be
an
hour
late.



A
necessary
element
of
being
able
to
allow
employees
time
off
on
short
notice
is
building
the
capacity

for
time
off
into
the
staffing
model.
While
managers
might
assume
this
would
mean
scheduling
excess

staff,
that
is
not
necessarily
the
case.
Managers
reported
that
“just‐in‐time”
flexibility
actually
enables

them
 to
 manage
 their
 existing
 staffing
 resources
 better
 because,
 they
 have
 found,
 allowing
 small

amounts
 of
 flexibility
 reduces
 the
 overall
 number
 of
 “call‐offs”
 or
 “call‐outs”
 (unscheduled
 absences)

which
otherwise
result
in
overtime
costs,
stress
and
efficiency/effectiveness
problems.



One
 company
 annually
 issues
 a
 certain
 number
 of
 time‐off
 “coupons”
 to
 call
 center
 employees
 with

ongoing
performance
incentives
to
earn
more.
Employees
log
on
to
the
call
center’s
scheduling
system

to
determine
if
there
are
available
slots
in
the
schedule
to
use
a
time‐off
coupon
for
a
given
day.
In
cases

in
which
employees
are
home
with
a
sick
child
or
have
another
type
of
personal
emergency,
they
can

call
the
manager
on
duty
to
check
for
available
time‐off
slots.
Time‐off
policies
and
offering
employees
a

mechanism
to
have
more
control
over
their
schedules
has
enabled
the
company
to
engage
and
retain

young
workers
in
an
industry
and
labor
market
in
which
turnover
is
typically
high.



In
a
continuous
production
environment,
one
team
incorporates
enough
resources
into
the
staffing
plan

so
that
every
day,
two
team
members
can
get
the
day
off.
All
team
members’
names
are
listed
on
the

schedule
and
as
an
employee’s
name
reaches
the
top
of
the
list,
he/she
has
the
choice
of
either
taking

the
 day
 off
 without
 pay
 or
 working
 the
 extra
 day.
 Some
 employees
 prefer
 the
 time
 off,
 while
 others

prefer
the
extra
pay;
the
benefit
of
the
system
is
giving
the
employees
choice
and
control
over
time
off.



Telework
for
administrative
assistants
and
customer
service
representatives


Telework
for
nonexempt
and
hourly
workers
may
be
the
fastest
growing
flexibility
practice
as
pressure

to
reduce
operating
costs
provides
incentives
for
businesses
to
decrease
office
space
at
the
same
time

that
technology
advances
make
working
at
home
more
feasible.
A
sign
of
this
shift
toward
telework
as
a


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


7

 business
 strategy
 is
 that
 new
 employees
 are
 being
 recruited
 for
 telework
 positions
 in
 addition
 to
 the

more
common
practice
of
transitioning
office
workers
to
telework
arrangements.



Typically
 the
 administrative
 assistant
 position
 has
 had
 very
 little
 flexibility
 because
 being
 present
 at

one’s
desk
at
all
times
of
the
day
to
answer
the
phone
and
provide
support
for
managers
has
been
the

key
requirement
of
the
job.
Although
the
technology
is
available
to
perform
key
job
responsibilities
of

the
 administrative
 assistant
 position
 effectively
 from
 a
 distance,
 manager
 attitudes
 have
 been
 the

biggest
 barrier
 to
 telework
 and
 other
 flexible
 scheduling
 options
 for
 support
 personnel.
 In
 one

participating
 company,
 a
 very
 results‐based
 organization
 in
 which
 many
 of
 the
 managers
 are
 quite

mobile
themselves,
administrative
assistants
are
able
to
telework
very
effectively
one
or
more
days
per

week.
 Administrative
 employees
 who
 are
 part
 of
 a
 team
 determine
 a
 coverage
 schedule
 among

themselves
so
at
least
one
support
person
is
at
the
office
each
day.
Employees
proactively
communicate

their
 schedules
 and
 contact
 information
 and
 utilize
 e‐mail,
 instant
 messaging
 and
 call
 forwarding
 to

maintain
satisfactory
levels
of
accessibility
and
responsiveness
for
managers
and
customers.



There
has
been
an
increase
in
the
number
of
companies
that
are
implementing
home
agent
programs,

which
is
echoed
in
the
expansion
in
the
number
of
teleworking
customer
service
representatives
among

the
companies
in
the
study.
While
some
companies
are
transitioning
employees
who
formerly
worked

on
site
to
work
at
home,
others
in
our
study
are
using
telework
as
a
comprehensive
talent
strategy
that

includes
 recruiting,
 training
 and
 managing
 remotely.
 Telework
 has
 enabled
 these
 employers
 to
 staff

hard
 to
 fill
 hours
 with
 highly
 motivated,
 high
 performing
 individuals
 by
 tapping
 new
 segments
 of
 the

talent
pool
and
rehiring
alumni
whose
life
circumstances
have
changed.
These
target
employees
include

employees
 in
 rural
 areas,
 mothers
 of
 young
 children,
 students
 and
 individuals
 with
 other
 scheduling

requirements
who
would
not
be
available
otherwise
for
either
standard
weekday
hours,
evening
hours

or
 weekend
 hours
 at
 the
 company
 office
 location.
 Telework
 also
 helps
 companies
 to
 retain
 valued

employees
 with
 significant
 family
 commitments;
 some
 telework
 for
 a
 couple
 of
 days
 each
 week
 and

come
in
to
the
office
other
days,
and
some
move
into
a
part‐time
telework
position
for
a
period
of
time.

Without
telework
options,
managers
and
employees
report,
the
employees
in
question
would
probably

have
 quit
 their
 jobs
 altogether.
 Equipping
 employees
 to
 telework
 has
 provided
 companies
 with

increased
 capacity
 to
 handle
 unexpected
 situations
 —
 everything
 from
 inclement
 weather
 to
 an

unexpectedly
 high
 volume
 of
 calls.
 Having
 employees
 set
 up
 to
 telework
 allows
 managers
 to
 rapidly

deploy
staff
to
changing
work
priorities.




Team‐based
compressed
workweek
schedules

Although
 compressed
 workweeks
 are
 common
 in
 some
 occupations
 and
 industries,
 we
 found
 more

types
 of
 jobs
 in
 which
 compressed
 work
 schedules
 were
 successful
 and
 more
 positive
 outcomes
 than

previous
 research
 had
 indicated.
 For
 example,
 a
 child
 care
 center
 director
 viewed
 the
 compressed

workweek
 schedule
 as
 a
 strategy
 to
 provide
 more
 staff
 continuity
 and
 consistency
 and
 reduce
 the

amount
 of
 unscheduled
 absences.
 Although
 teachers
 were
 not
 in
 the
 classroom
 one
 out
 of
 five
 days

each
week,
by
working
four
longer
days,
teachers
were
able
to
cover
the
entire
10
hours
of
operation
on

the
days
they
were
working.
This
means
fewer
part‐time
employees
filling
in
at
the
beginning
and
end
of

the
day
and
more
overall
consistency
in
staffing.
After
an
initial
adjustment
period,
parents
(customers)

indicated
they
were
satisfied
with
being
able
to
see
the
same
teacher
in
the
classroom
at
the
beginning

and
end
of
the
day.
The
compressed
schedules
produce
the
intended
results
—
more
productivity
and

less
unscheduled
absenteeism
as
staff
are
able
to
take
care
of
personal
needs
on
their
weekday
day
off.

Reduction
in
employee
work‐related
expenses
such
as
transportation
and
child
care
costs
are
additional

benefits
for
the
employees
with
compressed
workweeks.




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


8

 Full‐time
benefits
at
30
hours

Some
 of
 the
 employers
 offer
 full‐time
 benefits
 at
 30
 hours
 as
 a
 way
 to
 attract
 and
 retain
 high
 quality

staff
who
may
be
students,
have
second
jobs
or
have
significant
family
responsibilities,
making
it
difficult

to
work
40
hours
per
week.
It
also
enables
these
companies
to
staff
harder
to
fill
late
day
or
weekend

shifts.
This
is
a
total
rewards
differentiator
in
their
industries
and
an
effective
talent
strategy.




Career
flexibility
—
flexibility
over
the
life
cycle

We
 found
 that
 employers
 have
 implemented
 career
 flexibility
 —
 an
 emerging
 talent
 strategy
 that
 is

being
utilized
in
the
competition
for
key
talent
—
as
a
way
of
attracting
and,
more
importantly,
retaining

nonexempt
and
hourly
employees
who
are
committed
to
their
industries.
In
hospitality
and
child
care,

workers
join
the
company
at
an
entry
level
and,
through
flexibility
and
other
supports
(such
as
company‐
sponsored
 continuing
 education
 or
 tuition
 reimbursement),
 are
 able
 to
 develop
 skills
 and
 experience

and
move
up
through
the
organization.
In
our
study,
several
managers
and
department
heads
began
in

lower‐paid
positions
themselves.
It
is
not
uncommon
for
workers
to
join
these
companies
early
in
their

work
careers,
even
as
part‐time
workers
in
high
school
or
college;
continue
to
work
part
time
through

school;
become
full
time
when
they
graduate;
and
then
change
their
hours
or
move
to
a
different
role

for
 a
 period
 of
 time
 when
 they
 start
 a
 family.
 Several
 participants
 in
 the
 study
 had
 moved
 from
 team

lead
 or
 management
 positions
 to
 other
 positions
 in
 order
 to
 work
 part
 time,
 telework
 or
 have
 more

control
over
their
hours
at
certain
points
in
their
personal
or
family
lives.
Some
older
workers
had
joined

the
 company
 recently
 expressly
 looking
 for
 flexible
 working
 situations,
 while
 others
 were
 long‐term

employees
who
desired
more
flexibility
in
their
work
schedules
for
personal
or
family
reasons
—
to
care

for
a
family
member
or
to
have
more
leisure
time.



Employee‐designed
schedules
for
continuous
operations

In
 some
 companies,
 scheduling
 by
 employee
 preference
 is
 replacing
 the
 traditional
 bidding
 system,

thereby
giving
employees
more
control
over
their
schedules.
When
one
company
went
to
a
continuous

operation
 (24
 hours
 x
 7
 days
 all
 year),
 management
 approached
 the
 two
 teams
 involved
 in
 the

operation
 and
 challenged
 them
 to
 develop
 the
 work
 schedules.
 The
 two
 teams
 came
 up
 with
 quite

different
solutions
that
have
been
in
place
for
several
years.
And
in
both
cases,
they
moved
away
from

seniority‐based
 scheduling.
 One
 team
 developed
 an
 annual
 schedule
 that
 indicates
 all
 an
 employee’s

workdays
and
days
off
far
in
advance.
Employees
then
submit
their
vacation
requests,
which
get
added

to
the
master
schedule.
Employees
still
have
the
opportunity
to
swap
shifts
or
use
flextime
as
needs
for

flexibility
come
up
on
short
notice.
The
other
production
team
adopted
a
“just‐in‐time”
time‐off
system

in
which
every
day,
two
team
members
can
get
the
day
off.



Employee‐managed
shift
trades

At
companies
in
the
study,
for
the
most
part
employees
are
arranging
shift
trades
and
informing
their

managers
rather
than
managers
being
in
the
middle
of
the
process.
This
has
several
positive
effects
—
it

empowers
 employees
 to
 solve
 problems;
 increases
 teamwork,
 reciprocity
 and
 ownership
 of
 the

solution;
 reduces
 management
 time;
 and
 speeds
 decision‐making.
 On
 a
 smaller
 scale,
 but
 used
 more

frequently,
 employees
 cover
 hours
 for
 each
 other
 in
 situations
 in
 which
 they
 need
 time
 off
 on
 short

notice.
Companies
use
various
systems
for
documenting
shift
trades
and
occasional
adjustments
to
work

hours,
as
well
as
mechanisms
for
informing
customers
and
co‐workers;
these
include
schedules
posted

in
prominent
locations,
online
staff
calendars
and
more
sophisticated
computer‐based
staffing
systems.






Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


9

 Key
Survey
Findings



The
survey
results
demonstrate
that
lower
wage
workers
utilize
a
wide
array
of
flexibility
options
and

that
flexibility
use
has
powerful
benefits
for
enhancing
the
well‐being
and
productivity
of
lower
wage

workers,
as
well
as
the
effectiveness
of
the
organizations
that
employ
them.



• Use
 of
 formal
 flextime
 and
 certain
 occasional
 flexibility/time‐off
 strategies
 is
 prevalent.
 Half

or
more
of
respondents
occasionally
adjust
their
work
hours
for
personal/family
matters
or
use

vacation
time
in
hourly
or
partial
day
increments,
and
four
in
10
use
formal
flextime.
Taking
paid

time
off
on
short
notice,
trading
shifts
with
co‐workers,
taking
time
off
during
the
workday
to

take
care
of
personal/family
matters
and
taking
additional
time
off
without
pay
are
used
by
at

least
one‐third
of
survey
respondents.

• Some
occasional
flexibility
and
time‐off
options
are
easier
to
access
than
others.
The
majority

of
 employees
 have
 relatively
 little
 difficulty
 accessing
 vacation
 time
 in
 partial
 day
 increments,

occasionally
adjusting
work
hours
or
trading
shifts
with
co‐workers.
But
taking
breaks
when
you

want
to,
taking
time
off
during
the
workday
and
taking
additional
time
off
without
pay
are
more

difficult
to
access.

• Employees
 utilize
 multiple
 formal
 and
 occasional
 flexibility
 and
 time‐off
 options
 to
 meet

business
 and
 personal
 needs.
 In
 examining
 the
 wide
 and
 varied
 options,
 we
 discovered
 that

employees
utilize
a
mosaic
of
different
flexibility
options
to
meet
their
work
and
personal
needs.

On
average,
respondents
use
about
four
types
of
flexibility
or
time‐off
strategies.

• Women
 are
 more
 likely
 to
 use
 various
 flexibility
 options
 than
 men.
 Women
 are
 more
 likely

than
 men
 to
 be
 using
 both
 formal
 and
 occasional
 flexibility
 including
 flextime,
 compressed

workweek,
 teleworking,
 occasional
 adjustment
 of
 start
 and
 end
 times,
 shift
 trades
 with
 co‐
workers,
and
time
off
during
the
workday
for
personal/family
matters.

• Younger
workers
are
more
likely
to
use
occasional
flexibility,
while
older
workers
use
formal

arrangements
 more
 often.
 The
 youngest
 respondents
 are
 less
 likely
 to
 make
 use
 of
 flextime,

compressed
 workweeks
 or
 teleworking.
 They
 are
 more
 likely,
 however,
 to
 make
 use
 of

occasional
flexibility
such
as
trading
shifts
with
co‐workers.


• Employees
 with
 children
 are
 more
 likely
 to
 use
 flexibility
 than
 other
 employees,
 especially

employees
with
very
young
or
school‐age
children.

• Managers
 are
 the
 main
 conduit
 for
 information
 about
 flexibility
 options,
 especially
 for

employees
 who
 have
 formal
 flexible
 work
 arrangements.
 As
 such,
 it
 is
 important
 to
 note
 that

about
two‐thirds
of
managers
have
the
information
needed
to
assist
employees
with
flexibility.

Co‐workers
 who
 use
 flexibility
 themselves
 are
 the
 next
 most
 common
 resource
 on
 flexibility

options.

• The
types
and
number
of
flexibility
options
used
have
an
impact
on
employee
satisfaction
and

flexibility
 “fit.”
 The
 use
 of
 several
 types
 of
 formal
 flexibility,
 occasionally
 adjusting
 one’s
 work

hours
 as
 well
 as
 the
 number
 of
 flexibility
 options
 used
 all
 influence
 flexibility
 “fit”
 and

satisfaction.7
 The
 highest
 satisfaction
 and
 flexibility
 “fit”
 is
 among
 employees
 who
 use

compressed
workweeks.
The
ease
of
use
of
flexibility
options
and
the
support
for
flexibility
from

various
 company
 constituents
 are
 also
 related
 to
 flexibility
 “fit”
 and
 satisfaction
 with
 a

company’s
flexibility
opportunities.

• Managers
 and
 employees
 agree
 that
 flexibility
 has
 positive
 impacts
 for
 the
 business
 and
 for

the
employee.
There
is
strong
agreement
among
flexibility
users
and
their
managers
concerning

the
 positive
 influence
 of
 flexibility
 on
 productivity,
 customer
 service,
 employee
 work‐life

effectiveness,
stress
and
well‐being.


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


10

 • Having
flexibility
“fit”
is
strongly
related
to
employees’
connection
to
their
employer
and
their

well‐being.
Employees
who
have
the
flexibility
they
need
have
55
percent
higher
engagement,

55
percent
less
stress,
and
45
percent
lower
turnover
intention
than
employees
who
do
not.

• The
 use
 of
 formal
 flexibility
 arrangements,
 the
 number
 of
 flexibility
 arrangements,
 and
 the

ease
 of
 access
 to
 occasional
 and
 time‐off
 strategies
 all
 predict
 higher
 engagement,
 lower

turnover
and
less
stress.

• More
than
80
percent
of
managers
and
employees
say
flexibility
is
important
to
recruitment

and
retention,
and
almost
a
quarter
of
employees
using
flexibility
would
leave
the
company
if

they
did
not
have
the
opportunity
to
work
flexibly.

• Managers
 and
 employees,
 regardless
 of
 their
 experience
 with
 flexibility,
 concur
 that
 the

nature
 of
 nonexempt
 and
 hourly
 jobs
 as
 well
 as
 the
 current
 level
 of
 workload
 are
 the
 main

barriers
 to
 accessing
 flexibility.
 In
 addition,
 employees
 cite
 company
 policies
 and
 supervisors’

attitudes,
and
managers
cite
coverage
needs
as
key
obstacles
to
the
use
of
flexibility.

• Nine
out
of
10
respondents
who
do
not
currently
use
flexibility
would
do
so
if
it
were
offered

without
 penalty.
 Lack
 of
 access
 to
 flexibility
 options
 in
 their
 current
 positions
 is
 the
 primary

reason
that
more
employees
do
not
use
flexibility.

• One
 in
 five
 respondents
 is
 regularly
 expected
 to
 work
 overtime
 with
 little
 or
 no
 advance

notice.
 One‐fifth
 of
 employees
 say
 their
 managers,
 without
 asking
 first,
 assume
 they
 are

available
for
overtime
as
frequently
as
several
times
a
month
and
report
that
refusing
to
work

extra
hours
would
jeopardize
job
advancement
or
retention.





Success
Factors



Successful
implementation
of
flexibility
in
lower
wage
hourly
and
nonexempt
environments
includes

better
use
of
technology,
staffing
according
to
demand,
cross
training,
management
practices
that

encourage
employee
involvement
and
team‐based
solutions,
consistent
use
of
clear
policies,
leadership

and
accountability
for
support
of
flexibility,
and
intentional
communication.



Build
flexibility
use
into
staffing
models
to
maintain
productivity
and
avoid
costs
of
unscheduled

absences


A
 cornerstone
 of
 creating
 successful
 flexible
 schedules
 is
 thorough
 knowledge
 of
 the
 workflow
 and

peaks
and
valleys
in
demand,
coupled
with
sufficient
staffing
resources
to
design
alternative
schedules.

Apparent
limits
on
staffing
resources
may
indicate
that
creating
more
flexibility
would
not
be
possible.

Often,
 unscheduled
 absences
 and
 other
 time‐off
 events
 actually
 mask
 the
 fact
 that
 the
 number
 of

available
staff
is
considerably
less
than
the
number
of
personnel
resources
in
the
staffing
model.
When

managers
 understand
 the
 hidden
 costs
 they
 are
 already
 incurring
 from
 unscheduled
 absences
 due
 to

lack
of
flexibility
options
and
address
the
issues
by
building
in
sufficient
staffing
resources,
proactively

managing
 scheduling
 and
 enabling
 some
 schedule
 flexibility,
 they
 find
 they
 can
 maintain
 or
 reduce

overall
labor
costs
by
avoiding
overtime
and
unplanned
staffing
issues.
Employees
who
are
cross
trained

and
are
designated
as
“floaters,”
as
well
as
retirees
and
subs
are
built
into
the
staffing
models
to
fill
slots

and
 provide
 coverage
 for
 peak
 times
 or
 for
 employees
 who
 have
 requested
 time
 off.
 Historical

information
about
staffing
needs
as
well
as
online
scheduling
systems
are
valuable
tools
for
managers
to

predict
staffing
needs
and
design
flexible
schedules.




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


11

 Engage
employees
in
developing
team‐based
flexibility
solutions
that
meet
business
and
personal

needs

Starting
 with
 a
 solid
 understanding
 of
 the
 business
 parameters,
 asking
 employees
 what
 they
 want,

listening
to
their
ideas
and
being
open
to
creative
new
ways
of
scheduling
are
key
to
designing
the
range

of
flexible
work
options
that
will
work
for
employees
and
the
business.
While
it
may
require
more
time

initially,
 involving
 employees
 in
 developing
 the
 potential
 flexible
 work
 options
 and
 getting
 team

consensus
 and
 support
 builds
 commitment
 to
 meeting
 business
 goals
 and
 ownership
 of
 the
 flexibility

solutions.
This
process
of
thinking
“outside
the
box”
is
often
essential
to
developing
innovative
solutions

that
 will
 meet
 business
 as
 well
 as
 employee
 needs.
 Pilots
 of
 potential
 flexibility
 solutions
 that
 are

evaluated
after
a
specified
period
of
time
and
then
revised
if
they
are
not
meeting
the
intended
purpose

have
had
positive
results
that
then
are
expanded
to
include
more
employees
over
a
longer
time
period.



Empowering
employees
and
trust

Successful
 flexibility
 requires
 selecting
 and
 hiring
 responsible
 people,
 clearly
 communicating

expectations,
providing
the
necessary
information
and
tools,
and
then
empowering
and
trusting
them
to

deliver
the
required
results.
In
workgroups
in
which
flexible
work
practices
are
commonplace,
managers

encourage
 and
 expect
 employees
 to
 resolve
 issues,
 develop
 solutions
 and
 use
 the
 managers
 more
 as

resources
and
for
final
approval
of
scheduling
changes.
Employees
are
more
likely
to
agree
to
cover
for

their
colleagues
knowing
that
their
colleagues
have
and/or
will
cover
for
them
in
exchange.
Employee

empowerment
from
lessons
learned
about
working
flexibly
generalize
to
other
aspects
of
the
work
such

that
 team
 members
 take
 on
 greater
 responsibility
 and
 accountability
 for
 overall
 team
 functioning
 and

results.



Both
 managers
 and
 employees
 note
 the
 importance
 of
 mutual
 trust
 and
 respect
 in
 the
 success
 of

flexible
work
arrangements,
particularly
when
employees
are
teleworking.
The
manager
must
trust
that

the
employees
are
working
as
they
would
be
if
they
were
in
the
office,
even
though
the
manager
cannot

see
 them.
 Agreements
 on
 expectations
 and
 objective
 measures
 of
 performance
 are
 important.
 In

production
environments,
in
which
systems
are
already
in
place
that
provide
managers
with
information

about
productivity
and
performance
against
goals,
evidence
suggests
that
employees
who
telework
are

actually
more
productive
than
employees
who
work
at
the
office
location.



Create
accountability,
provide
information
and
support
for
managers
to
promote
flexible
work

practices
in
their
units

In
 companies
 in
 which
 success
 of
 flexible
 work
 options
 has
 been
 sustained,
 there
 is
 leadership
 and

support
 from
 the
 organization.
 Senior
 managers
 connect
 flexibility
 to
 their
 corporate
 values
 and

understand
the
relationship
between
flexibility
and
employee
engagement;
they
support
managers
and

hold
them
accountable
for
providing
flexibility
to
their
employees.
The
company
invests
in
training
and

communication
 on
 implementation
 of
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 for
 employees,
 managers
 and
 HR

professionals;
they
provide
opportunities
for
managers
to
discuss
their
experiences,
problem
solve
and

share
stories
of
successful
flexibility
throughout
the
organization.



Develop
clear
policies,
procedures
and
guidelines
and
utilize
them
to
ensure
consistent,
fair
treatment

Consistency
stands
out
as
one
of
the
most
important
factors
contributing
to
the
success
of
flexible
work

practices.
 Clear
 flexibility
 policies,
 guidelines
 and
 a
 business‐based
 flexible
 work
 arrangement
 request

process
 provide
 the
 infrastructure
 and
 guidance
for
 employees
requesting
flexible
work
arrangements

and
managers
approving
flexibility
requests.
This
guidance
is
particularly
important
for
managers
faced

with
difficult
decisions
or
competing
requests,
especially
if
the
flexibility
guidelines
are
clear
about
the

business
 considerations
 that
 must
 be
 met
 for
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 to
 be
 approved.
 Equity
 is


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


12

 achieved
 through
 all
 employees
 having
 access
 to
 a
 fair
 and
 consistent
 flexibility
 process,
 but
 the

flexibility
decisions
and
approvals
may
vary
depending
on
the
nature
of
the
work,
coverage
needs,
job

requirements,
 etc.
 In
 companies
 in
 which
 flexibility
 is
 being
 utilized
 effectively,
 managers
 enforce
 the

policies
to
ensure
fairness
and
equity
while
also
being
open
to
and
supportive
of
flexibility
as
a
business

and
 management
 tool,
 and
 they
 approve
 requests
 whenever
 possible.
 Where
 existing
 company

flexibility
 policies
 do
 not
 address
 the
 needs
 of
 nonexempt
 or
 hourly
 positions,
 HR
 is
 often
 a
 good

resource
for
line
managers,
providing
guidance
in
crafting
appropriate
flexible
work
option
policies.
In

some
 cases,
 employee
 committees
 have
 proposed
 flexibility
 options
 and
 guidelines
 that
 were
 then

approved
by
management.



Communication

Effective
 communication
 is
 even
 more
 important
 to
 high
 performance
 when
 workgroups
 utilize

flexibility
than
when
team
members
all
work
on
the
same
schedule
in
the
same
location.
Posting
weekly

and
 daily
 schedules
 online
 or
 in
 strategic
 locations,
 as
 well
 as
 updating
 in
 real
 time
 critical
 business

information
such
as
daily
productivity
targets
and
status
on
deadlines,
ensures
that
all
staff
are
informed

about
expectations
and
staff
availability
regardless
of
the
hours
or
location
of
work.
Making
the
staffing

schedules
 readily
 available
 and
 communicating
 the
 coverage
 parameters
 also
 facilitates
 employee

requests
 for
 any
 schedule
 changes
 or
 time
 off
 and
 empowers
 them
 to
 proactively
 find
 solutions,
 thus

saving
 management
 time
 and
 enhancing
 employee
 ownership
 of
 the
 arrangements.
 Managers
 are

proactive
about
connecting
with
employees
to
motivate
them,
keep
them
engaged
and
integrate
new

team
members.
Employees
are
expected
to
keep
one
another
and
the
manager
informed
as
well;
team

members
 use
 e‐mail,
 logs,
 phone
 messages,
 instant
 messaging
 and
 other
 communication
 tools
 to

convey
 updates
 on
 deadlines,
 resolve
 customer
 issues
 and
 exchange
 other
 work‐related
 information.

Clearly
 technology
 tools
 can
 support
 real‐time
 access
 to
 colleagues
 and
 managers
 and
 access
 to
 key

business
information.



Cross
training

Cross
training
and
the
ability
to
back
up
colleagues
is
often
a
prerequisite
to
implementing
flexible
work

arrangements
such
as
compressed
workweeks
and
flexible
start
and
end
times
that
involve
varied
shifts.

Teams
collect
the
information
on
which
employees
are
cross
trained
and
can
function
as
backups
and

use
 that
 information
 to
 determine
 work
 schedules
 and
 to
 quickly
 make
 adjustments
 when
 employees

are
 out
 for
 any
 reason.
 Having
 multiple
 staff
 members
 knowledgeable
 on
 key
 processes
 ensures
 the

workgroup
will
deliver
the
expected
results
regardless
of
individual
work
schedules.



Technology
and
tools

Constant
improvements
in
technology
enable
more
widespread
use
of
flexible
work
practices
in
several

ways.
Online
scheduling
tools
that
build
in
coverage
parameters
and
time‐off
guidelines
give
employees

more
control
and
flexibility
in
their
schedules
—
to
request
a
regular
schedule,
trade
shifts,
or
schedule

vacation
or
other
time
off
—
and
assist
managers
to
project
staffing
needs,
approve
requests,
and
track

and
monitor
arrangements.
This
empowers
employees
to
take
more
ownership
of
the
arrangements
as

well
as
proactively
find
solutions
to
scheduling
conflicts
and
reduces
the
overall
time
spent
by
managers

on
work
schedules.



Call
management
systems
and
other
management
tools
that
provide
information
about
staff
availability,

daily
 workload
 and
 progress
 against
 goals
 enable
 individual
 employees
 as
 well
 as
 the
 workgroup
 as
 a

whole
to
anticipate
demand,
manage
workflow,
adjust
staffing
and
avoid
last
minute
crises.




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Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


13

 Technology
 now
 enables
 effective
 telework
 with
 connectivity
 to
 communication
 and
 information

systems
and
monitoring
of
performance
comparable
to
on‐site
work.
Virtual
meetings
using
webinars,

videoconferencing
 and
 teleconferencing
 support
 effective
 team
 meetings
 and
 training.
 In
 addition,
 e‐
mail
and
instant
messaging
keep
managers
and
employees
accessible
to
one
another.



Even
 with
 the
 benefits
 of
 technology,
 managers
 are
 challenged
 to
 find
 creative
 ways
 to
 build
 strong

relationships
and
keep
employees
and
workgroups
motivated
given
increased
work
demands
and
varied

work
 arrangements.
 Some
 managers
 have
 devised
 innovative
 approaches
 for
 conducting
 performance

reviews,
giving
recognition
and
on‐boarding
new
team
members.



Flexible
careers

In
 industry
 sectors
 with
 competitive
 labor
 markets,
 recruiters,
 HR
 professionals
 and
 line
 managers

conceptualize
 and
 market
 flexibility
 as
 a
 business
 tool
 to
 recruit,
 develop
 and
 retain
 high
 performing

employees
 across
 the
 life
 cycle.
 Managers
 who
 interact
 with
 employees
 at
 key
 decision
 points
 in
 the

employment
cycle,
who
are
familiar
with
the
company’s
flexibility
policies
and
willing
to
think
creatively,

can
 offer
 flexible
 work
 options
 as
 a
 strategy
 to
 help
 employees
 achieve
 their
 longer
 term
 career
 and

personal
goals
as
well
as
meet
the
business
needs.
Initiating
conversations
with
employees
about
their

career
plans
as
part
of
the
performance
management
process
or
at
critical
junctures
and
exploring
the

opportunities
for
flexibility
have
enabled
businesses
to
retain
valued
employees
whom
they
would
have

otherwise
lost.






Challenges



Viewing
flexibility
as
a
business
tool,
not
an
entitlement

Managers
express
concern
that
once
employees
have
a
flexible
work
arrangement
in
place,
they
treat
it

as
an
entitlement
and
it
will
be
difficult
to
make
any
changes.
Managers
may
assume
that
if
flexibility
is

implemented
they
will
be
expected
to
approve
all
requests
for
a
flexible
work
arrangement,
when
in
fact

they
 should
 modify
 or
 deny
 those
 requests
 that
 will
 not
 meet
 business
 needs.
 For
 teleworkers
 this

includes
clear
messages
concerning
creation
of
a
professional
business
atmosphere
in
the
home
office,

availability
for
work
hours
and
child
care
arrangements.
It
is
critical
to
set
expectations
at
the
outset
that

flexible
work
arrangements
must
meet
business
needs,
will
be
reviewed
on
a
periodic
basis
and
may
be

renegotiated
if
business
requirements
change.
Manager
and
employee
training
and
the
use
of
a
request

process
can
help
position
flexibility
appropriately
as
a
business
tool.



Management
support

The
primary
barrier
to
broader
implementation
of
flexible
work
arrangements
is
variability
in
manager

support
at
different
levels
within
the
organization.
Managers’
heavy
workloads
and
competing
priorities

hamper
their
ability
to
introduce
new
work
practices
that
would
require
any
additional
effort.
Further,

concerns
 about
 monitoring
 performance,
 achievement
 of
 productivity
 goals
 or
 service
 levels
 by

employees
 working
 on
 different
 schedules
 and
 at
 different
 locations,
 and
 confidence
 in
 established

operating
 practices
 inhibit
 their
 willingness
 to
 consider
 new
 ways
 of
 working.
 Those
 unfamiliar
 with

managing
 flexible
 work
 options
 may
 not
 have
 the
 information
 or
 tools
 to
 manage
 arrangements

effectively.
Inconsistencies
in
management’s
support
for
flexible
work
practices
across
departments
and

where
there
has
been
turnover
in
management
within
the
same
unit
cause
employee
dissatisfaction
and

turnover.
Creating
accountability
for
promoting
flexible
work
practices,
providing
manager
training
and

coaching,
and
publicizing
the
results
of
successful
pilots
can
address
these
concerns.


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


14

 Maintaining
coverage

One
of
the
main
barriers
to
offering
flexible
scheduling
is
not
building
enough
resources
into
the
staffing

model
 to
 achieve
 the
 level
 of
 coverage
 necessary
 to
 meet
 the
 business
 demands.
 Perennial

understaffing
 can
 be
 a
 barrier
 to
 implementing
 flexibility.
 The
 desire
 to
 implement
 flexibility
 is
 an

opportunity
 to
 examine
 how
 the
 work
 is
 currently
 being
 done:
 Is
 there
 an
 opportunity
 to
 redesign
 or

eliminate
low‐value
work
and
increase
flexibility?



Often,
 unscheduled
 absences
 and
 other
 time‐off
 issues
 are
 masking
 the
 fact
 that
 the
 number
 of

available
 staff
 is
 considerably
 less
 than
 the
 number
 of
 paid
 personnel
 resources.
 When
 managers

understand
 the
 hidden
 costs
 they
 are
 already
 incurring
 from
 unscheduled
 absences
 due
 to
 lack
 of

flexibility
 options
 and
 address
 the
 issues
 by
 building
 in
 sufficient
 staffing
 resources,
 proactively

managing
 scheduling
 and
 enabling
 some
 schedule
 flexibility,
 they
 find
 they
 can
 maintain
 or
 enhance

productivity.
 They
 can
 also
 maintain
 or
 reduce
 overall
 labor
 costs
 from
 having
 the
 majority
 of
 work

resources
available
at
their
regular
wages,
thereby
avoiding
overtime
costs.



Providing
consistency
and
continuity

Businesses
 must
 ensure
 that
 consistent
 quality
 and
 customer
 service
 are
 maintained
 regardless
 of

employees’
 work
 schedules.
 It
 is
 critical
 that
 employees
 or
 managers
 with
 requisite
 qualifications
 and

knowledge
 are
 available
 and
 that
 communication
 tools
 and
 technology
 are
 utilized
 so
 that
 employees

and
customers
have
ready
access
to
information
during
all
hours
of
operation.
Involving
the
workgroup

in
 designing
 the
 flexible
 work
 schedules,
 cross
 training
 employees
 on
 all
 key
 work
 processes,
 and

implementing
technology
and
communication
tools
for
essential
information
can
help
ensure
consistent

service
 quality.
 Furthermore,
 the
 use
 of
 flexible
 schedules
 can
 help
 retain
 high
 performing
 employees

whose
 knowledge
 and
 expertise
 have
 direct
 and
 long‐term
 impact
 on
 productivity
 and
 customer

satisfaction.




Addressing
poor
performance

Some
managers,
particularly
those
who
have
not
managed
individuals
on
flexible
arrangements,
worry

about
 how
 performance
 is
 managed
 when
 employees
 are
 working
 different
 schedules
 or
 in
 different

locations.
Flexibility
does
not
increase
performance
problems,
but
it
does
shine
a
light
on
the
issue
when

poor
performers
are
not
being
coached
or
managed
effectively.
When
individuals
are
not
performing
up

to
 expectations
 and
 are
 abusing
 flexibility
 arrangements,
 the
 morale
 of
 the
 entire
 workgroup
 can
 be

affected.
Poor
performance
should
be
addressed
with
the
individual
employee
rather
than
jeopardizing

the
availability
of
flexibility
for
an
entire
workgroup.
Performance
should
be
managed
according
to
the

delivery
of
results
using
productivity
reports
and
other
management
tools
regardless
of
work
schedules.

A
request
for
 flexibility
 is
 an
 opportunity
to
establish
goals
and
 discuss
performance
 expectations
 in
 a

results‐based
framework.



Scheduling
meetings
and
trainings
when
all
can
attend

Managers
 have
 the
 challenge
 of
 planning
 staff
 meetings
 and
 conducting
 trainings
 at
 times
 when
 all

employees
in
the
workgroup
can
attend.
Managers
may
have
to
pay
overtime
if
employees
are
asked
to

come
in
on
their
days
off
or
attend
meetings
after
regular
business
hours.
While
managers
try
to
limit

these
situations,
it
is
helpful
to
set
expectations
at
the
outset
that
there
will
be
times
when
employees

are
asked
to
alter
their
work
schedules
or
to
come
in
to
the
central
office
for
such
events.
Workgroups

that
 have
 implemented
 telework
 extensively
 are
 also
 taking
 advantage
 of
 new
 meeting
 and
 training

technologies
 that
 enable
 employees
 to
 participate
 including
 teleconference,
 videoconference,
 virtual

meeting
software
and
computer‐aided
instruction.




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


15

 Tracking
flexible
schedules
and
time
off

Some
 flexible
 schedules
 and
 time‐off
 strategies,
 such
 as
 compressed
 workweeks,
 part‐time
 schedules,

and
 incremental
 use
 of
 vacation
 and
 sick
 time,
 require
 that
 time
 worked
 and
 time
 off
 be
 tracked
 in

hours;
however,
company
time
tracking
systems
often
use
days.
This
may
result
in
additional
paperwork

or
use
of
a
second
tracking
system
by
manager
and
employee
to
document
what
hours
the
employee

has
 worked
 and
 what
 time
 off
 he/she
 is
 entitled
 to.
 Some
 companies
 have
 implemented
 human

resources
 information
 systems
 that
 capture
 work
 time
 in
 hourly
 units,
 while
 in
 other
 companies,

managers
have
created
Excel
spreadsheets
and
other
database
tools
to
track
work
hours,
vacation
and

sick
time.





Implications
and
Conclusions



In
 this
 study,
 we
 have
 examined
 flexibility
 from
 many
 different
 perspectives
 and
 in
 so
 doing,
 we
 can

make
some
conclusions
about
successful
implementation
of
flexibility.
We
find
that
it
is
not
only
formal

flexible
 arrangements
 that
 produce
 these
 impressive
 results
 but
 progressive
 personnel
 policies
 and
 a

work
culture
supportive
of
occasional
flexibility
that
give
workers
access
to
a
variety
of
time‐off
options

and
control
over
their
work
schedules.
When
companies
provide
employees
with
an
array
of
flexibility

and
 time‐off
 options
 and
 an
 environment
 in
 which
 it
 is
 possible
 to
 access
 flexibility
 opportunities

without
 barriers,
 employees
 develop
 their
 own
 strategies
 to
 use
 the
 options
 that
 best
 meet
 their

individual
 needs
 and
 satisfy
 business
 requirements.
 The
 unique
 characteristics
 of
 employees,
 both
 at

work
 and
 personally,
 suggest
 that
 there
 is
 no
 “one‐size‐fits‐all”
 flexibility
 solution.
 An
 approach
 that

encompasses
a
more
comprehensive
flexibility
strategy
is
more
likely
to
succeed.
While
specific
types
of

flexibility
 and
 time‐off
 strategies
 may
 lend
 themselves
 to
 better
 outcomes
 for
 employees
 and

organizations
than
others,
there
is
little
doubt
that
a
variety
of
options
enables
a
better
flexibility
“fit”
to

suit
 the
 unique
 characteristics
 of
 employees.
 We
 find
 that
 the
 use
 of
 multiple
 options
 has
 an
 even

greater
influence
on
well‐being,
work‐life
effectiveness
and
business
results.



Companies
that
have
created
successful
flexibility
options
for
their
lower
wage
workers
receive
a
high

return
 on
 their
 investments
 because
 of
 the
 many
 positive
 impacts
 on
 employees
 and
 the
 business:

better
recruitment
and
retention
of
talent,
increased
engagement,
lower
levels
of
stress
and
burnout,

greater
 productivity
 and
 effectiveness,
 better
 customer
 service,
 and
 finally
 more
 positive
 financial

results.






Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


16

 


CASE
STUDIES


Case
Study:
Bright
Horizons



Child
care
centers
offer
flexible
schedules
to
attract
and
retain
high‐quality
teachers
and
offer

extended
hours
of
care
to
meet
the
needs
of
children
and
parents.




Background




Bright
Horizons,
founded
in
1986
and
headquartered
outside
Boston,
MA,
manages
more
than
600
child

care
 centers
 for
 many
 of
 the
 world's
 leading
 corporations,
 hospitals,
 universities
 and
 government

agencies
 across
 the
 United
 States
 and
 internationally.
 Their
 centers
 provide
 a
 variety
 of
 flexible
 child

care
 options
 for
 companies
 and
 working
 families,
 including
 worksite
 child
 care
 and
 emergency
 child

care.
Bright
Horizons
has
more
than
18,000
employees,
the
vast
majority
of
whom
are
hourly
workers.

Bright
Horizons
offers
salaries
for
early
childhood
teachers
at
or
above
market
rate.

Bright
Horizons
offers
a
range
of
scheduling
options
in
order
to
attract,
retain
and
engage
qualified
child

care
providers.
The
child
care
center
directors
have
to
consider
state
regulations
regarding
the
number

and
qualifications
of
teachers
in
each
classroom,
the
effect
of
schedule
changes
on
the
children
in
care

and
 their
 parents,
 and
 the
 needs
 and
 availability
 of
 their
 center’s
 employees.
 Bright
 Horizons’
 centers

vary
 —
 some
 are
 located
 at
 corporate
 worksites
 while
 others
 are
 independent;
 some
 are
 small
 while

others
 have
 many
 classrooms;
 and
 each
 has
 unique
 qualities
 reflecting
 its
 director,
 teachers,
 parents

and
children.





Business
Drivers



Each
Bright
Horizons
center
is
like
a
small
business,
with
as
few
as
10
or
as
many
as
50
teachers.
With

state
mandated
staffing
requirements
and
extended
hours
of
services,
one
might
expect
limited
use
of

flexibility.
 While
 not
 all
 Bright
 Horizons
 centers
 have
 implemented
 flexible
 scheduling
 practices,
 many

center
 directors,
 with
 the
 support
 of
 regional
 managers,
 have
 recognized
 that
 teachers
 at
 different

stages
 in
 their
 lives
 and
 careers
 need
 scheduling
 flexibility
 and,
 as
 a
 result,
 have
 developed
 creative

staffing
 strategies.
 For
 all,
 recruitment
 and
 retention
 of
 quality
 employees
 is
 an
 incentive
 to
 offering

flexibility
 in
 an
 effort
 to
 meet
 both
 business
 and
 employee
 needs.
 In
 some
 cases,
 candidates
 for

positions
 indicated
 limits
 on
 their
 availability
 because
 of
 family
 obligations,
 school
 or
 a
 second
 job.
 In

order
to
hire
these
candidates,
directors
had
to
be
willing
to
consider
“nontraditional”
scheduling
(i.e.,

something
 other
 than
 full
 time
 over
 five
 days
 each
 week).
 In
 other
 cases,
 teachers
 who
 had
 been

working
 a
 “traditional”
 schedule
 determined
 that
 managing
 their
 work
 and
 personal
 responsibilities

would
be
easier
if
they
had
alternatives.



In
most
cases,
it
is
the
employee
who
comes
to
the
director
with
a
request
for
a
flexible
schedule.
Some

directors,
 however,
 need
 to
 fill
 a
 particular
 schedule
 gap
 and
 therefore
 hire
 with
 a
 nontraditional

schedule
in
mind.
Because
many
of
the
centers
are
open
for
10
or
12
hours
every
day,
some
creativity

and
 flexibility
 are
 necessary
 to
 cover
 the
 hours
 while
 meeting
 best
 practice
 teacher‐to‐child
 ratios,

which
are
often
above
the
state‐mandated
teacher‐to‐child
ratios.
Certain
times
of
the
day
require
more


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


17



 


coverage
 than
 others,
 and
 breaks
 also
 need
 to
 be
 factored
 in.
 Directors
 find
 that
 in
 most
 cases
 the

flexibility
they
give
their
teachers
is
reciprocated
when
they
need
coverage
for
employees
who
are
out.



“When
 flexibility
 works
 well
 in
 an
 employee’s
 life,
 it
 makes
 for
 a
 better
 employee.”


—
Teacher



“I
 think
 [the
 reason
 we
 introduced
 flexible
 schedules]
 was
 a
 combination
 of
 necessity

and
a
feeling
of
support
for
the
employees.”
—
Regional
Manager





History



Each
 center
 has
 a
 somewhat
 different
 history
 in
 terms
 of
 introducing
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 for

teachers.
 Because
 of
 the
 nature
 of
 the
 industry
 and
 the
 demands
 of
 caring
 for
 children,
 flexible

schedules
 as
 well
 as
 some
 day‐to‐day
 flexibility
 are
 important
 tools
 to
 attract
 and
 retain
 qualified

teachers
and
ensure
that
appropriate
coverage
is
available
in
all
of
the
classrooms.




In
some
cases,
a
new
director
proposed
the
idea
of
flexible
schedules
to
“change
things
up.”
At
other

centers,
directors
and/or
teachers
heard
about
successful
implementation
of
flexible
schedules
at
other

centers
and
were
open
to
trying
it
themselves.
Some
centers
began
flexible
scheduling
because
of
the

needs
 of
 one
 or
 more
 current
 or
 prospective
 teachers
 who
 needed
 particular
 times
 of
 the
 day
 off

because
of
obligations
outside
of
work.




One
 center
 that
 implemented
 compressed
 workweeks
 to
 increase
 staffing
 consistency
 and
 to
 reduce

absenteeism
 began
 the
 process
 by
 “mapping
 schedules”
 —
 looking
 at
 the
 children’s
 schedules
 and

having
the
teachers
together
figure
out
classroom
coverage.




“The
teachers
know
that
the
four‐day
workweeks
may
not
be
necessary,
but
they
want

it
to
work
so
they
buy
into
it.”
—
Director





Program
Description




Scheduling
 flexibility
 for
 center
 teachers
 includes
 part‐time,
 compressed
 workweeks;
 working
 a

customized
schedule;
swapping
shifts;
and
varying
start
and
end
times.
Flexible
schedules
allow
for
the

required
 classroom
 coverage
 over
 an
 extended
 day
 while
 also
 meeting
 the
 needs
 of
 the
 teachers.

Teachers
also
flex
their
schedules
over
the
course
of
a
year,
in
some
instances
working
hours
to
mirror

the
 public
 school
 year
 and
 taking
 school
 vacations
 and
 summers
 off
 or
 on
 a
 part‐time
 schedule.

Flexibility
 is
 also
 utilized
 by
 students,
 who
 are
 grateful
 to
 schedule
 work
 around
 their
 classes
 and

increase
their
hours
during
school
breaks.



Formal
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 are
 incorporated
 into
 the
 weekly
 schedule;
 this
 includes
 part‐time

schedules,
compressed
workweeks,
nontraditional
hours,
and
varying
start
and
end
times.
In
addition,

there
is
a
significant
amount
of
ad
hoc
flexibility
—
swapping
shifts
with
peers,
covering
for
colleagues

who
 need
 to
 leave
 for
 an
 appointment,
 or
 filling
 in
 for
 colleagues
 who
 are
 out
 because
 of
 illness
 or

vacation.





Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


18



 


Schedules
 vary
 greatly;
 full
 time
 is
 defined
 as
 at
 least
 30
 hours
 per
 week,
 which
 allows
 for
 many

schedule
options.
Part‐time
schedules
are
crucial
for
staff
coverage
of
extended
hours
and
work
well
for

the
labor
pool
that
Bright
Horizons
attracts
(i.e.,
students,
mothers
of
young
children,
etc.).
For
a
center

that
is
open
7
a.m.–6
p.m.,
the
early
shift
may
be
7
a.m.–3
p.m.
and
the
late
shift
10
a.m.–6
p.m.
There

are
 many
 variations
 of
 this.
 One
 example
 is
 a
 teacher
 who
 works
 eight‐hour
 days:
 the
 early
 shift
 on

Mondays
and
Thursdays
and
alternate
Fridays.
Another
example
is
a
teacher
who
works
8
a.m.–6
p.m.

every
day
except
having
Wednesdays
off;
a
college
student
covers
her
classroom
on
Wednesdays.
One

teacher
works
8
a.m.–6
p.m.
Tuesday
through
Thursday,
7
a.m.–6
p.m.
on
Friday
and
has
Mondays
off

because
 she
 has
 another
 job.
 Another
 teacher’s
 schedule
 is
 Monday
 10
 a.m.–3
 p.m.
 and
 Tuesday

through
Friday
10
a.m.–5
p.m.
Some
teachers
have
“split
shifts”
in
which
they
leave
mid‐day
and
then

come
back
to
the
center.
In
some
cases,
college
students
work
7
a.m.–10
a.m.,
before
their
classes
or

internships.




Bright
Horizons
centers
utilize
a
variety
of
communication
and
planning
tools
in
their
scheduling.
Posting

weekly
 and
 daily
 schedules
 for
 all
 to
 see
 plays
 an
 important
 role
 in
 the
 smooth
 implementation
 of

flexible
schedules.
All
of
the
teachers
have
access
to
the
information
they
need
to
find
coverage,
and
the

parents
 are
 able
 to
 see
 who’s
 working.
 Parents
 appreciate
 knowing
 who
 specifically
 has
 been
 in
 their

child’s
classroom
and
hearing
from
that
person
about
their
child’s
day.
If
the
teacher
is
not
working
at

pickup
 time,
 she
 will
 leave
 a
 note
 for
 the
 other
 teachers
 so
 they
 can
 be
 informed
 when
 parents
 ask

questions.
Classrooms
also
have
communication
notebooks
to
record
important
daily
information
about

specific
children.




“In
our
classroom,
if
someone
can’t
cover
it,
we’ll
cover
a
shift
on
our
own.
We’ll
plan

with
our
own
schedules.”
—
Teacher




“Teachers
 do
 swap
 shifts
 a
 lot.
 Usually
 they
 will
 swap
 with
 different
 schedules,
 for

example
a
7–4
for
a
9–6.
They
write
a
note
and
put
it
on
the
master
schedule
for
me
to

approve.”
—
Director



“The
master
schedule
goes
out
each
week
—
the
schedules
in
yellow
are
set
schedules

so
 they
 can’t
 change.
 The
 rest
 are
 flexible
 so
 I
 can
 move
 them
 around.
 The
 pink
 are

those
who
flip
scheduling
on
Fridays.
I
also
do
a
daily
schedule
because
people
call
out.”

—
Director



The
 overall
 philosophy
 and
 policy
 of
 Bright
 Horizons
 supports
 flexibility.
 At
 the
 center
 level,
 some

teachers
 are
 hired
 into
 their
 positions
 with
 a
 flexible
 schedule
 while
 others
 change
 their
 schedules
 as

their
 circumstances
 change.
 Teachers
 apply
 for
 a
 flex
 schedule
 by
 notifying
 their
 supervisor
 of
 their

request.
There
are
other
teachers
who
prefer
a
traditional
schedule
and
do
not
participate
in
the
formal

flexible
work
arrangements
although
they
access
some
ad
hoc
flexibility
when
they
need
hours
covered

or
they
cover
hours
for
colleagues.




“When
hiring,
I
ask
what
their
availability
is
to
see
how
it
will
fit
into
our
schedule.
If
I

know
 I
 need
 someone
 to
 start
 at
3:30,
working
a
part‐time
schedule,
I
may
get
a
high

school
student
who
wants
to
work
after
school.”
—
Director



In
 the
 corporate
 child
 care
 centers,
 it
 is
 often
 helpful
 to
 have
 staff
 working
 longer
 shifts
 because
 the

corporation’s
employees
are
working
longer
shifts.





Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


19



 


“[Corporation]
does
compressed
workweeks
and
flexible
work
arrangements
for
their

employees,
so
that
affects
what
happens
at
our
child
care
center.”
—
Director





Impacts/Benefits



Improved
recruitment
and
retention


The
most
significant
benefit
for
the
centers
is
the
recruitment
and
retention
of
qualified
teachers
in
a

profession
with
a
limited
labor
pool.
Many
centers
have
teachers
with
great
longevity,
which
supports

the
 center’s
 attractiveness
 to
 parents
 and
 also
 reduces
 costs
 associated
 with
 hiring
 and
 training
 new

employees.
 The
 resulting
 continuity
 in
 care
 providers
 also
 supports
 the
 expertise
 the
 center
 offers,
 as

well
as
enhancing
the
center
culture,
building
long‐term
relationships
with
families,
collaborating
with

colleagues
 and
 advancing
 one’s
 career
 at
 Bright
 Horizons.
 Parent
 satisfaction
 at
 centers
 is
 high,
 and

teachers
believe
that
this
is
due
in
part
to
the
benefits
of
the
flexibility
the
teachers
have.




“As
a
working
parent,
I
wouldn’t
be
able
to
teach
if
this
center
weren’t
as
flexible
as
it

is.”
—
Teacher



“Without
flexibility,
I
wouldn’t
be
able
to
work
here.
If
they
needed
me
to
be
here
until

6,
I
couldn’t
because
I’m
a
single
parent
and
I
need
to
pick
up
my
child.”
—
Teacher



“Teachers
 will
 be
 more
 flexible
 with
 each
 other
 and
 work
 with
 each
 other
 and

communicate
 with
 each
 other,
 if
 the
 company
 is
 flexible
 with
 us.
 It
 makes
 us
 want
 to

work
here
and
to
stay
here.”
—
Teacher



“Flexibility
is
a
valuable
tool
when
you
have
really,
really
good
staff.
Staffing
child
care

centers
is
very
hard.
I
don’t
want
to
lose
my
teachers
because
that
affects
the
classroom

and
the
dynamics,
so
I
will
do
my
best
to
retain
them.”
—
Director



Employees
who
are
also
undergraduate
and
graduate
students

Flexibility
 allows
 students
 to
 work
 at
 the
 centers,
 scheduling
 their
 work
 hours
 around
 their
 class

schedules.
 Many
 of
 the
 students
 are
 able
 to
 work
 more
 during
 the
 summer
 and
 during
 their
 breaks,

which
benefits
the
centers
because
some
of
the
regular
staff
look
to
take
vacation
during
these
times.
In

addition,
some
of
these
students
work
at
the
centers
full
time
after
they
graduate,
coming
with
not
only

their
early
childhood
education
degree
but
also
experience
at
the
center
and
an
established
relationship

with
at
least
some
of
their
colleagues
and
some
of
the
families.
Essentially,
the
center
is
helping
to
build

the
 next
 generation
 of
 child
 care
 providers
 and
 center
 leaders
 by
 training
 students
 who
 have
 already

indicated
 their
 commitment
 to
 educating
 young
 children.
 Bright
 Horizons
 has
 several
 directors
 who

advanced
their
careers
using
flexibility
in
this
way.




“When
I
decided
to
go
back
to
school,
[the
director]
told
me
to
figure
out
a
schedule

that
will
work
for
me,
and
we’ll
make
it
work
for
the
center.”
—
Teacher



“I
work
full
time
but
leave
at
noon
on
Tuesdays
and
Thursdays
to
go
to
my
classes.”


—
Teacher




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


20



 


Compressed
workweeks

Teachers
find
compressed
workweeks
beneficial
for
a
number
of
reasons.
Teachers
use
their
day
off
to

attend
to
appointments,
do
errands
and
“regroup.”
The
frequency
of
teachers
calling
out
sick
or
needing

time
away
from
work
for
appointments
is
lessened
as
a
result
of
their
flexible
scheduling.
Some
teachers

who
now
work
four
days
each
week
indicated
that
it
would
be
stressful
to
go
back
to
a
five‐day
schedule

because
they
would
then
have
only
Saturday
and
Sunday
to
get
things
done
and
many
of
the
services

they
 need
 are
 not
 open
 on
 weekends.
 Teachers
 with
 compressed
 workweeks
 also
 save
 money
 in

commuting
costs
(i.e.,
parking
and
gas).
Most
of
the
teachers
don’t
take
their
flexibility
for
granted
and

will
do
what
they
can
for
the
center
in
return
for
the
flexibility
they
have.




At
one
center
in
which
all
teachers
use
compressed
workweeks,
there
is
more
continuity
on
a
daily
basis

—
the
children
are
with
the
same
teachers
for
most
or
all
of
each
day.
The
center’s
size
and
hours
of

operation
make
it
possible
for
all
of
the
teachers
to
work
compressed
workweeks.




“They
gave
me
the
flexibility,
so
I
think
it’s
my
responsibility
to
work
my
needs
around

that
schedule.”
—
Teacher



“I
 like
 my
 schedule
 because
 I
 have
 children
 at
 home
 …
 I
 can
 schedule
 all
 their

appointments
on
Wednesdays.”
—
Teacher



“The
teachers
[using
compressed
workweeks]
are
less
stressed.
They
can
work
here
and

still
go
to
school
or
get
a
second
job
or
be
available
to
get
some
overtime.”
—
Director



“It’s
still
exhausting
working
four
days,
but
the
teachers
tend
to
be
more
refreshed
than

when
they’re
working
five
days.”
—
Director



“It’s
nice
to
have
a
day
off
in
the
middle
of
the
week
…
it
helps
you
break
up
the
week.”

—
Teacher





Success
Factors



Empowering
employees


Directors
 find
 that
 empowering
 employees
 to
 figure
 out
 how
 to
 flex
 their
 own
 schedules
 while

maintaining
necessary
coverage
of
classrooms
benefits
everyone.
Teachers
are
more
likely
to
agree
to

cover
for
their
colleagues,
knowing
that
their
colleagues
have
and/or
will
cover
for
them
in
exchange.

Many
times,
shifts
are
swapped
between
teachers,
and
the
director
is
informed
after
the
arrangements

have
been
figured
out
—
making
the
director’s
job
easier
but
still
giving
her
the
opportunity
to
approve

or
 deny
 the
 requested
 switch.
 If
 someone
 needs
 coverage
 for
 certain
 hours,
 there’s
 almost
 always

another
 teacher
 who
 wants
 the
 extra
 hours.
 Depending
 on
 ratio
 requirements
 and
 overtime
 costs,
 a

request
 may
 or
 may
 not
 be
 approved.
 Often
 it’s
 a
 simple
 switch
 with
 a
 co‐worker
 who
 has
 the
 same

qualifications
or
classroom
experience,
so
that
a
teacher
can
go
to
an
appointment
or
a
school
meeting

occurring
at
a
time
she
is
scheduled
to
work.




“If
they
need
me
to
switch,
I’m
flexible
because
they’re
flexible
with
me.”
—
Teacher




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


21



 


“If
I
need
to
change
my
schedule,
I
ask
my
co‐teachers
and
we
work
it
out.
If
I
ask
[the

director],
she’ll
tell
me
to
ask
my
co‐workers.”
—
Teacher



“Many
of
us
are
certified
for
various
age
groups
so
we
can
cover
for
another
teacher.”

—
Teacher



“I
don’t
have
all
day
to
micromanage
the
teachers’
schedules.
My
rule
is:
Figure
it
out

and
as
long
as
I
know
about
it
and
it
jives
with
the
center,
it’s
fine.”
—
Director



Thinking
creatively
with
support
from
regional
managers


Thinking
creatively
and
“out
of
the
box”
is
critical
to
successful
scheduling
flexibility.
Directors
of
Bright

Horizons
 centers
 have
 the
 support
 of
 their
 regional
 managers
 regarding
 scheduling,
 and
 flexibility
 is

consistent
 with
 the
 corporation’s
 values
 and
 efforts
 to
 show
 their
 appreciation
 for
 all
 employees.

Requests
 for
 different
 schedules
 should
 be
 considered,
 although
 the
 director
 does
 have
 the
 option
 of

saying
 no
 if
 a
 request
 is
 not
 good
 for
 the
 center.
 Clearly
 the
 teacher‐to‐child
 ratios
 mandated
 by
 the

state
 drive
 the
 scheduling
 needs.
 The
 centers
 being
 open
 longer
 than
 eight
 hours
 each
 day
 also

necessitates
a
creative
and
innovative
approach
to
scheduling.
One
center
keeps
a
list
of
subs
they
can

call
 if
 they’re
 having
 trouble
 covering
 a
 shift
 —
 usually
 past
 employees
 who
 have
 left
 to
 go
 back
 to

school.
Other
nearby
centers
in
the
Bright
Horizons
system
are
also
a
source
of
backup
staff.




“If
the
director
considers
the
staff’s
requests
and
the
coverage
that’s
needed,
they
can

figure
out
how
to
be
flexible,
as
long
as
they’re
creative
and
open‐minded.”
—
Teacher



“It
would
be
easier
to
set
a
schedule.
I’m
giving
up
a
lot
of
my
time
each
day
to
make

this
 work,
 but
 I
 know
 it’s
 worth
 it.
 Flexible
 schedules
 help
 you
 when
 people
 call
 out.”


—
Director



“You
have
to
see
the
bigger
picture
to
make
it
work.”
—
Director



“It’s
like
fitting
a
puzzle
together,
plugging
in
the
teachers
as
needed.”
—
Director




“It’s
a
numbers
game,
to
maintain
the
ratio
required
by
regulations.
We
can
call
other

Bright
Horizons
centers
in
the
area
if
we
need
to
[to
get
substitutes].”
—
Director



“I’m
 constantly
 hearing
 from
 my
 regional
 manager
 that
 we
 need
 happy
 employees
 to

have
 happy
 kids.
 We
 need
 to
 appreciate
 our
 employees
 …
 pretty
 typical
 of
 the

company.”
—
Director



Providing
consistency
for
children


Young
children
need
consistency
of
caregivers,
and
parents
prefer
to
see
familiar
faces
each
day
when

they
 drop
 off
 and
 pick
 up
 their
 children
 at
 the
 center.
 Some
 directors
 periodically
 send
 letters
 to
 the

parents
with
all
of
the
teachers’
names
and
schedules
so
they
know
who’s
scheduled
to
be
at
the
center

at
any
given
time.
If
coverage
is
needed,
the
director
tries
to
arrange
for
someone
who
has
worked
in

that
classroom
before
—
someone
the
kids
and
the
parents
are
familiar
with.




“We
have
our
set
schedule,
so
the
families
and
the
kids
know
the
routine
…
they
know,

unless
there’s
a
note,
they’re
going
to
see
me
each
morning.”
—
Teacher




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


22



 


“Having
a
consistent
teacher
is
emotionally
better
for
certain
ages,
especially
for
drop

offs
in
the
mornings.”
—
Teacher




“Centers
shouldn’t
be
so
flexible
that
the
children
don’t
have
a
consistent
caregiver.”


—
Teacher



“The
teachers
who
work
longer
days
are
providing
a
huge
benefit
to
me
and
the

families,
because
they
are
here
at
drop
off
and
pick
up.”
—
Director




Communicating


Communication
 is
 essential
 —
 among
 teachers
 and
 also
 between
 the
 center
 and
 the
 parents.
 Weekly

and
daily
schedules
are
posted
at
each
center
for
all
to
see,
and
if
a
teacher’s
schedule
is
changing
or
a

teacher
is
out
for
the
day,
that
information
is
posted
as
well.
Teachers’
notes
and
a
log
are
also
kept
in

each
classroom
so
a
teacher
returning
to
the
center
after
a
day
off
can
read
about
what
happened
in
her

absence.
The
teachers
are
very
proactive
and
go
above
and
beyond
what
is
required
of
them;
in
many

situations
in
which
a
teacher
is
out
one
day
a
week,
she’ll
check
in
by
phone
with
a
colleague
the
night

before
she
returns
so
that
she
is
up
to
speed
with
what
happened
before
she
walks
back
into
the
center.

The
teachers’
commitment
to
the
kids
and
to
each
other
is
indicative
of
the
caring
profession
they
are

in.




“I
 have
 Mondays
 off
 and
 [my
 co‐teacher
 and
 I]
 talk
 every
 Monday
 night
 …
 I
 get
 the

rundown
 of
 what
 happened
 on
 Monday
 so
 I
 know
 what
 to
 expect
 on
 Tuesday.”


—
Teacher



“I
need
to
make
sure
that
everything
gets
communicated.
Since
the
teachers
are
out
on

different
days,
I
use
e‐mail
a
lot.”
—
Director



Using
“floaters”
as
part
of
a
staffing
model

Having
extra
people
on
the
schedule
allows
for
more
flexibility
in
scheduling.
Many
centers
have
floaters

on
staff
—
part‐time
or
full‐time
staff
members
who
can
go
into
any
room
at
any
time
as
backup
staff
to

cover
breaks
and
planning
time
and
fill
in
as
needed.
These
floaters
are
then
familiar
with
what
happens

in
 all
 of
 the
 classrooms,
 and
 the
 children
 recognize
 them
 so
 the
 floaters
 can
 easily
 cover
 for
 teachers

who
are
out.
Floaters
are
therefore
cross
trained
and
can
be
an
integral
part
of
a
staffing
plan
to
meet

the
demands
of
providing
care
over
an
extended
day
with
strict
teacher‐to‐child
ratios.




“Cross
 training
 gives
 us
 lots
 of
 flexibility.
 Parents
 will
 know
 the
 teacher
 already,
 so

they’re
not
alarmed
if
the
usual
teacher
is
not
there.”
—
Director





Team‐based
flexible
schedule
solutions


For
 flexible
 scheduling
 to
 succeed,
 it’s
 important
 to
 have
 a
 group
 of
 teachers
 who
 work
 well
 together

and
respect
one
another.
Consensus
and
support
from
the
team
to
try
different
ways
of
scheduling
is

important.
The
teachers
often
credit
their
director
for
creating
schedules
that
work
for
the
individuals

and
the
center
and
for
supporting
the
teachers
in
their
efforts
to
design
a
schedule
that
they’re
happy

with.
 Teachers
 are
 empowered
 to
 come
 up
 with
 solutions
 to
 scheduling
 issues
 and
 then
 present
 the

solution
 to
 the
 center
 directors
 for
 approval,
 rather
 than
 presenting
 the
 issue
 to
 the
 director
 and

expecting
her
to
come
up
with
a
solution.





Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


23



 


“We
need
to
work
well
in
the
rooms,
trust
each
other
and
communicate
in
order
to
take

care
of
the
children.”
—
Teacher



“We
 have
 weekly
 team
 meetings
 and
 monthly
 team
 meetings
 where
 we
 can
 work

[scheduling
issues]
out.”
—
Teacher



“We
organize
the
schedule
as
a
group
so
the
teachers
can
hear
each
other’s
reasoning.”

—
Director



“We
 go
 by
 seniority
 when
 deciding
 who
 gets
 which
 day
 off.
 When
 there’s
 a
 new
 hire,

current
staff
have
the
option
to
switch
their
day
off.”
—
Director





Challenges/Barriers




Recognizing
flexibility
is
not
always
feasible

Although
 Bright
 Horizons
 encourages
 the
 use
 of
 flexible
 scheduling,
 there
 are
 times
 when,
 due
 to
 the

size
of
the
staff
at
a
center
or
the
schedules
of
other
teachers,
a
request
for
flexibility
has
to
be
denied.

This
can
be
challenging
because
staff
see
others
working
individualized
schedules
and
may
resent
that

their
 request
 could
 not
 be
 approved.
 Centers
 that
 are
 unable
 to
 hire
 extra
 staff
 because
 of
 financial

constraints
 may
 be
 less
 able
 to
 offer
 flexible
 schedules
 and
 may
 be
 more
 challenged
 when
 teachers

request
alternative
schedules
or
need
time
off.
In
most
cases,
directors
try
to
avoid
paying
overtime
due

to
the
negative
impact
to
the
overall
financial
well‐being
of
the
center,
so
they
must
watch
the
teachers’

schedules
to
be
sure
they
are
not
working
too
many
hours.
If
a
request
for
a
flexible
work
arrangement

is
denied,
the
director
is
expected
to
give
a
business
reason
for
the
denial.




“It’s
 about
 fairness,
 not
 necessarily
 always
 what
 you
 want
 to
 do.
 Just
 because
 you’re

flexible
doesn’t
mean
that
you’re
always
going
to
get
what
you
want.”
—
Teacher



“I’d
like
to
do
the
four‐day
workweek,
but
the
only
way
that
would
happen
is
if
we
have

another
assistant
in
the
classroom.
I
used
to
do
a
compressed
workweek,
and
I
loved
it.”

—
Teacher



“Swapping
shifts
is
not
an
option
if
the
teacher
will
then
be
working
less
than


30
hours.
Then
it’s
not
a
choice
—
they
have
to
take
vacation
time.”
—
Director



“Because
 I’m
 following
 a
 consistent
 kind
 of
 approach
 [to
 approving
 or
 denying

requests],
I
feel
safer.”
—
Regional
Manager



Addressing
performance
issues

Teachers
and
directors
agree
that
performance
issues
are
independent
of
flexible
schedules
but
must
be

addressed
when
they
occur.
In
cases
in
which
an
employee’s
performance
is
slipping
and
she
is
using
a

flexible
work
arrangement,
the
director
needs
to
meet
with
the
employee
to
discuss
the
situation
and

adjust
 the
 teacher’s
 schedule
 to
 one
 that
 will
 better
 support
 her
 performance
 while
 also
 meeting
 her

scheduling
needs
and
the
needs
of
the
center.
Compressed
workweeks
are
good
fits
for
some
teachers

but
 not
 for
 all
 teachers;
 some
 find
 that
 working
 four
 10‐hour
 days
 is
 too
 exhausting
 and
 leads
 to


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


24



 


burnout.
It’s
not
a
“one‐size‐fits‐all”
situation
as
not
everyone
can
work
the
same
schedules
—
teachers

and
directors
partner
to
figure
out
a
schedule
that
works
for
both
the
teacher
and
the
center.




“Be
realistic
about
what
hours
you
can
work.
When
I
was
doing
7:30–3:30,
it
didn’t
work

out,
but
I
kept
trying
to
make
it
work.
You
have
to
be
able
to
assess
what
you
can
do.”

—
Teacher



“A
teacher
may
really
enjoy
the
compressed
workweek,
but
if
they’re
not
able
to
get
to

work
on
time
or
if
they’re
not
able
to
demonstrate
a
full
level
of
energy,
their
schedule

will
have
to
be
changed
back.”
—
Regional
Manager



All‐staff
meetings

Directors
also
have
the
challenge
of
planning
staff
meetings
since
there
may
not
be
a
time
when
all
of

the
teachers
are
working.
Teachers
sometimes
have
to
come
in
on
their
day
off,
but
directors
try
to
limit

these
occurrences.




Maintaining
staffing
consistency
and
continuity

As
 a
 consequence
 of
 flexible
 schedules,
 parents
 may
 find
 that
 different
 teachers
 are
 in
 their
 child’s

classroom
on
different
days.
Some
parents
complain
about
this,
although
the
reality
of
10‐
to
12‐hour

extended
center
care
implies
that
the
same
staff
are
not
able
to
both
open
and
close
the
center
each

day.
 Centers
 try
 to
 minimize
 the
 variation,
 but
 the
 longer
 workdays
 and
 the
 teachers’
 scheduling

flexibility
 does
 mean
 that
 parents
 will
 see
 different
 teachers
 on
 different
 days
 of
 the
 week.
 Directors

have
found
it
is
helpful
to
assure
the
parents
that
the
other
teachers
are
just
as
qualified
as
the
teacher

they
are
accustomed
to
seeing.
Sharing
the
schedule
and
information
about
the
teachers’
qualifications,

as
well
as
managing
the
parents’
expectations,
is
helpful,
as
is
preparing
the
children
at
the
end
of
one

day
 with
 mention
 of
 who
 they
 will
 be
 seeing
 the
 next
 morning
 when
 they
 come
 back
 in.
 A
 positive

consequence
of
scheduling
flexibility
is
improved
teacher
retention,
which
in
turn
provides
more
long‐
term
continuity
for
the
children.




“Parents
want
consistency.
They
don’t
want
to
see
different
people
every
day.
Kids
and

parents
 feel
 comfortable
 with
 people
 they
 know;
 they
 don’t
 want
 to
 see
 a
 stranger.”


—
Teacher




“We
 try
 to
 tell
 parents
 about
 any
 changes
 in
 schedules
 or
 upcoming
 vacations
 in

advance,
or
as
soon
as
we
can.”
—
Teacher



“You
have
to
look
at
continuity
for
the
kids.
We’re
not
going
to
throw
in
a
new
teacher

that
the
kids
don’t
know.”
—
Director





Implications/Considerations
for
Other
Employers



The
directors
and
the
teachers
agree
on
the
importance
of
all
involved
being
willing
to
think
creatively

and
try
scheduling
that
is
different
from
what
they
are
accustomed
to.
Directors
must
be
able
to
listen

to
 the
 needs
 of
 the
 teachers,
 and
 the
 teachers
 must
 be
 willing
 to
 give
 back,
 not
 merely
 ask
 for

scheduling
flexibility.
Posting
everyone’s
schedules
is
helpful
so
that
teachers
can
look
at
who
might
be

available
to
switch
with
or
provide
coverage.



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For
 child
 care
 providers,
 it
 is
 important
 to
 consider
 the
 consequences
 of
 changing
 schedules
 for
 the

children
and
the
parents,
who
may
be
apprehensive
with
less
consistency
in
the
teachers
they
see
every

day.




The
 experience
 of
 the
 Bright
 Horizons
 centers
 is
 that
 not
 everyone
 wants
 a
 flexible
 schedule
 or

compressed
workweek.
While
some
directors
may
fear
that
they
will
be
inundated
with
requests,
this
is

usually
not
the
case.





 “It’s
easier
to
implement
than
you
think.”
—
Regional
Manager



Flexibility
 is
 beneficial
 to
 all
 constituencies:
 Teachers
 appreciate
 the
 ability
 to
 better
 manage
 their

commitments
 outside
 of
 work,
 directors
 are
 better
 able
 to
 attract
 and
 retain
 qualified
 employees,

children
 and
 parents
 benefit
 from
 having
 teachers
 who
 are
 less
 stressed
 and
 more
 likely
 to
 stay,
 and

Bright
 Horizons
 in
 turn
 benefits
 from
 the
 success
 of
 the
 center.
 While
 some
 may
 be
 hesitant
 to
 try

flexible
 scheduling
 at
 a
 child
 care
 center,
 the
 overall
 experience
 of
 teachers
 and
 directors
 at
 Bright

Horizons
 has
 been
 positive
 as
 they
 have
 seen
 the
 benefits
 of
 successful
 implementation.
 With
 the

support
 of
 the
 regional
 manager,
 the
 center
 director
 and
 the
 staff,
 flexible
 scheduling
 is
 a
 win‐win

situation.


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Case
Study:
Consumer
Goods
Manufacturer

A
consumer
goods
production
plant
offers
a
range
of
scheduling
options
developed
and
managed
at

the
team
level
to
meet
productivity
goals
and
manage
costs
while
also
giving
employees
more
control

over
their
work
schedules.



Background




A
large
plant
of
a
U.S.‐based
consumer
goods
marketing
and
manufacturing
company
is
known
within

the
company
for
creativity
and
continuous
improvement.
Innovative
programs
initiated
at
the
plant
are

often
 disseminated
 to
 other
 locations.
 The
 facility
 offers
 a
 range
 of
 scheduling
 options
 developed
 and

managed
at
the
team
level
that
are
utilized
to
motivate
employees,
meet
plant
productivity
goals
and

control
costs.





Business
Drivers



The
business
drivers
for
flexibility
have
come
from
the
company’s
corporate
values
as
well
as
business

needs
to
boost
productivity
and
control
costs.
The
company
values
work‐life
balance
for
employees
and

acknowledges
 that
 production
 schedules,
 which
 include
 weekend
 work
 and
 12‐hour
 shifts,
 do
 create

work‐life
 challenges
 for
 employees.
 The
 company
 looks
 for
 ways
 to
 help
 employees
 manage
 their

personal
and
family
needs
and
boost
morale.
Flexible
work
practices
are
consistent
with
company
values

and
very
much
part
of
their
overall
employee
value
proposition.



Several
 years
 ago,
 the
 need
 to
 go
 to
 continuous
 operation
 prompted
 the
 design
 of
 new
 schedules.

Consistent
 with
 the
 plant’s
 continuous
 improvement
 philosophy,
 teams
 were
 given
 the
 task
 of

developing
 the
 work
 schedules.
 Each
 team
 built
 in
 certain
 types
 of
 time
 off
 as
 a
 feature
 of
 the

continuous
operation;
these
have
been
in
practice
ever
since.



Control
 of
 labor
 costs
 is
 another
 driver
 of
 flexible
 scheduling.
 The
 need
 to
 limit
 overtime
 expenses

motivated
the
development
of
a
pool
of
cross
trained
employees
who
fill
in
for
staff
on
vacation.
The

cost
 of
 carrying
 an
 additional
 team
 member
 who
 is
 cross
 trained
 can
 be
 offset
 by
 the
 savings
 from

avoiding
overtime
costs
to
cover
others’
vacations.





History



The
 plant
 has
 developed
 many
 flexible
 work
 practices.
 Consistent
 with
 its
 continuous
 improvement

philosophy,
 plant
 management
 encourages
 employee
 involvement
 in
 developing
 high
 performance

work
 practices
 and
 problem
 solving.
 Many
 of
 the
 flexibility
 options
 currently
 available
 have
 been

employee
initiated.
In
some
cases,
an
individual
employee
has
a
need
or
a
suggestion
for
a
flexible
work

solution
 and
 brings
 a
 proposed
 idea
 for
 flexibility
 to
 the
 manager
 or
 the
 employee
 committee
 that
 is

responsible
 for
 guidelines.
 The
 idea
 is
 often
 piloted
 and,
 if
 successful,
 rolled
 out
 more
 broadly
 in
 the

plant.
Other
flexibility
policies,
such
as
occasional
flextime,
were
incorporated
into
the
work
processes

for
new
products
by
high
performance
work
teams.
Once
piloted,
these
policies
have
been
rolled
out
to


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other
teams
throughout
the
entire
department.
Other
flexibility
practices,
such
as
cross
training
of
relief

pool
workers,
were
developed
by
a
team
leader
as
an
approach
to
control
overtime
costs.




“Someone
from
the
outside
had
that
as
an
option
previously
at
their
work.
We
threw

that
idea
out
there
to
the
management
team,
and
they
said
we
could
try
it
and
if
it’s
a

challenge,
it
would
be
revisited.
It
worked
out
well
enough
to
keep
it
and
spread
it
to

everyone.”
—
Manager





Program
Description




Occasional
flextime

Employees
arrange,
with
the
approval
of
their
work
teams,
to
work
up
to
two
hours
at
the
end
of
the

previous
shift
or
at
the
beginning
of
the
following
shift.
Members
of
one’s
own
shift
cover
their
work
on

that
day.
Employees
must
give
24
hours
notice.
This
type
of
flexibility
is
used
frequently
to
enable
shift

workers
 to
 participate
 in
 their
 children’s
 extracurricular
 and
 sports
 activities
 or
 to
 attend
 a
 regular

weekly
appointment
or
class.
Although
the
flextime
policy
is
not
a
permanent
change
of
schedule,
there

is
no
limit
on
how
many
times
per
year
an
employee
can
use
flextime.




Shift
trades

The
 shift
 trade
 (also
 known
 as
 shift
 swap)
 policy
 enables
 employees
 within
 the
 same
 department
 to

trade
one
to
four
days
per
week
or
to
trade
up
to
six
weeks
once
in
a
calendar
year.
It
gives
individuals
a

mechanism
to
change
their
work
schedule
to
take
care
of
personal
or
family
needs.
Employees
must
find

trade
partners
who
have
similar
qualifications
and
classifications;
also,
the
trading
partner
assumes
the

pay
and
seniority
status
of
the
other
partner
for
that
time
period.
Over
time,
employees
find
shift
trade

partners
 for
 whom
 it
 is
 mutually
 beneficial.
 Shift
 swapping
 is
 more
 common
 among
 second
 and
 third

shift
workers.



Relief
pool

A
 pool
 of
 employees
 cross
 trained
 on
 all
 jobs
 within
 a
 team
 is
 built
 into
 the
 staffing
 model
 to
 cover

vacation
and
other
time‐off
events.
While
the
relief
pool
adds
staffing
resources,
it
actually
saves
on
the

overtime
costs
that
would
have
been
paid
to
cover
staffing
shortages
created
by
vacation
days.
(The
first

year
 the
 return
 was
 130–135
 percent).
 Given
 the
 complexity
 of
 work
 processes
 and
 the
 estimates
 of

time‐off
coverage
needs,
one
relief
person
per
team
per
shift
is
planned
into
the
budget.
The
jobs
are

challenging
 because
 the
 relief
 pool
 workers
 do
 different
 jobs
 on
 a
 regular
 basis,
 sometimes
 moving

among
 three
 different
 roles
 in
 a
 single
 day
 to
 cover
 multiple
 two‐hour
 flextime
 situations.
 They

frequently
 get
 retrained
 to
 keep
 their
 skills
 and
 knowledge
 up
 to
 date
 as
 the
 technology
 and
 work

processes
change.




Vacation
in
half‐day
increments

The
half‐day
vacation
is
a
plantwide
initiative
introduced
in
the
1990s
and
is
used
frequently
for
family

events,
medical
appointments
and
other
personal
needs.
Employees
can
use
up
to
eight
half‐days
per

year
and
must
give
24
hours
notice.
The
different
shifts
tend
to
use
the
front
half
or
later
half
depending

on
the
shift.
For
example,
if
second
shift
employees
have
to
travel
to
attend
a
child’s
away
sports
game,

they
can
use
a
half
vacation
day
and
then
be
back
at
work
for
the
second
half
of
their
shift.





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Unpaid
time
off


In
several
of
the
continuous
run
departments,
the
teams
have
developed
staffing
models
that
build
in
up

to
 two
 extra
 people
 per
 shift.
 Depending
 on
 the
 workload,
 vacations,
 sick
 time,
 etc.,
 there
 is
 the

opportunity
 for
 two
 people
 to
 take
 a
 day
 off
 without
 pay.
 Teams
 have
 different
 systems
 for
 deciding

how
and
when
team
members
get
to
choose
whether
they
want
to
work
extra
hours
that
week
or
would

prefer
to
have
the
time
off;
some
teams
simply
rotate
the
team
member
names
and
when
your
name

reaches
the
top
of
the
list,
it
is
your
choice.
Other
teams
take
into
account
how
many
hours
an
individual

has
already
worked
so
that
people
with
fewer
hours
get
a
chance
to
earn
overtime.
Weekend
hours
are

rotated
so
that
no
one,
regardless
of
seniority,
will
be
forced
to
work
every
weekend.
Employees
sign
up

at
 the
 end
 of
 their
 shift
 to
 request
 the
 time‐off
 slot
 for
 the
 following
 day.
 It
 is
 possible
 that
 staffing

needs
will
be
light
the
following
day
and
more
than
two
slots
will
be
available.



Employee
designed
schedules
for
continuous
operations

Several
 years
 ago,
 when
 the
 product
 division
 went
 to
 a
 continuous
 operation
 —
 24
 hours
 x
 7
 days
 all

year
 —
 management
 approached
 the
 two
 teams
 involved
 in
 the
 operation
 and
 challenged
 them
 to

develop
 the
 work
 schedules.
 The
 two
 teams
 came
 up
 with
 quite
 different
 solutions
 that
 have
 been
 in

place
 for
 several
 years.
 In
 both
 cases,
 they
 moved
 away
 from
 seniority‐based
 scheduling.
 One
 team

developed
an
annual
schedule
that
indicates
all
the
employees’
workdays
and
days
off
far
in
advance.

Employees
then
submit
their
vacation
requests,
which
get
added
to
the
master
schedule.
Employees
still

have
the
opportunity
to
swap
shifts
or
use
flextime
as
needed
for
flexibility
to
cover
events
that
come

up
on
short
notice.




The
 other
 production
 team
 adopted
 a
 “just‐in‐time”
 time‐off
 system.
 The
 team
 incorporates
 enough

resources
 into
 the
 staffing
 plan
 so
 that
 every
 day,
 two
 team
 members
 can
 get
 the
 day
 off.
 All
 team

members’
 names
 are
 listed
 on
 the
 schedule,
 and
 as
 an
 employee’s
 name
 reaches
 the
 top
 of
 the
 list,

he/she
 has
 the
 choice
 of
 either
 taking
 the
 day
 off
 without
 pay
 or
 working
 the
 extra
 day.
 Some

employees
prefer
the
time
off
while
others
prefer
the
extra
pay;
the
benefit
of
the
system
is
giving
the

employees
choice
and
control
over
time
off.





Impacts/Benefits



Employee
satisfaction
and
morale

The
most
significant
benefit
of
providing
flexibility
is
higher
morale
and
satisfaction.
In
an
environment

in
 which
 employees
 are
 asked
 to
 work
 weekends,
 long
 shifts
 and
 frequent
 overtime,
 providing

scheduling
tools
that
give
them
some
control
over
their
hours
boosts
morale
without
adding
cost.



“We
 are
 the
 happiest
 group.
 And
 yearly
 we
 have
 attitude
 surveys,
 and
 we
 have
 the

lowest
 rate
 of
 absenteeism
 …
 .
 Everybody
 in
 [our
 department]
 would
 say
 we’re
 a
 top

100
company.”
—
Employee



“I
 think
 it’s
 great,
 from
 my
 personal
 experience.
 I’ve
 seen
 so
 many
 win‐win
 situations,

where
people
are
genuinely
appreciative,
knowing
they
have
the
ability
to
use
it.
They

tend
to
give
you
110
percent.
They’re
very
appreciative
that
you’re
working
with
them

and
helping
with
their
family.”
—
Manager




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Hourly
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“I
truly
think
morale
is
the
biggest
thing.
We
don’t
care
if
it’s
a
wage
person
or
salaried

person,
 we
 expect
 the
 job
 to
 be
 done.
 If
 you
 need
 to
 adjust
 your
 hours
 to
 fit
 your

schedule,
you
still
need
to
finish
your
work.”
—
Manager



“Where
they
run
continuously,
we
expect
a
lot
of
our
employees
a
lot
of
the
time.
So
we

try
to
give
them
flexibility
and
help
to
manage
their
life.
It’s
almost
an
obligation,
given

our
expectation
of
them.”
—
Manager



Greater
ability
to
manage
personal/family
responsibilities,
especially
for
second
and
third
shifts

Policies
that
give
employees
control
over
their
schedules
and
time
off
on
short
notice
enable
employees

to
 participate
 in
 important
 events
 outside
 of
 work
 as
 well
 as
 manage
 everyday
 personal
 and
 family

situations
that
arise
without
incurring
performance
penalties.



“When
you
have
kids’
activities
…
especially
if
you’re
on
second
shift,
you
tend
to
miss

everything
after
5:00.
You
may
have
a
child
with
a
sports
activity
and
need
to
do
it
for

four
to
five
weeks
…
.”
—
Employee



“Sometimes
 when
 you
 have
 both
 spouses
 working
 here,
 if
 they
 have
 day
 care
 issues,

he’ll
trade
with
someone
with
an
off‐day
shift
so
that
his
wife
who’s
working
day
shift

can
switch
day
care
responsibilities.”
—
Employee



“Part
of
it
is
we
can
try
to
avoid
an
‘us
vs.
them’
[mentality];
we
try
to
be
all
on
the
same

page.
All
these
practices
are
something
that
salaried
employees
are
expected
to
have,

and
if
we
can
offer
the
same
thing
for
operators,
that’s
a
good
thing.”
—
Manager



“It
reduces
the
amount
of
corrective
action,
communication
I
have
to
have
with
people

in
my
department,
because
they’re
not
getting
into
absenteeism
problems.
It’s
good
for

employees
because
it
allows
them
to
adjust
to
changes
in
their
lives.”
—
Manager




“Letting
the
wage
pool
have
more
control
of
how
they
do
their
work
and
have
work‐life

balance.
 When
 you
 feel
 you’re
 in
 control
 of
 your
 hours,
 you
 don’t
 have
 to
 take
 a

vacation
to
go
to
a
dentist
or
doctor’s
appointment.”
—
Manager



Reduced
absenteeism
and
overtime
costs


The
ability
to
trade
shifts
and
adjust
work
schedules
on
occasion
reduces
the
instances
of
unscheduled

absences
dramatically
and
saves
the
company
on
costly
overtime.
Employees
do
not
have
to
use
their

paid
 time‐off
 days
 for
 instances
 when
 they
 are
 actually
 available
 to
 work
 but
 just
 need
 to
 shift
 their

hours.



“Getting
to
day
shifts
is
very
hard
and
very
limited.
If
they
didn’t
have
shift
trade
then
a

lot
of
people
would
probably
have
a
lot
more
absenteeism.”
—
Employee



“Here
we
try
to
have
work‐life
balance.
We
truly
do.
Where
individuals
can
work
every

day
 and
 still
 be
 able
 to
 take
 care
 of
 needs
 outside
 of
 the
 workplace.
 There’s
 a
 lot
 of

people
here
with
lots
of
different
backgrounds,
and
sure
we
have
a
business
to
run,
but

can
 we
 run
 it
 while
 having
 flexibility?
 We
 can
 with
 our
 hourly
 people,
 so
 we
 do.”


—
Manager




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Workplace
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Options
for
Hourly
Workers

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Voices
for
Working
Families


30



 


“I
 believe
 we’re
 avoiding
 long‐term
 medical
 leave,
 because
 individuals
 are
 able
 to
 do

shift
trades,
or
they
have
siblings
who
can
work
one
shift
and
they
can
take
care
of
the

parent.”
—
Manager





Success
Factors



Empowering
employees
—
employee‐initiated
solutions

A
striking
aspect
of
flexibility
at
the
plant
is
that
most
flexibility
solutions
emanate
from
the
work
teams.

Consistent
with
the
plant’s
continuous
improvement
philosophy,
high
performance
work
teams
identify

scheduling
 and
 work‐life
 problems
 and
 test
 potential
 solutions.
 While
 management
 establishes
 the

business
 requirements,
 guidelines
 for
 how
 the
 work
 is
 done
 are
 developed
 by
 employee
 committees

and
voted
on.
Guidelines
are
reviewed
by
HR
before
departments
implement.



“I
think
it
was
us
initiating
the
change,
and
HR
saw
it
was
a
good
thing.”
—
Employee



“We
started
a
guideline
committee
and
started
addressing
the
issues
the
operators
had.

Flextime
was
one
of
the
things
on
the
wish
lists
for
operators.
[One
team]
tested
it
out

years
ago,
and
it
developed
from
there.
If
one
part
of
the
department
could
do
it
…
.”


—
Employee



“Policy
 —
 management
 owns
 that.
 Guidelines
 —
 we
 allow
 operators
 to
 vote
 on
 it.”


—
Manager



“There
 were
 parameters
 [set
 by
 management]
 on
 what
 had
 to
 be
 in
 place,
 but
 then

there
was
a
pretty
open
field
of
guidelines
—
what
employees
help
to
establish.
As
long

as
it’s
not
detrimental
to
business.
It
has
to
be
fair
and
equitable
to
everyone
involved

and
 needs
 to
 pass
 votes.
 Once
 in
 place,
 the
 team
 can’t
 revisit
 the
 guideline
 for
 12

months.
But
afterwards
they
have
the
opportunity
to
revisit
and
tweak
the
guideline.”

—
Manager



“One
of
the
first
things
we
did
was
shift
trading.
It
originated
with
one
of
my
employees.

He
had
a
son
in
high
school
sports.
He
wanted
to
trade
from
second
shift
without
taking

vacation
so
he
proposed
it,
got
together
a
task
team
and
brought
up
all
the
issues
and

rules
and
got
it
through
leadership.
That
to
me
was
big
because
it
allowed
wage
people

to
work
a
different
shift.”
—
Manager



“We
 do
 have
 to
 listen
 to
 the
 people
 on
 the
 floor.
 If
 they
 come
 up
 with
 an
 idea,
 don’t

dismiss
 it
 out
 of
 hand
 because
 you
 can’t
 figure
 out
 how
 to
 make
 it
 work,
 but
 put
 the

onus
on
them
to
figure
it
out
with
parameters.
‘So
why
don’t
you
work
on
that,
and
how

would
you
do
that?’
They’re
very
creative
workers
and
may
be
able
to
come
up
with
a

way
 that’s
 cost
 neutral
 and
 perceived
 as
 a
 benefit
 to
 them.
 [If]
 the
 person
 feels
 he

wasn’t
listened
to,
what
may
have
been
a
good
idea
never
comes
forward.”
—
Manager



“I
was
hired
into
a
high
performing
work
system.
The
suggestion
came
up
from
one
of

the
 workers
 that
 ‘I
 have
 a
 doctor’s
 appointment,
 and
 I’m
 going
 to
 be
 late
 a
 couple
 of

hours,
 and
 why
 can’t
 I
 flex
 those
 two
 hours?’
 They
 put
 together
 a
 proposal
 to
 the


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


31



 


project
 start
 up
 manager.
 [Management]
 thought
 it
 was
 a
 good
 idea.
 That’s
 how
 it

started
 in
 the
 department,
 and
 it
 grew
 as
 other
 operators
 in
 the
 department
 were

jealous
of
it
and
wanted
to
implement
it
in
their
platform
as
well.”
—
Manager




“We
don’t
want
the
employees
to
be
just
operating
the
machine,
but
to
be
thinking
as

well.”
—
Manager



“If
your
culture
is
based
on
trust
and
respect,
it’ll
work.
But
if
you
don’t,
you
won’t
trust

the
 operators
 to
 manage
 themselves.
 Yes,
 there
 was
 a
 lot
 of
 front
 work
 and

communication,
 and
 looking
 at
 what
 works,
 but
 once
 that
 communication’s
 done
 and

you
got
over
that,
and
it
was
working,
you
don’t
even
think
about
it
because
it’s
part
of

the
culture.”
—
Manager



Team‐based
flexible
schedule
solutions


While
it
may
take
time
initially
to
involve
team
members
in
developing
the
flexible
scheduling
options,

the
 process
 creates
 solutions
 that
 meet
 the
 business
 needs
 and
 builds
 ownership
 of
 the
 system.

Innovation
and
compromise
are
both
required
for
scheduling
alternatives
to
succeed
in
an
environment

in
which
seniority
was
formerly
the
main
criteria.



“We
had
a
three‐day
session
where
all
the
ideas
were
thrown
out.
All
the
seniors
were

able
 to
 voice
 their
 opinions,
 and
 it
 all
 came
 out.
 It
 didn’t
 work
 perfectly
 right
 away,

there
were
little
holes
people
tried
to
work
out,
but
I
think
even
the
higher
seniors
came

on
 board
 and
 realized
 it
 was
 good.
 It
 works.
 It
 was
 just
 getting
 the
 mindset
 of
 the

seniority
out
of
the
way.”
—
Employee



“If
you’re
not
going
to
be
a
team
player,
it’s
not
going
to
work
for
you
when
you
request

flexibility.”
—
Employee



“The
operators
manage
it.
If
they
want
to
do
a
shift
trade,
they
sign
the
form
and
give
it

to
the
team
leader
and
they
sign
off.
It’s
very
self‐managed.
Flextime
is
the
same
way
—

you
sign
the
sheet
and
have
the
team
leader
initial
it.
Team
leaders
really
don’t
have
to

manage
this
at
all.”
—
Manager



“Employees
 have
 to
 be
 creative
 and
 bring
 different
 proposals
 and
 understand
 that

proposals
may
change,
and
be
able
to
bring
it
back
to
peers
to
get
their
consensus.
You

have
to
have
individuals
who
are
driven
to
resolve.”
—
Manager



“As
team
leaders,
we’re
fortunate
where
the
culture
is
operator
input
driven
and
drives

a
lot
of
decisions.
So
if
there’s
a
system
or
process
driven
by
operators,
we
don’t
have
to

manage
 the
 day‐to‐day
 detail,
 they
 run
 it
 and
 maintain
 the
 system
 and
 keep
 it
 up
 to

date.
 In
 general,
 the
 culture
 has
 evolved
 into
 a
 self‐managed
 administrative
 aspect
 of

the
system.”
—
Manager



Clear
policy,
consistent
application

Clear
 flexibility
 policies
 provide
 the
 framework
 for
 decision‐making,
 and
 consistent
 enforcement
 by

managers
 creates
 an
 environment
 in
 which
 employees
 believe
 they
 are
 being
 treated
 fairly.
 New

managers
can
turn
to
seasoned
managers
and
HR
for
help
in
handling
unfamiliar
situations.




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Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


32



 


“You
 need
 to
 be
 aware
 of
 what
 the
 paperwork
 is
 and
 what
 it
 means.
 If
 there’s
 a
 shift

trade,
 we
 typically
 post
 it
 on
 the
 board.
 Everybody
 knows
 in
 the
 next
 two
 days.
 Then

you
take
it
off
the
board
and
file
it.
You
don’t
have
to
do
anything
different
to
manage
in

this
environment.
Just
know
the
rules
around
the
flexibility
use
and
work
around
that.”

—
Manager



“Be
consistent
in
how
you
look
at
situations.
One
of
the
things
we
notice
around
here
is

people
 perceive
 things
 as
 being
 inconsistent
 because
 they
 don’t
 have
 all
 the

information.
 But
 for
 those
 making
 the
 decisions,
 they
 look
 at
 how
 they’ve
 looked
 at

other
requests
and
try
to
be
as
consistent
as
possible.”
—
Manager



“Having
 specific
 guidelines
 helps
 you
 be
 able
 to
 manage
 all
 these
 different
 types
 of

arrangements,
on
how
many
half
vacation
days
or
unpaid
time‐off
days
you
can
use,
etc.

Have
specific
guidelines
so
if
someone
comes
up
to
you
questioning,
you
can
explain
to

them
why.”
—
Manager



“You
have
to
have
a
set
of
rules,
and
it’s
always
better
to
have
rules
set
up
by
operators

that
management
can
live
with
so
it’s
their
rules.
And
be
written
so
that
way
it’s
more

consistent.”
—
Manager



“We
 have
 documents
 in
 place,
 but
 it’s
 hard
 for
 new
 supervisors
 to
 go
 through

everything.
 We’re
 trying
 as
 they
 come
 in
 new
 to
 really
 reinforce
 with
 them
 that

everybody
is
a
24‐hour
resource.
So
if
you’re
in
a
situation
without
an
answer,
don’t
feel

you
have
to
come
up
with
an
answer
by
yourself;
draw
on
other
people.
Get
the
right

answer,
 and
 don’t
 create
 turmoil
 by
 making
 the
 wrong
 decision
 without
 the
 right

resource.”
—
Manager



Cross
training
and
using
floaters
as
part
of
a
staffing
model

Having
 cross
 trained
 employees
 built
 into
 the
 staffing
 model
 on
 each
 team
 to
 cover
 for
 vacations
 and

other
 time
 off
 avoids
 overtime
 costs.
 Although
 the
 staffing
 model
 is
 “heavier”
 than
 a
 minimal
 staffing

model
would
suggest,
if
the
model
does
not
account
for
time
off,
it
will
actually
be
more
expensive
to
fill

in
by
paying
overtime
than
carrying
extra
staff
at
regular
wage
costs.



“To
 make
 most
 of
 the
 stuff
 work,
 you
 can’t
 be
 completely
 bare
 boned
 on
 your
 staff.

We’re
not
—
because
of
seasonal
needs
and
business,
it
makes
sense
to
have
a
certain

number
 of
 people,
 but
 you
 have
 to
 have
 that
 and
 also
 cross
 train
 them.
 If
 your
 plant

doesn’t
have
that
in
place,
you’ll
need
it
prior
to
implementing
flexibility.”
—
Manager



“Once
 we
 decided
 that
 was
 the
 right
 thing
 to
 do,
 we
 pulled
 together
 task
 teams
 with

operators
and
asked
what
training
was
needed
and
what
skills
people
needed
to
have
to

contribute
to
the
teams.”
—
Manager



Management
support

Plant
leadership
and
middle
managers
are
supportive
of
providing
flexibility
in
employee
schedules
and

expect
supervisors
to
find
ways
to
enable
employees
to
solve
scheduling
issues
while
meeting
the
needs

of
the
business.
Scheduling
solutions
have
been
part
of
plant
operations
over
several
years,
and
many

plant
leaders
were
part
of
the
high
performance
teams
that
developed
innovative
work
practices.




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Options
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Hourly
Workers

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Voices
for
Working
Families


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“You
 should
 be
 able
 to
 give
 a
 good
 reason
 why
 you
 can’t
 do
 that.
 A
 lot
 of
 times,
 it’s

turning
 back
 to
 the
 individual
 and
 asking
 how
 they
 would
 do
 it.
 And
 they
 think
 it

through
and
realize
it’s
not
as
easy
as
they
thought
it
would
be.”
—
Manager



“The
discussion
as
team
leaders
was,
‘How
am
I
going
to
schedule
this?’
It
was
a
little

more
 work
 for
 me.
 It’s
 another
 thing
 I
 have
 to
 take
 into
 consideration
 for
 daily

schedules.
It’s
just
a
bit
more
work.”
—
Manager



Tools
and
technology

Managers
have
delegated
many
of
the
routine
scheduling
tasks
to
employee
team
leads.
Reports
are
run

and
posted
daily
to
show
the
staffing
demand
and
whether
there
are
time‐off
slots
available.
Employees

also
 use
 the
 computer
 scheduling
 system
 to
 request
 vacation
 time.
 Some
 information,
 such
 as
 shift

trades,
involves
manual
processes.



“We
have
a
clipboard
that
we
put
in
our
regular
shift
(7–3),
and
if
we
want
to
come
in

two
hours
early,
we
put
the
adjusted
time
on
it
so
the
supervisor
knows
we’re
gone
for

those
hours
and
also
the
other
people
we
work
with
will
know.”
—
Employee



“We
have
it
on
a
clipboard.
It’s
nice
because
it’s
faster
and
it’s
visual.
But
you
can’t
do
it

from
home.
To
do
it
from
home,
you’re
calling
the
team
leader.”
—
Manager





Challenges/Barriers




Recognizing
flexibility
is
not
always
feasible

Although
 use
 of
 flextime
 on
 short
 notice
 is
 valued
 by
 many
 employees,
 it
 can
 leave
 the
 team

shorthanded.
 Some
 smaller
 teams
 do
 not
 have
 the
 elasticity
 to
 absorb
 the
 extra
 workload
 when

someone
is
using
flextime,
especially
when
there
is
an
unexpected
work
problem.



“We
pretty
much
run
365
days
a
year,
and
it’s
going
to
break
down
hard
more
than

once
a
week.
With
a
24‐hour
workday,
they’re
happening
every
24
or
36
hours
…
.

We
had
a
guy
who
flexed
and
we
had
two
changeovers
and
two
startups
and
we
had

an
emergency,
and
we
had
four
people
doing
the
work
of
six
people.”
—
Employee



“We
have
to
have
four
people
running
the
systems
all
the
time.
Because
they
know

they
have
certain
weekends
off
and
certain
days
off.
You’re
fully
staffed
all
the
time

and
 you
 reduce
 certain
 overtime;
 the
 only
 overtime
 is
 your
 normal
 vacation.
 You

carry
one
operator
heavy,
but
you’re
not
killing
the
four
people.
If
you
only
had
four

people,
you’d
be
asking
them
to
work
eight
hours
every
day.
That
one
extra
person

saves
 money
 for
 the
 company,
 no
 doubt,
 just
 in
 the
 health
 of
 the
 worker
 and
 lost

time.”
—
Employee



Viewing
flexibility
as
a
business
tool,
not
an
entitlement


Business
leaders
have
to
periodically
reevaluate
if
the
flexible
work
options
are
good
financial
decisions.

For
example,
frequent
use
of
half‐day
vacations
concentrated
in
certain
shifts
could
cause
an
increase
in

overtime
hours
and
costs.




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


34



 


“Balancing
 and
 making
 sure
 operators
 realize
 there’s
 still
 a
 business
 to
 run,
 and
 you

can’t
 find
 different
 ways
 to
 get
 them
 off
 tomorrow
 or
 out
 early.
 Sometimes
 you
 can’t

always
please
them,
but
you
do
the
best
you
can.
You
have
to
balance
business
needs

with
employee
wants.”
—
Manager



Addressing
performance
issues

Abuse
 by
 a
 few
 individuals
 is
 a
 concern
 for
 both
 employees
 and
 managers.
 It
 is
 important
 to
 address

individual
 performance
 issues
 or
 misuse
 of
 flexibility
 so
 that
 the
 availability
 of
 flexible
 scheduling

alternatives
for
an
entire
team
is
not
jeopardized.



“A
few
people
are
abusing
it
…
people
will
only
put
up
with
it
so
much.
If
you
abuse

it,
 someone’s
 going
 to
 come
 back
 to
 you
 —
 either
 a
 team
 member
 or
 leader.”


—
Employee



“How
 do
 you
 keep
 this
 program
 going
 and
 there
 isn’t
 favoritism,
 and
 individuals

aren’t
abusing
the
programs?
There
were
individuals
who
would
take
it
every
Friday

or
 every
 Monday.
 And
 you
 just
 can’t
 allow
 that.
 It’s
 meant
 to
 be
 used
 when
 it’s

needed,
not
as
a
convenience.”
—
Manager



“A
lot
of
making
sure
people
are
leveraging
flexibility
for
the
right
reasons,
and
not

for
personal
gains.
That
they’re
not
playing
games
with
it,
which
tends
to
happen.
On

an
 individual
 basis
 as
 [abuse
 of
 the
 policy]
 comes
 up,
 we
 try
 not
 to
 ruin
 it
 for
 the

team.
 It
 starts
 at
 the
 team
 leader
 level
 and
 have
 them
 deal
 with
 it,
 then
 we
 get

involved
if
it
is
not
resolved.”
—
Manager



“We
don’t
want
to
change
these,
because
operators
came
up
with
these.
We
want
to

deal
with
the
individual
instead
of
punishing
all
the
operators.”
—
Manager





Implications/Considerations
for
Other
Employers



The
use
of
flexible
scheduling
practices
at
the
manufacturing
plant
has
benefits
for
employees,

supervisors
and
the
company
as
a
whole.
Employees
feel
they
have
more
control
over
their
schedules

and
have
the
opportunity
to
attend
events
or
appointments
because
they
are
able
to
take
time
off
in

smaller
increments
or
shift
the
hours
they
work.
Through
cross
training
and
thoughtful
scheduling,

managers
are
able
to
provide
necessary
coverage
without
incurring
as
much
overtime
cost.
The

flexibility
practices
were
necessitated
by
a
switch
to
continuous
plant
operations;
by
empowering
the

operators
to
develop
scheduling
options,
the
company
has
in
place
variations
of
flexibility
that
work
for

each
team.




The
success
of
these
flexibility
programs
is
in
part
due
to
the
ownership
the
operators
feel
and
also

benefits
from
the
piloting
process,
improving
the
program
based
on
the
experiences
of
a
smaller
group

before
expanding
the
program
to
other
teams.
Covering
shifts
24
hours
each
day
can
be
a
challenge;
the

flexibility
programs
that
are
in
place
now
address
some
of
the
work‐life
conflicts
that
shift
work

presents.
The
ability
to
manage
one’s
time
and
feel
some
control
over
work
hours
and
some
ability
to

attend
to
appointments
or
events
of
importance
without
taking
an
entire
vacation
day
is
quite
valuable

to
employees.
The
flexible
work
programs
in
place
also
recognize
that
fewer
senior
members
of
the


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Hourly
Workers

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workgroup
need
flexibility
as
well,
so
seniority
does
not
always
determine
who
is
able
to
flex
their
hours

or
swap
a
shift.
Cross
training
and
creative
staffing
models
support
the
ability
of
teams
to
work
flexibly.

While
this
requires
some
investment
of
time
and
effort
by
managers
initially,
the
return
on
their

investment
is
significant
in
terms
of
productivity
and
retention.




While
manufacturing
plant
environments
may
not
traditionally
be
thought
of
as
ideal
for
implementing

flexibility,
the
teams
at
this
plant
have
shown
that
with
support
from
management
and
innovative

thinking
on
the
part
of
operators,
the
benefits
of
flexible
work
practices
are
numerous.









Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

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Voices
for
Working
Families


36



 


Case
Study:
Marriott


Global
reservation
and
customer
service
representatives
can
use
flex
and
time‐off
coupons

online,
which
enables
them
to
choose
schedules
that
fit
their
lives
and
take
"just‐in‐time"

time
off
in
full‐day,
half‐day
and
hourly
increments.
These
innovative
flexibility
options
have

significantly
reduced
turnover
and
are
a
key
recruitment
and
retention
tool.




Background



Marriott
International,
Inc.,
first
established
in
1927
as
a
small
root
beer
stand
in
Washington,
DC,
has

grown
 into
 a
 worldwide
 hospitality
 company
 with
 more
 than
 3,000
 lodging
 properties
 located
 in
 the

United
 States
 and
 67
 other
 countries
 and
 territories
 and
 is
 considered
 a
 leader
 in
 the
 hospitality

industry.
 With
 its
 corporate
 headquarters
 in
 Bethesda,
 MD,
 Marriott
 employs
 152,000
 people

worldwide,
 of
 which
 105,000
 are
 employed
 within
 the
 United
 States.
 Among
 U.S.
 workers,

approximately
75
percent
are
categorized
as
hourly
workers.




Marriott
 has
 a
 long
 history
 of
 providing
 employee
 benefit
 programs
 to
 workers
 in
 frontline
 positions,

such
 as
 food
 and
 beverage
 workers,
 housekeeping,
 and
 rooms
 operations.
 The
 company’s
 strong

corporate
 culture
 and
 inspiring
 core
 values
 are
 keys
 to
 continued
 growth,
 success
 and
 associate

satisfaction.
 “People
 first”
 is
 the
 foundation
 of
 Marriott's
 corporate
 culture
 and
 success
 with
 a
 belief

that
their
associates
are
their
greatest
assets
and
key
to
delivering
superior
customer
service.
Marriott

demonstrates
 commitment
 to
 associates
 through
 a
 wide
 range
 of
 innovative
 programs,
 training
 and

advancement
opportunities.




Marriott’s
Global
Reservation
Sales
and
Customer
Care
Center,
located
in
Salt
Lake
City
(SLC),
is
a
24/7

call
 center
 operation
 with
 200
 associates
 (sales
 agents)
 on
 site
 and
 90
 agents
 who
 work
 from
 home

making
reservations
for
customers.
The
call
center
has
successfully
implemented
a
variety
of
innovative

flexibility
options.






Business
Drivers



SLC
 is
 a
 very
 competitive
 labor
 market
 for
 call
 centers,
 with
 many
 large
 call/operations
 centers

representing
various
industries
competing
for
qualified
employees
in
all
shifts.
High
turnover
is
common

—
 more
 than
 150
 percent.
 Adapting
 to
 the
 generational
 changes
 and
 interests
 of
 younger
 workers
 is

critical
 to
 competing
 for
 talent
 in
 the
 lower
 wage
 workforce
 in
 this
 market.
 Last
 minute
 time
 off
 and

flexibility
 is
 very
 important
 to
 this
 age
 group.
 Marriott
 is
 therefore
 utilizing
 flexibility
 to
 attract
 and

retain
associates
in
a
competitive
labor
market,
especially
the
younger
generation
of
workers,
many
of

whom
are
students
and
working
mothers.
Seventy
percent
of
the
Marriott
workforce
in
the
SLC
Global

Reservation
Sales
and
Customer
Care
Center
are
Generation
Y
and
younger,
and
the
majority
of
them

are
students.
This
flexibility
strategy
is
not
only
an
attraction
and
retention
tool,
but
it
meets
Marriott’s

goal
 of
 engaging
 and
 motivating
 associates
 to
 provide
 superior
 customer
 service
 as
 a
 competitive

advantage.


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“As
a
company,
it’s
important
to
align
our
values
with
the
values
of
associates.
And
their

values
are
changing
—
they
are
more
focused
on
family
and
personal
life.”
—
Manager



“Last
minute
time
off
and
flexibility
is
very
important
to
this
age
group.
A
large
portion

of
our
associates
decide
to
go
to
a
movie
the
night
before
and
want
tomorrow
or
today

off
and
so
that
last
minute
flexibility
is
very
important.”
—
Manager





History




Over
 the
 past
 decade,
 the
 flexible
 work
 options
 have
 evolved
 in
 response
 to
 intense
 competition
 for

talent
and
the
needs
of
the
changing
workforce.
The
SLC
management
utilized
annual
associate
opinion

surveys
 and
 an
 associate
 council
 to
 identify
 needs
 and
 create
 innovative
 solutions.
 The
 management

team
listened
to
the
ideas
of
associates
and
was
open
to
new
ways
of
scheduling.
As
a
result,
the
ideas

of
“just‐in‐time”
flexibility
and
time‐off
coupons
evolved
into
the
array
of
flexibility
options
they
have
in

place
today.



“An
associate
council
brought
up
the
idea
and
asked
if
there
was
any
way
they
could
get

coupons
or
something
that
would
give
them
an
hour
off
during
the
day
if
needed.
So,

we
figured
it
out
and
created
the
technology
to
track
it.”
—
Manager





Program
Description




At
Marriott’s
Global
Reservation
Sales
and
Customer
Care
Center,
associates
have
to
be
on
the
phone

for
92
percent
of
the
time
with
30
minutes
for
lunch
and
two
15‐minute
breaks
in
an
eight‐hour
shift.

There
are
a
variety
of
options
for
associates
to
choose
schedules
that
suit
their
lives
as
well
as
time
off
in

full‐day,
half‐day
and
one‐
to
three‐hour
increments
for
a
total
of
up
to
30–40
days
off
a
year
combining

paid
 and
 unpaid
 time
 off.
 Most
 of
 the
 flexible
 work
 options
 can
 be
 requested
 online
 on
 the
 new

internally
developed
Web
station.
With
this
system,
associates
can
sit
at
their
desk
and
log
on
to
request

time
 off,
 pick
 up
 overtime,
 pick
 up
 their
 daily
 schedule,
 trade
 shifts
 and
 use
 a
 flex
 coupon,
 subject
 to

manager
approval
and
coverage.
When
associates
want
to
sign
up
for
a
flexible
work
option,
they
log
on

to
 the
 Web
 station,
 and
 the
 system
 prompts
 them
 to
 enter
 key
 information
 including
 name,
 desk

number,
shift,
the
dates
they
want
flexibility,
how
much
time
off
they
want
and
so
on.




Paid
time
off
(PTO)

Associates
accrue
vacation
and
sick
time
based
on
hours
worked.
The
average
in
their
first
year
is
about

one
week.
PTO
is
accrued
with
tenure,
up
to
five
weeks.
PTO
promotions
are
also
offered
as
incentives.

If
the
SLC
center
has
a
difficult
staffing
day,
often
a
holiday,
they
will
offer
those
who
work
their
shift
an

extra
personal
day
in
their
PTO
bank.



Associates
 also
 accrue
 personal
 days
 —
 five
 days
 in
 the
 first
 year
 and
 two
 additional
 days
 after
 seven

years
 of
 service.
 There
 are
 many
 ongoing
 annual
 incentives
 to
 accrue
 additional
 personal
 days
 off
 as

well.
 For
 example,
 if
 an
 associate
 is
 first
 in
 sales
 for
 the
 quarter,
 he
 or
 she
 can
 choose
 to
 get
 four

additional
personal
days.




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Hourly
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“I
like
personal
days
because
it’s
nice
that
they
give
us
that
option
and
we
don’t
have
to

explain
ourselves
or
why
we
need
the
day
off
or
what
we’re
doing
…
and
it
doesn’t
go

against
you
in
the
sense
of
attendance.”
—
Associate



Floaters


The
staffing
model
at
the
SLC
center
includes
designating
a
few
associates
as
floaters
whose
job
it
is
to

pick
up
shifts,
which
ensures
coverage
and
allows
greater
flexibility
for
associates.




Trading
shifts


Associates
can
easily
request
shift
trades
through
the
Web
station.




“You
 can
 sign
 up
 on
 the
 computer
 and
 say
 ‘This
 is
 my
 shift
 —
 I
 need
 the
 day
 off.’

Someone
can
go
in
and
say,
‘Oh,
I
can
work
those
hours’
and
they
pick
up
your
shift.
It’s

a
nice
way
to
get
time
off
without
using
your
coupons
because
you
can
get
someone
to

pick
up
a
trade
and
you
can
keep
your
coupon
for
another
day.”
—
Associate



“Just‐in‐time”
flexibility
—
flextime
coupons


Associates
 have
 access
 to
 “just‐in‐time”
 flexibility
 through
 the
 use
 of
 flextime
 coupons,
 which
 can
 be

used
 in
 one‐hour
 increments
 or
 up
 to
 three
 hours
 in
 one
 day.
 Flextime
 coupons
 are
 requested
 online

using
the
Web
station
to
determine
availability
and
are
approved
by
a
manager
based
on
coverage
up
to

five
minutes
before
taking
the
time
off.



Associates
 earn
 15
 coupons
 after
 training
 and
 each
 year
 thereafter,
 as
 well
 as
 having
 access
 to
 them

through
ongoing
incentives.
Flextime
coupons
may
be
used
“just‐in‐time”
if
available
and
in
conjunction

with
other
time
off.
They
don’t
have
to
be
used
in
consecutive
hours,
and
an
associate
may
use
one
at

the
 beginning
 of
 their
 shift,
 one
 to
 extend
 their
 lunch,
 and
 one
 to
 go
 home
 early
 based
 on
 hours
 of

operation.
Business
requirements,
coverage
and
hours
of
operation
govern
the
use
of
flextime
coupons.

For
 example,
 the
 Marriott’s
 1‐800
 desk
 hours
 of
 operation
 are
 9
 a.m.–1
 a.m.,
 and
 associates
 are

restricted
from
using
flextime
coupons
in
the
first
or
last
hours
the
desk
is
open
because
that
tends
to

be
when
there
is
less
staff
available.




“It’s
great
because
you
can
use
them
to
take
up
to
three
hours
off
—
you
don’t
have
to

take
a
full
day
off
and
lose
your
full‐day
pay.
You
still
get
five
hours
pay
if
you
take
three

hours
off.”
—
Associate



Unpaid
time
off

Time‐off
coupons
may
be
used
in
one‐day
or
one‐half‐day
increments
and
provide
a
convenient
way
for

associates
to
get
unpaid
time
off
in
advance
or
on
short
notice
based
on
individual
needs
and
business

requirements.
Associates
get
16
one‐day
time‐off
coupons
after
training
and
each
year
thereafter.
They

earn
 the
 coupon
 back
 one
 year
 from
 when
 they
 used
 it.
 Associates
 have
 ongoing
 incentives
 to
 earn

more
as
well.
Access
to
and
use
of
time‐off
coupons
is
based
on
available
slots
(based
on
coverage
and

staffing).
The
associate
uses
the
online
Web
station
to
check
availability
and
request
time
off
using
their

available
 coupons.
 Availability
 of
 time‐off
 coupons
 will
 vary
 based
 on
 business
 needs
 and
 how
 many

associates
they
can
afford
to
have
off
at
any
given
time.
An
associate
may
also
request
time
off
on
short

notice,
for
taking
care
of
a
sick
child
for
example,
by
calling
the
manager
on
duty
and
asking
if
there
are

any
slots
available
to
take
the
day
off
without
utilizing
vacation
or
a
time‐off
coupon.
If
a
slot
is
available

for
their
shift,
the
manager
just
schedules
the
associate
off
without
penalty.


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Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

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Voices
for
Working
Families


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“Even
 if
 it’s
 same
 day,
 my
 kids
 are
 sick
 or
 I
 want
 to
 go
 to
 a
 concert
 —
 if
 the
 spot’s

available
and
I
have
a
coupon,
they’ll
approve
it.”
—
Associate




Downtime

Additional
 opportunities
 for
 unpaid
 time
 off
 occur
 when
 there
 is
 “downtime”
 or
 lower
 than
 projected

call
volume.
This
option
is
entirely
based
on
how
many
staff
are
projected
to
be
required
to
cover
the

center’s
call
handling
needs
that
day,
and
it
is
available
on
a
first‐come,
first‐served
basis.
Associates
can

log
on
to
the
Web
station,
where
information
about
anticipated
downtime
is
posted.
They
can
make
a

request
for
the
same
day
or
future
dates
by
entering
their
names,
requested
shift
end
time
or
what
time

they
would
like
to
get
off.
This
is
a
win‐win
because
if
associates
are
not
needed
on
the
phones
they
can

request
the
time
off
without
having
to
use
a
coupon.
If
the
manager
on
duty
looks
at
the
database
and

sees
they
need
to
send
five
people
home,
they
go
to
the
downtime
list
to
determine
the
first
five
people

to
let
off.



Part
time


Associates
may
work
a
minimum
of
20
hours
per
week
on
a
part‐time
schedule;
however,
students
may

work
 a
 minimum
 of
 16
 hours
 per
 week.
 Associates
 are
 required
 to
 work
 at
 least
 four
 five‐hour
 shifts;

students
can
work
a
total
of
16
hours,
but
a
minimum
of
eight
of
those
hours
have
to
be
on
Sunday,
and

the
rest
can
be
any
time
during
the
week.
Students,
associates
working
second
jobs
and
long‐tenured

associates
who
have
worked
at
the
SLC
center
for
seven
years
or
more
can
request
set‐hours
schedules

for
a
six‐month
period.
Associates
who
are
working
second
jobs
have
to
present
pay
stubs
to
have
a
set

schedule
approved.
Students
have
to
present
their
school
schedule
at
the
beginning
of
the
semester
and

then
they
get
a
schedule
for
the
entire
semester
and
sign
a
contract
agreeing
that
they
won’t
change
it.

With
a
school
schedule,
associates
only
have
to
work
30
hours
a
week,
which
is
considered
full
time
for

students
 only,
 and
 receive
 benefits.
 Those
 associates
 who
 are
 working
 on
 a
 hospitality
 service
 degree

are
eligible
for
tuition
reimbursement.
Most
students
work
nights,
which
helps
out
with
coverage
since

fewer
people
prefer
nights.





“One
thing
I
liked
when
I
started
as
an
associate
in
high
school
is
that
they
worked
with

my
schedule.
Now
I’m
in
college
and
a
week
before
the
semester
starts,
I
set
a
schedule

so
I
won’t
work
during
my
school
hours
and
I
know
when
I
can
do
my
homework,
etc.”

—
Associate



Overtime


Overtime
 needs
 based
 on
 daily
 and
 future
 call
 volume
 projections
 are
 posted
 weekly
 on
 the
 Web

station.
 To
 determine
 overtime,
 management
 compares
 expected
 call
 volume
 and
 daily
 staffing

projections,
and
they
post
the
number
of
staff
and
hours
needed
on
Web
station.
Associates
can
request

to
work
up
to
12.5
hours
a
day,
seven
days
a
week
if
the
time
is
available,
based
on
state
overtime
laws.

Overtime
 is
 paid
 at
 time
 and
 a
 half.
 In
 California,
 for
 example,
 employees
 cannot
 work
 more
 than
 six

days
straight
or
more
than
12
hours
per
day.
Occasionally
there
will
be
mandatory
overtime
if
the
call

volume
is
particularly
heavy.




Remote
work
—
home
agents


SLC
has
a
home
agent
pilot
underway
with
90
customer
service
representatives.
This
initiative
is
aimed

at
recruiting
agents
in
rural
areas
to
work
from
home,
which
is
a
win‐win
because
it
offers
employment

opportunities
 to
 people
 in
 rural
 areas
 and
 enables
 Marriott
 to
 reach
 a
 different
 segment
 of
 the
 labor

market
and
recruit
associates
beyond
the
call
center
geographic
areas.
There
has
been
an
overwhelming


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Workplace
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Options
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Hourly
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40



 


response,
 and
 the
 pilot
 has
 been
 very
 successful.
 Marriott
 hopes
 to
 expand
 the
 pilot
 and
 offer
 the

option
of
working
from
home
to
on‐site
call
center
associates
in
the
future.



Creative
 use
 of
 technology
 (even
 while
 working
 out
 some
 technology
 glitches/challenges)
 enables

effective
remote
training
for
agents,
team
meetings
and
monitoring
of
performance.
Home
agents
are

initially
provided
essential
equipment
including
a
PC,
flat‐screen
monitor,
headsets,
phone
and
Marriott

welcome
 packet
 of
 orientation
 materials.
 Group
 training
 is
 provided
 as
 a
 group
 via
 video
 webcasts.

Associates
 log
 on
 and
 off
 the
 system,
 which
 monitors
 their
 start
 and
 end
 times
 and
 plug‐in
 time.

Managers
 have
 the
 ability
 to
 log
 in
 remotely
 to
 observe
 what
 agents
 are
 doing
 and
 dial
 into
 agent’s

phones
to
observe
calls
as
a
way
to
monitor
performance
and
provide
feedback
and
coaching
similar
to

the
 monitoring
 and
 coaching
 provided
 for
 on‐site
 associates.
 If
 there
 is
 background
 noise
 that’s

distracting,
for
example,
a
discipline
regimen
is
initiated.



Home
 agents
 work
 40‐hour‐per‐week
 shifts
 and,
 similar
 to
 on‐site
 agents,
 use
 preference
 sheets
 to

request
 their
 schedule
 for
 one
 call
 period,
 or
 four
 weeks.
 Schedule
 approval
 is
 based
 on
 their
 “stats”

(number
 of
 calls
 handled
 and
 number
 of
 calls
 converted
 to
 a
 reservation)
 and
 adherence/attendance.

Home
 agents
 use
 the
 time‐off
 coupon
 system
 to
 request
 time
 off
 for
 full
 or
 half
 days
 or
 flextime

coupons
 to
 request
 time
 off
 in
 one‐
 to
 three‐hour
 increments
 if
 there
 are
 slots
 available.
 To
 ensure

adequate
coverage,
up
to
five
day‐shift
agents
and
five
night‐shift
agents
can
be
off
at
any
given
time.

Home
 agents
 help
 provide
 much
 needed
 overtime
 coverage
 because
 it
 is
 easier
 for
 them
 to
 pick
 up

overtime
on
short
notice
from
home
than
it
is
for
someone
who
would
have
to
drive
into
the
office.



Regular
 team
 meetings,
 held
 virtually,
 are
 an
 essential
 means
 of
 keeping
 home
 agents
 engaged
 and

connected,
so
managers
find
creative
ways
to
build
in
time
for
fun
and
socialization.



Home
agents
seem
to
be
generally
performing
at
levels
equal
to
or
above
on‐site
representatives.
The

arrangement
is
working
well
for
associates
and
the
company.
The
pilot
program
has
expanded
in
other

locations,
 and
 currently
 over
 400
 associates
 are
 working
 as
 home
 agents
 with
 plans
 for
 continued

growth
to
600
associates
later
this
year.




“Associates
 love
 working
 from
 home
so
they
want
to
do
their
best
for
the
company.
They

are
very
proud
to
be
working
for
Marriott,
appreciate
their
colleagues,
the
quality
of
agents,

good
benefits
and
having
the
opportunity
to
work
at
home.”
—
Manager






Impacts/Benefits



Flexible
work
options
have
had
very
favorable
impacts
on
individuals
and
the
business.
Associates
and

managers
are
very
positive
about
the
work
environment
and
variety
of
flexible
work
options
available.

The
process
and
technology
that
enables
easy,
often
“just‐in‐time”
access
to
time
off
gives
associates
a

great
deal
of
control
over
their
schedules
and
empowers
them
to
manage
their
job
responsibilities
and

personal
commitments.
Associates
express
great
satisfaction
with
the
work
environment
and
how
proud

they
are
to
work
for
Marriott,
which
are
key
engagement
factors.




The
variety
of
flexible
work
options
is
a
great
attraction
and
retention
tool
for
Marriott
in
a
competitive

labor
 market
 —
 especially
 with
 the
 younger
 generation
 of
 workers.
 It’s
 what
 differentiates
 Marriott

from
other
employers
and
call
center
operations
in
the
area.
Ten
years
ago,
turnover
was
150
percent;


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now
it’s
60
percent,
due
largely
to
flexible
work
options.
There
is
general
agreement
among
associates

that
the
flexibility
they
have
is
what
keeps
them
there.
Some
associates
reported
that
they
didn’t
expect

to
stay
with
the
company
for
very
long
when
they
first
began
—
but
they
don’t
know
of
any
other
place

where
 they
 would
 get
 more
 flexibility,
 so
 they
 have
 stayed
 (many
 for
 two
 years
 or
 more).
 Managers

report
that
increased
retention
of
tenured
associates
results
in
increased
productivity
as
well.




“A
 differentiator
 from
 competitors
 is
 the
 fact
 we
 they
 don’t
 have
 set
 shifts
 or
 set
 hours.

When
you
come
in,
it
is
your
shift.”
—
Manager




“We
 have
 the
 longest
 hours
 and
 offer
 the
 most
 flexible
 school
 schedules
 even
 though
 we

pay
less
than
other
call
centers.”
—
Manager



“Offering
flexibility
sends
the
message
that
we
really
care
about
you,
we
want
you
to
spend

time
with
your
family
or
have
the
opportunity
to
go
out
with
friends
…
but
we’re
also
here

to
run
a
business
and
here’s
what
we
need
from
you.”
—
Manager



“Those
 who
 leave
 this
 as
 a
 first
 job
 often
 come
 back
 and
 say
 they
 didn’t
 know
 how
 good

they
had
it
here.”
—
Manager



“I
don’t
know
of
any
other
job
environment
that
has
as
much
flexibility
for
hourly
[workers]

or
management.”
—
Manager





Success
Factors



Consistency

There
 are
 many
 factors
 that
 contribute
 to
 the
 success
 of
 flexible
 work
 options
 in
 the
 call
 center,
 but

consistency
stands
out
as
one
of
the
most
important.
The
clear
flexibility
policies
and
rules
provide
the

infrastructure
 and
 guidance
 for
 associates.
 Managers
 who
 “stick
 with
 it”
 ensure
 fairness
 and
 equity,

which
 are
 critical
 to
 success.
 Managers
 are
 supportive
 and
 approve
 requests
 whenever
 possible
 but

enforce
the
policy.




“You
have
to
be
consistent
—
the
line
is
the
line,
because
as
soon
as
you
push
the
line

they’ll
push
it
again.”
—
Manager




“The
profile
of
people
we
hire
is
people
who
need
guidelines
and
rules,
and
we
need
to

be
consistent
in
enforcing
them.”
—
Manager



Involving
associates
in
designing
flexibility


Asking
 associates
 what
 they
 wanted,
 listening
 to
 their
 ideas
 and
 being
 open
 to
 creative
 new
 ways
 of

scheduling
 were
 key
 to
 designing
 the
 array
 of
 flexible
 work
 options
 that
 work
 for
 associates
 and
 the

business.




“One
of
the
best
things
we
did
is
we
asked
them
what
they
wanted.
They
told
us
and
we

figured
out
how
to
do
it.”
—
Manager





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Technology

The
 technology
 that
 was
 developed
 internally
 is
 user
 friendly
 for
 associates
 and
 is
 much
 less
 labor

intensive
for
managers
than
the
previous
manual
system.
The
Web
station
enables
associates
to
request

“just‐in‐time”
flexibility
to
meet
their
needs
while
ensuring
business
needs
are
met.
It
helps
managers

project
staffing
needs,
approve
requests,
and
track
and
monitor
arrangements.




“Without
the
technology,
it
would
be
a
nightmare
to
manage.”
—
Manager



Variety
of
flexibility
and
time‐off
options

The
variety
of
flexible
work
options
and
creative
tools,
such
as
time‐off
coupons
and
flextime
coupons,

empowers
 associates
 to
 design
 work
 schedules
 and
 arrangements
 around
 their
 lives
 and
 personal

commitments
 while
 ensuring
 that
 business
 requirements
 are
 met.
 Incentives
 and
 promotions
 provide

ongoing
 opportunities
 to
 earn
 even
 more
 flexibility.
 Part‐time
 schedules
 and
 the
 ability
 to
 work

overtime
meet
the
needs
of
those
who
want
minimum
hours
and
others
who
want
overtime.



Planning
coverage
to
meet
the
actual
need

The
 staffing
 model,
 coupled
 with
 technology
 that
 helps
 plan
 staffing
 and
 coverage
 needs,
 enables

flexibility
to
work
well.
Managers
are
able
to
predict
staffing
needs
and
offer
time
slots
when
associates

can
choose
to
request
time
off.
Associates
designated
as
floaters
fill
slots
and
provide
coverage
for
those

who
are
out.




Manager
training,
commitment
and
support

Marriott
invests
heavily
in
training
for
managers
because
90
percent
of
their
job
is
managing
and
taking

care
 of
 their
 people.
 Training
 includes
 how
 to
 communicate
 with
 employees
 and
 deal
 with
 difficult

situations.
 Managers
 also
 meet
 regularly
 to
 discuss
 challenges,
 share
 experiences
 and
 problem
 solve

with
each
other.
They
are
committed
to
making
flexibility
work
for
associates
and
the
business.




“My
manager
is
one
of
the
very
best
people
I’ve
worked
for.”
—
Associate



“As
managers,
we
talk
together
and
problem
solve
how
to
‘save
people’
who
are
on
the

fence
and
that
we
may
lose
due
to
discipline,
attendance,
etc.”
—
Manager




“One
 of
 the
 reasons
 I’ve
 worked
 here
 for
 so
 long
 is
 because
 of
 my
 manager
 and
 how

great
 they’ve
 always
 been
 to
 me
 —
 what’s
 kept
 me
 here
 is
 the
 people
 and
 the

management.”
—
Associate



Collaboration
and
teamwork


Managers
and
associates
collaborate
to
ensure
superior
customer
service
and
effective
management
of

flexibility.
Associates
work
together
to
back
each
other
up
and
ensure
coverage.






Challenges/Barriers



Providing
the
wide
array
of
flexible
work
options
for
Marriott
associates
at
the
SLC
Global
Reservation

Sales
 and
 Customer
 Care
 Center
 is
 not
 without
 some
 challenges.
 The
 many
 options
 available
 are

sometimes
 difficult
 for
 managers
 to
 oversee
 while
 ensuring
 coverage
 and
 superior
 customer
 service.

Often
 there
 are
 delays
 for
 managers
 in
 approving
 requests
 for
 time
 off.
 They
 have
 to
 wait
 for
 some


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statistics
to
come
from
the
Omaha
call
center
and
other
sites
before
they
can
approve
all
the
requests,

which
means
that
managers
sometimes
cannot
approve
requests
as
far
in
advance
as
they
would
like.



Another
challenge
is
not
always
being
able
to
give
last
minute
time
off,
which
is
particularly
important

for
younger
associates
who
will
“call
off”
if
they
cannot
get
time
off
at
the
last
minute
to
go
out
with

friends,
 for
 example.
 Managers
 also
 feel
 that
 creating
 mechanisms
 to
 govern
 the
 system
 to
 prevent

abuse,
being
impartial
and
ensuring
consistency
can
be
challenging
as
well.




“When
 there
 is
 a
 situation
 where
 the
 associate
 truly
 does
 warrant
 a
 chance
 to
 stay

despite
 extended
 time
 off,
 sometimes
 we
 can’t
 do
 it
 because
 as
 soon
 as
 we’re

inconsistent,
 then
 it
 brings
 up
 a
 whole
 other
 issue
 of
 fairness,
 and
 people
 don’t
 know

where
 they
 stand
 and
 they
 push
 the
 rules
 because
 they’ve
 seen
 others
 get
 away
 with

it.”
—
Manager



Managing
 home
 agents
 poses
 specific
 challenges,
 particularly
 in
 clearly
 defining
 and
 managing

expectations.
Initially
some
home
agents
did
not
understand
the
nature
of
the
job
and
that
they
were

going
to
be
tied
to
the
phone
continuously
throughout
the
workday.
Some
expected
that
calls
would
be

intermittent
 and
 there
 would
 be
 time
 for
 housework
 or
 caring
 for
 young
 children.
 Managers
 had
 to

emphasize
 that
 this
 arrangement
 was
 not
 a
 replacement
 for
 child
 care,
 and
 that
 as
 sales
 agents,
 they

needed
to
be
available
on
their
shifts
to
cover
hours
of
operation
from
6
a.m.–1
a.m.
In
some
cases,
if
a

crisis
comes
up
in
an
associate’s
life,
home
agents
just
quit
rather
than
try
to
work
things
out
by
using

flexible
work
options.




It
takes
more
time
for
home
agents
to
learn
the
elements
of
the
job
because
they
are
not
in
the
office
to

see,
 hear
 and
 observe
 effective
 practices,
 and
 in
 turn,
 it
 takes
 more
 time
 from
 managers
 to
 train
 and

coach
 new
 associates.
 Home
 agents
 need
 more
 team
 meetings
 to
 stay
 connected,
 and
 because
 they

never
meet
face
to
face,
managers
have
to
find
innovative
ways
to
engage
and
motivate
home
agents

through
 virtual
 meetings
 and
 creative
 team‐building
 activities.
 And
 finally,
 providing
 technology
 to

ensure
the
effectiveness
of
home
agents
and
superior
customer
service
remains
a
top
priority.






Implications/Considerations
for
Other
Employers



Marriott’s
SLC
call
center
provides
many
ideas
and
lessons
learned
that
other
organizations
can
utilize
to

enhance
 the
 use
 of
 flexibility
 to
 meet
 the
 needs
 of
 a
 lower
 wage
 workforce
 and
 the
 business.
 It’s

important
to
target
flexibility
to
the
needs
and
realities
of
the
workforce
and
local
labor
market.
Asking

employees
 (through
 surveys,
 focus
 groups
 or
 employee
 councils)
 what
 type
 of
 flexibility
 they
 need
 to

remain
satisfied
and
engaged
is
key
to
designing
flexible
work
options
that
are
a
competitive
advantage

for
the
organization.
The
wide
array
of
flexible
work
options
and
the
ability
to
get
time
off
and
“just‐in‐
time”
 flexibility
 at
 the
 SLC
 center
 provide
 the
 workforce
 with
 options,
 choices
 and
 a
 sense
 of
 control

over
 their
 work
 schedules.
 However,
 clear
 policies,
 guidelines
 and
 systems
 that
 both
 managers
 and

employees
 comply
 with
 ensure
 consistent,
 equitable
 implementation,
 which
 is
 so
 important
 to

effectively
 manage
 flexibility.
 Leveraging
 technology
 to
 manage
 and
 track
 flexible
 work
 arrangements

and
to
enable
effective
off‐site
work
is
an
important
key
to
success.




Careful
planning
for
staffing
needs
and
having
additional
resources
as
a
backup
to
cover
employees
who

are
off
enable
wide
use
of
flexibility
as
a
staffing
tool
without
putting
extra
burden
on
others.
Teamwork


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and
 collaboration
 between
 employees
 and
 managers
 is
 critical
 to
 ensure
 flexibility
 is
 well
 managed
 to

meet
business
and
employee
needs.
When
teams
or
workgroups
are
empowered
to
determine
how
to

cover
the
work
 and
 back
 each
 other
 up,
flexible
ways
of
working
can
increase
team
effectiveness
 and

performance.



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Case
Study:
PNC



Bank
operations
departments
offer
compressed
workweeks,
telework,
flexible
start
and
end

times,
and
part‐time
options
to
meet
customer
needs,
control
costs
and
engage
employees.




Background




The
PNC
Financial
Services
Group,
founded
in
1852,
is
the
nation's
fifth
largest
bank
based
on
deposits.

Headquartered
in
Pittsburgh,
PA,
PNC
is
a
diversified
financial
institution
that
includes
more
than
2,500

retail
 branches
 in
 13
 states
 and
 the
 District
 of
 Columbia,
 specialized
 financial
 businesses
 serving

companies
 and
 government
 entities,
 and
 leading
 asset
 management
 and
 fund
 processing
 businesses.

The
 company
 had
 more
 than
 59,000
 employees
 in
 the
 United
 States
 and
 abroad.
 PNC
 has
 been

recognized
nationally
for
the
wide
array
of
work‐life
supports
it
offers
to
employees,
including
backup

child
 care,
 elder
 care
 and
 flexibility.
 A
 variety
 of
 flexible
 work
 options
 including
 flexible
 start
 and
 end

times,
 compressed
 workweeks,
 telework,
 and
 part‐time
 schedules
 are
 used
 in
 departments
 within

banking
 operations
 in
 many
 locations
 to
 meet
 customer
 needs;
 control
 costs;
 and
 boost
 employee

recruitment,
 engagement,
 productivity
 and
 retention.
 Supportive
 management,
 access
 to
 flexibility
 on

an
occasional
basis
and
high
levels
of
teamwork
contribute
to
successful
implementation
of
flexibility.







Business
Drivers



Quality
 of
 life
 is
 one
 of
 PNC’s
 seven
 values
 and
 an
 important
 component
 of
 working
 at
 PNC.
 PNC
 is

growing
 rapidly
 through
 acquisitions;
 as
 a
 consequence,
 managers
 and
 employees
 are
 experiencing

heavier
 workloads
 due
 to
 frequent
 systems
 changes.
 This
 both
 limits
 opportunities
 for
 flexibility
 and

presents
new
opportunities
for
managers
and
employees
to
think
creatively
about
the
use
of
flexibility

to
 offset
 increased
 work
 demands.
 The
 rationale
 for
 implementing
 flexibility
 with
 PNC
 nonexempt

employees
 varies
 across
 departments.
 The
 need
 to
 control
 costs
 through
 efficient
 staffing
 and
 space

utilization,
 even
 as
 bank
 services
 and
 hours
 of
 operation
 expand
 beyond
 the
 traditional
 ones,
 has

motivated
 the
 introduction
 of
 telework,
 flexible
 start
 and
 end
 times,
 and
 part‐time
 positions.
 In

addition,
 flexible
 work
 practices
 have
 increased
 PNC’s
 success
 at
 recruiting
 and
 retaining
 strong

performers
from
diverse
segments
of
the
talent
pool
to
fill
shifts
that
had
previously
been
difficult
to
fill.





History



Flexible
work
arrangements
were
introduced
in
operations
departments
in
many
different
ways.
In
one

department,
 a
 senior
 manager
 learned
 about
 successful
 use
 of
 compressed
 workweeks
 at
 another

company
 and
 challenged
 his
 direct
 reports
 to
 experiment
 in
 their
 teams.
 One
 department
 introduced

flexible
hours
when
the
new
workgroup
was
formed
in
2000
as
part
of
an
effort
to
create
a
new
team

culture,
ease
the
transition
from
other
parts
of
the
business,
and
enhance
employee
engagement
and

retention
given
heavy
workloads.
Other
managers
offered
earlier
start
times
as
an
option
for
employees

with
 family
 responsibilities
 who
 could
 not
 add
 work
 time
 at
 the
 end
 of
 their
 shifts,
 and
 the
 need
 to

provide
 coverage
 at
 the
 end
 of
 the
 day
 to
 align
 with
 extended
 hours
 at
 the
 branches
 motivated
 the


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Workplace
Flexibility
Options
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Hourly
Workers

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Voices
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Families


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introduction
 of
 later
 start
 and
 end
 times.
 In
 another
 case,
 a
 new
 manager
 proposed
 the
 idea
 of

expanding
flexible
schedules
to
“change
things
up.”
In
other
departments,
flexibility
started
in
response

to
a
request
from
an
individual
employee
with
a
specific
need
for
certain
work
hours
or
a
work‐from‐
home
arrangement
and
was
expanded
over
time
once
the
benefits
for
the
business
and
the
employee

were
 evident.
 New
 online
 banking
 services
 and
 technological
 advances
 have
 presented
 both
 the

demand
and
the
opportunity
to
implement
more
flexible
ways
of
working
in
order
to
attract
a
changing

talent
 pool;
 expand
 hours
 of
 operation
 beyond
 Monday
 to
 Friday,
 8
 a.m.–5
 p.m.;
 and
 interact
 with

customers
in
new
ways.



 

“We
 were
 in
 a
 staff
 meeting
 with
 my
 manager
 several
 years
 ago.
 He
 had
 been
 out
 to

California
 visiting
 another
 bank
 that
 had
 a
 compressed
 workweek
 program.
 …
 There

were
six
or
seven
managers
that
worked
for
him
and
he
just
threw
it
out
on
the
table

and
said,
‘Think
about
[flexibility].
I
challenge
you
to
figure
out
how
this
will
work.’
And
I

just
 looked
 at
 him
 and
 thought,
 ‘This
 guy
 hit
 his
 head.
 I
 mean,
 it’s
 production,
 it
 just

won’t
work.’”
—
Manager





Program
Description




Scheduling
flexibility
varies
across
the
operations
departments
and
depends
on
the
nature
of
the
work;

often
 teams
 utilize
 one
 type
 of
 flexibility
 option
 primarily
 with
 other
 types
 of
 flexibility
 used
 to

supplement.
Flexibility
use
in
four
different
teams
will
be
described
to
illustrate
how
the
nature
of
the

work
and
the
types
of
flexibility
complement
one
another.



Compressed
workweeks


One
department
of
26
implemented
a
9/80
(a
schedule
in
which
employees
work
80
hours
in
nine
days

instead
of
10)
compressed
workweek
schedule
more
than
five
years
ago;
currently
19
staff
including
the

manager,
two
supervisors,
and
two
team
leaders
utilize
the
compressed
workweek
option.
In
addition,

five
staff
members
have
five‐day
schedules
choosing
among
three
flexible
start
and
end
times,
and
two

staff
work
part‐time
schedules.
After
six
months
of
service,
employees
can
request
a
9/80
schedule,
in

which
they
usually
have
Mondays
or
Fridays
off
every
other
week,
although
a
few
employees
request
a

day
 other
 than
 Monday
 or
 Friday.
 Team
 members
 work
 8.5
 hours
 with
 a
 half‐hour
 lunch
 in
 week
 one

and
10.5
hours
with
a
half‐hour
lunch
in
week
two.
Managers
and
team
leaders
participate
in
the
9/80

schedule
as
well.
Schedules
can
be
changed
twice
per
year.




The
 department
 schedule
 is
 posted
 online
 and
 with
 a
 manager’s
 ultimate
 approval,
 employees
 are

empowered
and
expected
to
find
solutions
to
their
needs
for
schedule
changes
or
time
off
by
trading

shifts
with
co‐workers,
working
half
shifts
on
two
days
rather
than
one,
considering
co‐workers’
needs

when
 they
 request
 vacation
 time,
 etc.
 Employees
 respect
 the
 department’s
 operating
 principles
 and

guidelines:
 flexibility
 is
 a
 privilege
 and
 not
 an
 entitlement,
 employees
 need
 to
 be
 flexible
 and

cooperative
with
other
team
members’
needs
for
time
off
or
occasional
needs
to
change
hours
during

exceptionally
busy
work
periods,
and
no
more
than
three
team
members
can
be
out
on
any
day.
Time

off
around
holidays
is
rotated
across
the
team
rather
than
assigned
based
on
seniority.



Telework
and
other
flexible
schedules
in
the
e‐mail
team

The
 advent
 of
 online
 banking
 brought
 new
 customer
 requirements
 and
 created
 new
 opportunities
 to

utilize
 flexible
 work
 options
 for
 the
 designated
 e‐mail
 team
 within
 the
 customer
 service
 department.


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Hourly
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Three
years
ago,
space
limitations
and
the
difficulty
of
finding
weekend
coverage
led
to
the
recruitment

of
 part‐time
 telework
 employees
 who
 would
 respond
 to
 customer
 communications
 via
 e‐mail.
 The
 e‐
mail
 team
 has
 tripled
 as
 the
 number
 of
 online
 banking
 customers
 and
 e‐mail
 communications
 has

increased.
Half
of
the
team
teleworks
exclusively
and
half
uses
a
combination
of
flexible
start
and
end

times,
some
telework,
and
compressed
workweeks.
Flexible
work
arrangements
help
keep
productivity

and
morale
high
and
enable
the
department
to
handle
the
peaks
and
valleys
in
customer
requests
with

limited
overtime
costs.
The
availability
of
laptops
eases
weekend
coverage
because
employees
are
more

willing
to
work
some
weekend
hours
if
they
can
do
it
from
home
and
avoid
the
cost
and
time
associated

with
 commuting
 to
 the
 downtown
 area.
 Part‐time
 employees,
 many
 of
 whom
 are
 parents
 of
 young

children,
can
vary
their
hours
daily
as
long
as
they
communicate
their
schedule
to
the
manager
and
the

team
can
meet
its
24‐hour
turnaround
service
level
goal.
Part‐time
employees
working
from
home
are

also
able
to
increase
their
hours
on
days
when
the
team
workload
is
heavy.
The
manager
utilizes
several

communication
 and
 information
 tools
 —
 frequent
 e‐mail
 and
 instant
 messaging
 to
 keep
 the
 team

connected
 and
 up
 to
 date
 on
 deadlines,
 daily
 goals
 and
 staff
 availability,
 as
 well
 as
 system
 logs
 and

productivity
 reports
 to
 track
 individual
 and
 team
 workload
 and
 performance.
 Productivity
 reports

indicate
 that
 employees
 can
 handle
 50
 percent
 more
 cases
 per
 day
 when
 teleworking,
 which
 is

attributed
 to
 the
 lack
 of
 distractions
 and
 interruptions
 when
 working
 from
 home,
 as
 well
 as
 the

increased
 motivation
 for
 high
 performance
 in
 order
 to
 continue
 the
 flexible
 work
 practices.
 The
 team

meets
on
site
once
per
month,
which
enhances
team
cohesion
and
on‐boarding
of
new
staff.



Flexible
start
and
end
times

Bank
 operations
 teams
 that
 perform
 a
 variety
 of
 CD,
 bank
 check
 and
 ATM‐related
 functions
 offer

numerous
options
for
flexible
start
and
end
times
from
6–9
a.m.
until
2:30–5:30
p.m.,
depending
on
the

nature
 of
 the
 work
 and
 customer
 interfaces.
 Management‐level
 employees
 —
 managers,
 supervisors

and
 team
 leads
 —
 coordinate
 their
 schedules
 so
 that
 at
 least
 one
 is
 present
 during
 all
 shifts.
 Cross

training
 of
 staff
 on
 several
 jobs
 allows
 coverage
 when
 team
 members
 with
 specific
 knowledge
 or

responsibilities
 are
 out.
 Flexible
 hours
 enable
 employees
 to
 share
 rides,
 optimize
 their
 work
 hours
 to

coincide
efficiently
with
bus
schedules,
and
drop
off
or
pick
up
their
children
from
child
care.
In
addition,

employees
 can
 make
 up
 two
 hours
 within
 the
 same
 calendar
 week
 or
 pay
 period
 to
 accommodate

medical
appointments
or
personal
needs
during
their
regular
working
hours.




Flexible
schedules
and
telework
in
collections

The
collections
department
uses
a
combination
of
flexible
schedules
and
telework
to
recruit
and
retain

experienced
 credit
 counselors
 to
 cover
 Monday
 to
 Friday
 8
 a.m.–9
 p.m.
 and
 weekend
 operations.

Flexibility
contributes
to
an
annual
turnover
rate
that
is
considerably
lower
than
industry
standards.
A

typical
daytime
schedule
that
has
been
in
place
for
almost
10
years
is
four
days
of
8
a.m.–5
p.m.
and
a

shorter
 fifth
 day
 either
 during
 the
 week
 or
 weekend.
 This
 provides
 phone
 coverage
 for
 the
 team
 and

enables
employees
to
have
time
on
a
weekday
to
handle
personal
matters
and
schedule
appointments

that
 may
 not
 be
 possible
 on
 Saturdays
 or
 Sundays.
 Some
 employees
 work
 a
 later
 11:30
 a.m.–9
 p.m.

shift,
 which
 leaves
 some
 weekday
 morning
 hours
 for
 personal
 needs.
 Managers
 also
 are
 assigned
 day

and
evening
shifts
so
there
is
always
a
supervisor
available.
The
department
also
hires
college
students

for
 evening
 shifts
 and
 will
 adjust
 their
 hours
 to
 accommodate
 their
 course
 schedules.
 Within
 these

parameters,
employees
also
have
the
flexibility
to
make
up
hours
on
another
day
or
shift
if
needed.




Telework
 opportunities
 were
 initiated
 in
 the
 collections
 department
 as
 a
 pilot
 to
 relieve
 office
 space

issues
 and
 to
 respond
 to
 requests
 from
 employees
 with
 extremely
 long
 commutes.
 The
 team
 uses
 an

online
calendar,
e‐mail
and
instant
messaging
to
communicate
schedules
and
accessibility
and
exchange

timely
 information.
 Teleworkers
 work
 in
 the
 office
 one
 day
 per
 month
 to
 meet
 with
 their
 supervisor,


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connect
with
co‐workers
and
catch
up
on
administrative
matters.
Employee
requests
to
change
shifts
or

to
 telework
 are
 processed
 as
 soon
 as
 an
 opening
 in
 the
 schedule
 becomes
 available
 and
 often
 by
 the

following
pay
period
once
employees
have
demonstrated
a
certain
level
of
production
and
performance.

Rather
than
as
a
burden,
the
employees
view
the
12–13
hours
extended
service
hours
as
opportunities

to
choose
work
schedules
that
fit
their
life
needs.






Impacts/Benefits



Flexible
 work
 arrangements
 have
 significant
 benefit
 for
 both
 employees
 and
 the
 business.
 Employees

are
more
satisfied
and
engaged
and
better
able
to
manage
their
personal
and
family
responsibilities.
The

bank
enjoys
better
coverage
for
extended
weekday
and
weekend
operations,
higher
retention,
reduced

absenteeism,
and
stronger
productivity.



Productivity

Managers
and
employees
report
that
greater
productivity
is
possible
with
flexible
work
schedules
than

with
 standard
 hours.
 Early
 and
 late
 in
 the
 day,
 when
 there
 are
 fewer
 interruptions
 and
 distractions,

employees
can
process
work
faster
and
more
efficiently
and
complete
tasks
that
require
higher
levels
of

concentration.
Even
the
computer
systems
have
better
response
time
early
in
the
day.
Staggering
staff

schedules
within
the
team
also
contributes
to
an
efficient
flow
of
work
throughout
the
day
so
that
team

goals
 and
 deadlines
 are
 routinely
 met;
 in
 some
 groups,
 those
 on
 the
 early
 shift
 and
 late
 shifts
 have

specific
 responsibilities
 that
 maximize
 the
 entire
 team’s
 resources.
 Staff
 availability
 late
 in
 the
 day

provides
faster
turnaround
to
internal
and
external
customers
—
requests
that
come
in
late
in
the
day

can
 be
 responded
 to
 the
 same
 business
 day
 rather
 than
 on
 the
 following
 day,
 as
 had
 been
 the
 case

previously.




“We
[use
flexibility
in
our
department
under]
the
guise
of
it’s
not
going
to
[negatively]

impact
 the
 business
 from
 a
 morale
 perspective
 or
 a
 productivity
 perspective
 or
 an

overtime
 cost.
 It
 won’t
 happen
 if
 it’s
 going
 to
 impact
 cost,
 morale
 or
 the
 customer’s

outcome.”
—
Manager




“[An
employee
using
compressed
workweek]
can
accomplish
so
much
more
in
the
extra

1.5
hours
he
works
each
day,
because
there’s
no
one
asking
him
questions,
he
can
really

do
his
work.”
—
Manager



“We’re
here
at
6:00
a.m.;
we
get
so
much
work
done
by
the
time
the
other
people
come

in.
It’s
quiet.”
—
Employee




“We
try
to
resolve
[certain
types
of
requests]
and
fax
them
back
as
quickly
as
we
can.

We
have
a
turnaround
time
policy,
within
24
hours
of
request.
We’ve
been
able
to
top

that
[standard]
because
we’re
here
later.
Now
that
people
are
on
the
late
shift,
people

are
 working
 on
 [those
 requests].
 It’s
 a
 win‐win
 situation
 because
 people
 are
 getting

more
experience
and
we’re
exceeding
the
business’s
timeline.”
—
Manager


 

“We’ve
actually
been
able
to
help
with
research.
Normally
when
you
leave
at
4:00/4:30,

you
had
to
pick
up
[the
research]
the
next
day,
but
now
people
are
on
the
late
shift,
so

they
can
take
care
of
it
that
day.”
—
Manager


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Hourly
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“When
you’re
here
later
the
phone
doesn’t
seem
to
ring
as
much
so
you
can
do
things

that
you
normally
wouldn’t
be
able
to
get
to
throughout
the
day.”
—
Employee



“The
 flexibility
 in
 our
 work
 schedules
 benefits
 me
 with
 our
 new
 system.
 We
 have
 a

deadline
 to
 answer
 whether
 or
 not
 we
 want
 to
 pay
 or
 return
 [certain]
 items.
 The
 fact

that
I
do
have
people
coming
in
earlier
…
is
a
benefit
since
the
system
is
now
up
on
a

normal
basis
very
early.”
—
Manager




 “The
systems
that
we
get
into
seem
to
be
much
faster
the
earlier
you’re
here
because

the
volume
isn’t
there.
So
you’re
able
to
access
reports
and
do
a
lot
of
the
research
and

things
that
you
need
to
do
much
faster.”
—
Manager




 “When
 all
 our
 paperwork
 is
 done,
 another
 department
 has
 to
 do
 the
 checks,
 so
 our

deadline
 is
 11:30
 or
 12:00.
 Well
 if
 you
 have
 a
 heavy,
 heavy
 day
 …
 we
 have
 [an

employee]
who
started
at
6:30
in
the
morning.
The
earlier
that
she
can
get
checks
done

the
more
[it
is
a]
benefit
for
the
other
department
we
need
to
deal
with.”
—
Employee




“When
 the
 customers
 call
 and
 they
 have
 problems
 with
 an
 ATM
 withdrawal
 or

whatever,
 they
 need
 copies
 from
 us.
 And
 we’re
 here
 the
 extra
 hour
 to
 get
 the
 copies

out
 to
 [another
 location].
 So
 they
 can
 get
 started
 on
 the
 customer
 inquiry
 quicker.”


—
Employee



Reduced
overtime
costs


Flexible
 start
 and
 end
 times,
 compressed
 workweek
 schedules,
 part‐time
 positions,
 and
 telework
 all

reduce
 overtime
 costs
 by
 providing
 late
 afternoon
 and
 weekend
 coverage
 as
 part
 of
 the
 agreed
 upon

work
 hours.
 On
 occasion
 full‐time
 employees
 shift
 their
 weekday
 work
 hours
 to
 cover
 additional

weekend
times
and
part‐time
employees
add
more
hours
to
cover
the
harder‐to‐fill
slots.



Reduced
unscheduled
absences

The
most
prevalent
result
of
flexible
schedules
is
the
reduction
in
unscheduled
and
unexcused
absences.

Even
with
more
flexibility
and
variability
in
work
schedules,
there
is
actually
more
overall
predictability

in
 staffing
 resources
 and
 less
 disruption
 to
 the
 operation.
 When
 employees
 are
 able
 to
 set
 schedules

that
fit
their
personal
and
family
situations
and
when
they
have
permission
to
make
up
small
amounts

of
 time
 for
 unanticipated
 emergencies,
 the
 number
 of
 “call
 offs”
 is
 dramatically
 reduced.
 In
 addition,

employees
 are
 more
 aware
 of
 the
 impact
 of
 unscheduled
 absences
 on
 team
 overall
 workload
 and

performance
and
will
avoid
taking
unplanned
time
off
if
it
could
jeopardize
access
to
flexibility
for
the

group.




“There’s
 been
 a
 reduction
 of
 time
 off
 from
 work.
 I’ve
 seen
 it
 on
 my
 end,
 definitely.”


—
Manager



“The
obvious
thing
is
it
helps
with
employees
calling
off
a
lot
of
times.”
—
Manager



“Instead
 of
 having
 six
 people
 call
 off
 …
 we’d
 rather
 have
 you
 work
 a
 schedule
 that

wouldn’t
 have
 us
 taking
 corrective
 action
 [because
 of
 absenteeism].
 Most
 people
 will

want
to
do
the
right
thing.”
—
Manager




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“I’ve
 noticed
 with
 the
 compressed
 [workweek],
 the
 attendance
 level
 is
 better.”


—
Employee



“You
 know,
 the
 attendance
 level
 goes
 up.
 You
 don’t
 have
 people
 calling
 out.
 Because

people
are
thinking
twice
about
who’s
actually
going
to
be
in
the
department.
There
are

sometimes
you
have
to
call
out,
it’s
totally
unavoidable.
But,
you’re
going
to
think
twice

before
making
the
phone
call
in
the
morning.”
—
Employee




 “They’d
rather
help
you
than
have
you
call
off.”
—
Employee


 

“You
 call
 and
 tell
 them
 you’re
 running
 into
 traffic
 (or
 an
 accident).
 Most
 people
 don’t

take
a
lunch
to
make
up
the
time;
that’s
using
flextime.
As
long
as
you
make
it
up,
it’s

fine.”
—
Employee




 “Every
day,
[an
employee]
comes
in
late
five
minutes,
and
the
manager
speaks
to
her.

She’s
 said,
 ‘I
 know,
 but
 it’s
 my
 bus.’
 The
 manager
 says,
 ‘As
 opposed
 to
 me
 taking
 you

down
the
path
of
corrective
action,
let’s
adjust
your
schedule.
It
won’t
hurt
the
business

so
much.
Let
me
adjust
your
schedule
so
that
you
don’t
get
into
a
problem.’
We
do
that

frequently
because
transportation
in
the
inner
city
is
an
issue.
And
as
best
as
we
can,
we

make
 our
 flexible
 start
 time.
 Now,
 when
 I
 say
 flexible,
 the
 unit
 may
 start
 at
 8:00
 but

[that
employee]
starts
at
8:15
or
8:30.”
—
Manager



“The
 benefit
 is
 not
 losing
 productivity
 for
 that
 day.
 You’re
 not
 stuck
 dealing
 with
 six

people
who’ve
called
off.”
—
Manager



Improved
recruitment


Flexible
schedules
and
telework
have
been
successful
recruitment
tools
to
fill
less
popular
weekday
and

weekend
 hours.
 PNC
 has
 been
 able
 to
 tap
 new
 segments
 of
 the
 talent
 pool
 and
 rehire
 alumni
 with

changed
life
circumstances
—
mothers
of
young
children,
students
and
individuals
with
other
scheduling

requirements
 who
 are
 not
 available
 for
 either
 standard
 8
 a.m.–4:30
 p.m.
 weekday
 hours
 or
 weekend

hours.




“I
knew
about
it
when
I
applied
and
that
was
a
big
selling
point.”
—
Employee


 


 “The
first
time
we
did
this
[telework]
it
was
because
the
team
advertised
for
a
weekend

person
 to
 answer
 e‐mails
 and
 they
 got
 absolutely
 no
 applications
 whatsoever.”


—
Employee


 


 “I
look
at
the
job
postings
and
if
it’s
9–5
I
don’t
even
apply.”
—
Employee




 “In
today’s
society
with
so
many
working
moms,
so
many
folks
that
are
going
to
school,

a
 company
 really
 has
 to
 look
 at
 a
 way
 to
 get
 out
 and
 attract
 the
 folks
 …
 if
 you
 don’t

allow
flexibility
you’re
going
to
get
a
workforce
that
you
may
not
want.
Because
those

folks
will
find
a
company
that
will
really
work
with
them.”
—
Manager



Satisfaction
and
retention

Flexibility’s
 strong
 influence
 on
 employee
 satisfaction
 and
 retention
 is
 apparent:
 Employees
 indicate

that
 access
 to
 flexible
 work
 practices
 differentiates
 certain
 departments
 from
 others
 and
 PNC
 from


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Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


51



 


other
employers.
The
ability
to
use
flexibility
is
a
significant
factor,
and
it
is
often
more
important
than

small
differences
in
compensation
in
decisions
about
posting
for
other
positions
internally
or
leaving
the

company
altogether.




“The
 employee
 satisfaction
 piece
 is
 the
 most
 significant
 piece
 of
 it.
 One
 of
 the
 core

values
at
PNC
is
work‐life
balance.
I
have
young
mothers
who
are
so
happy
to
be
able
to

attend
their
children’s
programs
and
they
don’t
have
to
take
the
day
off.
To
be
able
to

do
 that
 and
 get
 the
 work
 done
 —
 you
 can’t
 ask
 for
 anything
 more
 than
 that.”


—
Manager



“You
 lead
 your
 life
 and
 you
 control
 your
 job
 as
 opposed
 to
 your
 job
 controlling
 you.”


—
Employee



“It’s
really
satisfying,
everyone
can
do
what
they
need
to
as
long
as
the
work
is
done.”

—
Employee



“A
lot
of
people
envy
our
department
because
of
the
flexibility.”
—
Employee





 “I
don’t
ever
look
to
[apply
for
another
job]
because
I
like
the
time
that
I
start.
I’ve
been

asked
to
post
for
other
jobs
but
I’ve
chosen
not
to.”
—
Employee




Time
savings
and
commuting
costs

Flexible
 start
 and
 end
 times
 and
 telework
 both
 produce
 measurable
 savings
 in
 time
 and
 money.

Employees
 who
 can
 time
 their
 shifts
 to
 coincide
 with
 public
 transit
 schedules
 or
 to
 avoid
 rush
 hour

traffic
 can
 save
 at
 least
 one
 hour
 per
 day
 in
 overall
 commuting
 time.
 Teleworkers
 save
 on
 time
 and

money
in
proportion
to
the
number
of
days
they
work
from
home.
In
addition,
the
ability
to
telework

increases
 the
 pool
 of
 employees
 who
 are
 willing
 and
 available
 to
 cover
 weekend
 shifts
 when
 the

requirement
 to
 commute
 to
 the
 downtown
 headquarters
 can
 be
 a
 deterrent
 —
 less
 frequent
 bus

schedules,
the
investment
in
time
commuting
versus
the
compensation
for
a
few
hours
of
work.




Real
estate
savings
for
PNC

PNC’s
 technology
 now
 supports
 delivery
 of
 several
 types
 of
 customer
 service
 functions
 by
 employees

who
telework
for
either
part
or
all
of
their
work
hours.
Telework
arrangements
in
the
call
center,
e‐mail

team
and
collections
team
have
enabled
the
company
to
save
on
real
estate
costs
by
reducing
required

space
 for
 certain
 functions
 while
 expanding
 services
 without
 adding
 office
 space
 in
 others.
 Most

departments
require
staff
to
come
to
the
office
monthly
or
more
frequently
for
meetings
with
managers

to
handle
certain
administrative
tasks
and
for
training.




Enhanced
teamwork
and
ownership

An
unexpected
benefit
and
perhaps
an
underlying
success
factor
is
enhanced
teamwork
and
ownership.

Without
 exception,
 workgroups
 have
 developed
 heightened
 understanding
 and
 accountability
 for
 the

overall
 team
 goals
 and
 objectives.
 Communication
 and
 management
 tools
 that
 provide
 information

about
daily
workload
and
staffing
keep
team
members
apprised
of
current
expectations
and
the
group’s

resources.
 Although
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 may
 be
 negotiated
 at
 the
 individual
 employee
 level,

employees
look
beyond
their
own
tasks
to
anticipate
what
will
be
needed
in
order
for
the
team
to
meet

their
 daily
 service
 level
 goals.
 Employees
 are
 appreciative
 of
 the
 opportunity
 to
 have
 flexible
 work

arrangements
 and
 realize
 that
 flexibility
 is
 a
 privilege
 contingent
 upon
 fulfillment
 of
 business
 needs.


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Hourly
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Knowing
 that
 access
 to
 flexibility
 depends
 on
 achieving
 high
 performance
 against
 targets
 and

acknowledging
 the
 reciprocity
 that
 makes
 flexibility
 work
 for
 the
 group,
 employees
 are
 motivated
 to

help
each
other
and
willing
to
cover
for
colleagues
who
may
be
out.
Rather
than
leaving
tasks
undone

for
the
later
shifts
to
deal
with,
employees
who
work
early
shifts
try
to
stay
ahead
of
the
work
to
avoid
a

crunch
or
crisis
later
in
the
day.





“They’re
 aligned.
 Everyone
 has
 their
 own
 individual
 workload
 and
 goals,
 but
 they
 also

have
become
aligned,
and
now
have
team
goals.
We
have
a
bulletin
board
in
the
front,

and
every
day
they
put
up
on
the
board
what
they’re
working
on.
Everyone
will
pitch
in

to
meet
the
day’s
goal.”
—
Manager



“Teamwork
 is
 important
 for
 this
 to
 work.
 We
 have
 a
 lot
 of
 individuals
 who
 have
 been

‘good’
at
their
job
and
dedicated.
Those
people
have
now
branched
out
and
are
not
only

looking
at
their
own
jobs
but
looking
at
others’
jobs
and
helping
them
out.”
—
Manager



“If
somebody
is
out
sick
plus
you
have
people
out
with
the
compressed
workweek,
then

we
all
pull
together
to
make
sure
everything
gets
accomplished.”
—
Employee



“To
 me,
 I
 think
 it
 makes
 all
 of
 your
 employees
 leaders.
 Because
 everyone
 steps
 up
 to

make
sure
that
their
job
is
done
and
everybody
else’s
job
is
done.”
—
Employee



“We
would
lose
[our
flexible
schedules]
if
we
didn’t
produce
or
meet
our
goals.
Every
so

often
[our
manager
is]
being
evaluated
and
she
has
to
produce
numbers
that
say
this
is

working
or
it’s
not
going
to
be
allowed
to
continue.”
—
Employee



“Sometimes
you
have
to
give
something
up.
You
can’t
say
I’m
taking
this
and
not
give

back
to
the
manager
and
team.”
—
Employee





Success
Factors



Empowering
employees
and
trust

Successful
 flexibility
 requires
 selecting
 and
 hiring
 responsible
 people,
 clearly
 communicating

expectations,
 providing
 the
 necessary
 information
 and
 tools,
 and
 then
 empowering
 and
 trusting

employees
 to
 deliver
 the
 required
 results.
 In
 workgroups
 in
 which
 flexible
 work
 practices
 are

commonplace,
managers
encourage
and
expect
employees
to
resolve
issues,
develop
solutions,
and
use

the
managers
more
as
resources
and
for
final
approval.
Employee
empowerment
from
lessons
learned

about
working
flexibly
generalize
to
other
aspects
of
the
work
such
that
team
members
take
on
greater

responsibility
 and
 accountability
 for
 overall
 team
 functioning
 and
 results.
 In
 many
 production

environments,
 systems
 already
 in
 place
 provide
 managers
 with
 objective
 measures
 of
 performance,

which
 should
 reduce
 concern
 about
 whether
 they
 can
 effectively
 monitor
 productivity
 of
 employees

who
use
flexibility.




“We
 let
 them
 work
 out
 the
 [schedule]
 conflict
 amongst
 themselves,
 and
 if
 they
 can’t

resolve
it,
then
they
bring
it
to
us.”
—
Manager


 


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Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

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Voices
for
Working
Families


53



 



 “People
 take
 ownership
 of
 their
 day
 as
 if
 you
 have
 your
 own
 business.
 You
 get
 more

loyalty.”
—
Employee




 “You
have
to
have
responsible
people
who
will
work
without
a
supervisor
standing
over

them.”
—
Employee




 “I
think
the
management
and
supervisors
trust
us
enough
…
.
They
see
what
we
put
out.

They
 have
 numbers.
 We
 have
 goals
 we
 have
 to
 make.
 They
 see
 what
 we
 do.”


—
Employee




 “You
 have
 to
 have
 people
 who
 are
 self‐starters
 and
 who
 understand
 what
 they’re

required
to
start
for
that
timeframe
…
.
It’s
not
really
hard
to
manage
because
we
have

a
group
that
pretty
much
understands
what
they
need
to
do.”
—
Employee



“I
make
them
manage
that.
I
don’t
want
to
be
the
bad
guy.
You
know,
you
can
manage

that
among
yourselves,
you’re
adults.
And
they
do.
They
do
a
pretty
good
job
of
that.
If

the
managers
update
that
calendar
…
everything
is
on
it.
So
if
you
want
a
day,
you
go

online,
you
look
at
the
calendar,
you
see
who’s
out
and
then
you
try
to
manage
it.
If
it

can’t
 be
 managed
 then
 that’s
 between
 [the
 employee]
 and
 the
 manager
 to
 work
 that

out.”
—
Manager





 “Work
at
home
is
not
a
big
issue,
as
long
as
you
send
the
right
people
home.
You
have

to
 be
 willing
 to
 follow
 up
 —
 not
 controlling,
 but
 knowing
 what’s
 going
 on
 …
 .
 At
 any

given
time,
if
I’m
looking
for
an
individual,
I
can
look
on
the
calendar
and
see
where
he

is.”
—
Manager





 “In
 our
 department
 there’s
 about
 eight
 of
 us.
 They
 can
 tell
 what
 we’ve
 done.
 The

statistics
 would
 be
 right
 there
 and
 I
 really
 think
 they
 appreciate
 the
 fact
 that
 we
 do

come
 in
 early
 because
 you
 get
 so
 much
 more
 done
 when
 no
 one’s
 around.
 And
 if
 we

went
 in
 there
 and
 didn’t
 do
 our
 work
 for
 the
 first
 two
 hours
 because
 there’s
 no

supervisor,
I’m
sure
they’d
put
a
screeching
halt
to
it.”
—
Employee



Thinking
creatively


Being
open‐minded
and
thinking
“outside
the
box”
is
essential
to
developing
innovative
solutions
that

will
meet
business
as
well
as
employees’
needs.
Managers
who
listen
to
employee
ideas
and
are
willing

to
 experiment
 and
 pilot
 a
 potential
 solution
 have
 experienced
 very
 positive
 results.
 After
 a
 specified

period
 of
 time,
 the
 manager
 and
 employee
 or
 workgroup
 can
 evaluate
 whether
 the
 flexible
 work

practices
are
meeting
the
intended
purpose.
By
setting
expectations
and
establishing
the
parameters
at

the
outset,
managers
should
not
feel
they
must
agree
to
schedules
or
other
flexible
arrangements
that

will
not
be
beneficial
to
the
business
or
that
their
approval
to
try
something
cannot
be
changed
in
the

future.


 

“[My
manager]
came
to
me
and
said,
‘Why
aren’t
you
applying
for
this
job?’
and
I
said,
‘I

can’t
always
come
in
on
Saturday
and
Sunday.’
She
told
me
she’d
get
me
a
laptop.
We

did
this
without
asking
anybody
and
it
just
took
off
…
.”
—
Employee




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


54



 



 “Be
 open‐minded
 and
 …
 think
 about
 what
 you
 can
 make
 work
 internally
 with
 your

employees.
You
can’t
always
make
everyone
happy,
but
if
it’s
going
to
benefit
you
as
a

department
manager,
I
don’t
really
see
that
you’re
going
to
lose
anything.”
—
Manager



“Don’t
 be
 closed‐minded
 about
 it.
 If
 you
 review
 their
 work
 needs
 and
 the
 business

needs,
you
don’t
want
to
miss
out
on
something
good.”
—
Manager



“The
first
thing
is
to
think
outside
the
box
and
get
away
from
the
mentality
that
work

has
 to
 be
 done
 during
 a
 certain
 time
 period.
 Then
 listen
 to
 the
 employees
 or
 ask
 the

employees
for
suggestions
on
how
they
might
be
able
to
accomplish
their
work
so
that

they
have
some
buy‐in
to
the
arrangement
…
.
Managers
should
open
it
up
and
certainly

not
make
any
promises
that
we’re
just
going
to
turn
everything
upside
down
to
get
the

work
 done,
 but
 employees
 have
 a
 lot
 of
 good
 ideas
 to
 offer,
 and
 be
 open
 to
 those

ideas.”
—
Manager




 “It
 was
 just
 in
 a
 general
 Friday
 afternoon
 conversation
 …
 ‘Let’s
 try
 it
 for
 a
 month,

everybody
having
the
opportunity
to
start
a
half
hour
earlier,
but
you
understand
that

we’re
doing
this
as
a
month
trial.
If
it’s
not
working
then
we’re
either
going
to
go
back
to

the
old
hours
or
we’re
going
to
go
back
to
the
split
shift.’
And
they
found
that
it
worked,

and
 just
 gradually
 it
 evolved
 into
 a
 little
 bit
 more,
 but
 everything
 was
 done
 on
 a
 one‐
month
trial.”
—
Employee



Flexibility
that
fits
the
work

A
fundamental
aspect
of
successful
flexibility
is
designing
arrangements
and
schedules
that
are
aligned

with
the
nature
of
the
work
—
workflow,
peaks
and
valleys
in
demand,
specific
tasks,
and
performance

requirements.
Managers
must
be
knowledgeable
about
the
work
requirements
and
be
able
to
separate

true
 requirements
 and
 deliverables
 from
 work
 practices
 and
 habits
 that
 may
 not
 be
 essential
 to
 the

deliverables.
 Once
 the
 requirements
 are
 explicit,
 the
 manager
 and
 employees
 can
 consider
 how
 the

work
might
be
accomplished
and
results
achieved
in
new,
more
flexible
ways.






 “Our
proof
department
is
really
an
afternoon
into
evening
shift,
so
there’s
no
way
that

we
 could
 schedule
 people
 to
 come
 in
 [earlier],
 there’s
 nothing
 for
 them
 to
 do.”


—
Manager


 


 “I
do
believe
you
have
to
customize
the
arrangement
to
the
nature
of
the
work
and
the

service
associated
with
that
work
and
the
regulatory
compliance
to
keep
the
reputation

and
integrity
of
the
company
where
it
needs
to
be.”
—
Manager




 “You
 have
 to
 be
 not
 only
 flexible
 with
 the
 work
 schedule
 but
 you
 have
 to
 be
 flexible

with
the
work
arrangements
—
who
does
what
pieces.
You
can’t
have
a
person
coming

in
at
6:30
who
can’t
get
in
touch
with
people
‘til
9:00.”
—
Manager





 “You
really
have
to
watch
and
manage
that
to
make
sure
that
the
work
is
here
and
that

there’s
 enough
 for
 everyone
 to
 do.
 You
 certainly
 don’t
 want
 people
 with
 downtime.”


—
Manager




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Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


55



 



 “What
 I
 asked
 the
 manager
 to
 do
 was
 to
 help
 me
 understand
 the
 workflow.
 Some
 of

them
come
in
at
8:00;
is
some
of
the
work
showing
up
at
8:00
so
we
can
stagger?
And

then
we
can
sit
down
and
say
to
people,
‘Now
who
would
really
like
to
come
later?
Who

would
really
like
to
come
earlier?’
and
work
it
out
that
way.”
—
Manager



“It’s
 not
 just
 a
 matter
 of
 changing
 the
 hours.
 Some
 work
 doesn’t
 come
 'til
 8:00
 in
 the

morning;
 some
 comes
 at
 6:00
 in
 the
 morning.
 But
 if
 you
 don’t
 have
 the
 people
 to

process
it
in
a
production
environment,
it
won’t
get
done.
When
that
work
doesn’t
get

done
there’s
a
customer
impact,
and
if
we
have
a
customer
impact,
that’s
an
unhappy

customer
and
that’s
a
problem.”
—
Manager



“You’ve
got
to
know
what
your
needs
are,
what
service
levels
are
in
place
so
that
you

don’t
 jeopardize
 service
 levels,
 you
 don’t
 jeopardize
 any
 type
 of
 compliance
 issues
 or

risks
or
anything
like
that.
So
you’ve
really
got
to
know
your
business
and
make
sure
you

understand
 what
 coverage
 you
 need.
 If
 you’re
 supporting
 the
 front
 line,
 you
 have
 to

know
what
their
hours
are
to
make
sure
you
accommodate
that.”
—
Manager



Communicating


Effective
communication
is
even
more
important
when
workgroups
utilize
flexibility
than
in
situations
in

which
the
workgroup
all
work
on
the
same
schedule
in
the
same
location.
Weekly
and
daily
schedules,

daily
 goals,
 status
 on
 deadlines,
 etc.,
 are
 posted
 online
 or
 in
 strategic
 locations
 so
 that
 all
 staff
 are

informed
about
expectations
and
staff
availability
regardless
of
the
hours
or
location
of
work.
Managers

are
 proactive
 about
 connecting
 with
 employees
 to
 keep
 them
 engaged
 and
 to
 integrate
 new
 team

members,
 and
 employees
 are
 expected
 to
 keep
 one
 another
 and
 the
 manager
 informed
 as
 well.

Technology
 tools,
 such
 as
 e‐mail
 and
 instant
 messaging,
 provide
 real‐time
 access
 to
 colleagues
 and

managers.
Making
the
staffing
schedules
readily
available
and
communicating
the
coverage
parameters

facilitates
employee
requests
for
any
schedule
changes
or
time
off
and
empowers
them
to
proactively

find
solutions,
thus
saving
management
time
and
enhancing
employee
ownership
of
the
arrangements.




“On
the
day
that
someone
is
not
working
[because
of
his
compressed
workweek],
they

have
to
send
an
e‐mail
to
the
group
saying
these
are
the
things
that
need
to
be
done,

and
 they
 assign
 to
 someone
 else
 who’s
 covering
 it.
 It’s
 become
 routine
 now.”


—
Manager




“If
 we
 have
 an
 issue
 or
 an
 account
 with
 a
 problem,
 we
 can
 [instant
 message]
 the

manager,
and
she
can
get
back
to
us.
If
the
customer
is
on
the
phone
with
us,
it’s
like

she’s
sitting
across
the
desk
from
us
at
the
office.”
—
Employee



Team‐based
flexible
schedule
solutions


While
it
may
require
more
time
initially,
involving
the
team
in
developing
flexible
work
options
creates

buy‐in
and
builds
employee
ownership.
Starting
with
a
solid
understanding
of
the
business
parameters

involving
the
team
can
generate
innovative
solutions
that
will
reflect
employees’
preferences
and
needs.




“In
one
of
our
conference
rooms,
we
put
up
the
schedules
of
everyone
so
they
could
see

how
 the
 schedules
 would
 work
 —
 the
 times,
 week
 one
 and
 week
 two,
 and
 how
 you

would
equate
your
vacation
hours.
It
helped
having
the
mock
up.”
—
Manager




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Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


56



 


“When
 it
 started
 up
 it
 was
 everybody
 in
 the
 room
 …
 .
 They
 rolled
 it
 out
 to
 us,
 ‘This
 is

what
we’d
like
to
do
…
how
do
you
feel
about
it?’”
—
Employee




“Lots
of
group
meetings.
I
have
to
admit,
I
couldn’t
grasp
how
it
was
going
to
work.
Our

manager
did
a
good
job
of
explaining
it.
We
took
surveys
on
the
schedules
and
we
tried

to
 accommodate
 as
 many
 individuals
 as
 possible
 …
 .
 We
 got
 from
 management
 the

schedule
options
and
then
we
voted.”
—
Manager




 “Employees
are
very
creative,
and
when
they
have
a
hand
in
the
decision
it
makes
a
big

difference.
So
that’s
a
big
piece,
that
the
managers
shouldn’t
always
think
they
have
all

the
answers.”
—
Manager




 “Appeal
to
the
people
to
be
a
part
of
the
process
…
.
Some
people
can
be
very
creative
if

afforded
the
opportunity
to
understand
the
dynamics
of
the
situation.
But
you
have
to

lay
 some
 ground
 rules,
 some
 rules
 of
 engagement,
 some
 guiding
 principles.
 If
 the

employees
themselves
or
their
leader
can
come
up
with
a
workable
plan,
I
think
that’s
a

win‐win
for
everybody.”
—
Manager



Cross
training

Cross
training
and
the
ability
to
back
up
other
team
members
is
often
a
prerequisite
to
implementing

flexible
work
arrangements
that
involve
varied
shifts
such
as
compressed
workweeks
and
flexible
start

and
end
times.
Having
multiple
staff
members
knowledgeable
on
key
processes
ensures
reliability
that

the
work
can
be
completed
accurately
and
in
a
timely
fashion
during
all
hours
of
operation,
regardless
of

individual
work
schedules.





“Everyone
needs
to
be
cross
trained.
So
if
you’re
short
staffed
the
rest
of
the
staff
can

pick
up
the
workload.”
—
Manager



“And
 that’s
 where
 all
 of
 the
 cross
 training
 comes
 in,
 because
 if
 you’re
 not
 finished
 [at

the
end
of
the
shift]
we
just
pass
it
off
to
a
person
[who
uses
a
compressed
workweek

schedule].”
—
Employee


“We
 build
 a
 flexibility
 chart
 to
 show
 the
 task,
 who
 has
 knowledge
 of
 the
 task
 …
 a

spreadsheet
 with
 everybody’s
 name
 down
 the
 left
 column,
 and
 all
 of
 the
 tasks
 across

the
top
row,
and
then
put
in
for
that
task
how
much
that
individual
knows.
Are
they
60

percent
 proficient,
 they
 know
 nothing
 about
 it,
 are
 they
 100
 percent
 proficient
 …
 and

we
 use
 that
 to
 do
 specific
 and
 deliberate
 cross
 training
 so
 that
 as
 an
 event
 occurs,

there’s
a
production
issue
or
we’re
short
staffed
because
of
a
call
off
or
a
vacation,
or

someone’s
out
on
short‐term
disability,
we
know
exactly
where
to
go,
to
the
resources

that
are
knowledgeable
about
that
particular
function
and
process.”
—
Manager


 




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


57



 


Challenges/Barriers




Viewing
flexibility
as
a
business
tool,
not
an
entitlement


Managers
express
concern
that
once
employees
have
a
flexible
work
arrangement
in
place,
they
treat
it

as
 an
 entitlement
 and
 it
 is
 difficult
 to
 make
 any
 changes.
 One
 complaint
 is
 that
 teleworkers
 can
 be

reluctant
 to
 come
 into
 the
 office
 for
 meetings
 and
 events.
 While
 employees
 do
 plan
 their

transportation,
 arrange
 for
 child
 care
 and
 other
 personal
 responsibilities
 to
 coincide
 with
 their
 work

schedules,
 it
 is
 critical
 to
 set
 expectations
 at
 the
 outset
 that
 flexible
 arrangements
 must
 meet
 the

business
 needs,
 they
 will
 be
 reviewed
 on
 a
 periodic
 basis
 and
 they
 may
 be
 renegotiated
 if
 business

requirements
 change.
 While
 managers
 try
 to
 minimize
 the
 need
 for
 schedule
 changes,
 employees

should
 be
 prepared
 for
 occasions
 when
 they
 may
 be
 asked
 to
 adjust
 their
 hours
 to
 accommodate
 co‐
workers
or
to
respond
to
business
demands.





 “One
of
the
major
pieces
that
you
have
to
get
across
to
people
is
that
this
is
something

we
 are
 allowing
 but
 there
 might
 be
 times
 it
 has
 to
 be
 changed
 and
 it’s
 not
 an

entitlement.
 We’re
 offering
 flex
 schedules
 in
 order
 to
 accommodate
 people
 and
 it
 is

very,
very
nice,
but
there
might
be
times
you
may
be
asked
to
change
your
schedule.”


—
Manager




 “We’re
supposed
to
go
over
the
schedule
every
six
months,
and
people
think
that
they

keep
their
schedule
forever.
It’s
a
problem.”
—
Employee



Management
support

The
primary
barrier
to
broader
implementation
of
flexible
work
arrangements
is
variability
in
manager

support
 at
 different
 levels
 within
 the
 organization.
 Managers
 are
 concerned
 about
 monitoring

performance
 of
 employees
 working
 on
 different
 schedules
 and
 locations
 and
 are
 anxious
 that

productivity
goals
or
service
levels
will
not
be
met
or
there
might
be
increased
compliance
risk.
Others

are
used
to
certain
ways
of
doing
things
and
either
are
reluctant
or
have
too
many
competing
priorities

to
consider
new
ways
of
working.
Those
unfamiliar
with
managing
flexible
work
options
may
not
have

the
information
or
tools
to
manage
arrangements
effectively.
Inconsistency
across
departments
and
in

situations
in
which
new
managers
discontinue
the
more
flexible
practices
of
their
predecessors
causes

employee
dissatisfaction
and
turnover.




“If
you
don’t
understand
it,
you
can
be
scared
away
by
it.”
—
Manager



“They
 wouldn’t
 even
 talk
 about
 it.
 So
 it
 depends
 on
 which
 department
 you’re
 in
 and

what
level.”
—
Employee




“You
do
have
to
have
somebody
at
a
manager
level
to
really
push
it.”
—
Employee



“It’s
being
afraid
of
change
and
what
impact
it’s
going
to
have.
All
they’re
looking
at
is

there’s
 going
 to
 be
 people
 out
 of
 the
 office.
 They’re
 not
 looking
 at
 the
 total
 coverage

day.
They’re
not
looking
at
the
benefit
as
far
as
attendance
level
and
if
you’re
extending

your
 day
 productivity‐wise,
 you’ve
 got
 some
 up
 side
 with
 that.
 But
 there
 are
 some

different
departments
where
it
probably
would
not
work.”
—
Employee




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Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


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“We
have
some
managers
who
have
blinders
on
and
say,
‘Flexibility
will
not
work
in
my

unit.
My
unit
is
8:00
to
5:00
and
five
days
a
week.’”
—
Manager




Coverage
and
resource
constraints

One
of
the
main
barriers
to
offering
flexible
scheduling
is
not
building
enough
resources
into
the
staffing

model
 to
 achieve
 the
 level
 of
 coverage
 necessary
 to
 meet
 the
 business
 demands.
 Although
 financial

constraints
can
affect
managers’
ability
to
provide
scheduling
alternatives,
often
unscheduled
absences

and
 other
 time‐off
 events
 are
 masking
 the
 fact
 that
 the
 number
 of
 available
 staff
 is
 considerably
 less

than
 the
 number
 of
 paid
 personnel
 resources.
 When
 managers
 understand
 the
 hidden
 costs
 they
 are

incurring
 due
 to
 lack
 of
 flexibility
 option
 and
 address
 the
 issues
 by
 building
 in
 sufficient
 staffing

resources,
 proactively
 managing
 scheduling
 and
 enabling
 some
 schedule
 flexibility,
 they
 find
 they
 can

maintain
 or
 reduce
 overall
 labor
 costs
 by
 avoiding
 overtime.
 Another
 staffing
 challenge
 is
 supervisors’

willingness
to
work
flexibly
when
the
business
requires
management
oversight
during
nonexempt
shifts.

Initially
 it
 was
 difficult
 to
 convince
 some
 managers
 to
 alter
 their
 work
 hours
 so
 that
 employees
 could

work
either
earlier
or
later
shifts
or
compressed
workweeks.

 


 

“How
do
we
fund
these
arrangements?
If
we
don’t
fund
them,
then
we
end
up
paying

the
 price
 through
 attrition
 or
 transfers
 out
 anyway.
 So
 then
 we
 end
 up
 losing
 an

employee
 that
 we
 already
 invested
 in
 training,
 and
 that’s
 not
 a
 value
 proposition.”


—
Manager




 “In
one
of
the
functional
areas
that
I
manage
of
about
20
people,
[my]
manager
and
I

did
an
 evaluation
 early
 this
 year.
We
took
every
employee
and
how
many
hours
were

available
in
the
year
and
then
how
many
hours
of
vacation,
what
they
typically
averaged

in
call‐off,
occasional
absence,
and
short‐term
disability.
We
added
that
whole
thing
up

and
did
the
mathematic
equation
and
said
at
the
beginning
of
the
year,
given
what
we

know
to
start,
we’re
already
two
[full‐time
employees]
short
for
the
year.
And
we
still

have
 to
 get
 the
 business
 done!
 That’s
 one
 of
 the
 things
 that
 drives
 the
 overtime.”


—
Manager




 “[One
 challenge
 is]
 trying
 to
 have
 the
 supervisors
 there
 or
 someone
 in
 a
 leadership

position
 to
 cover
 the
 people
 that
 come
 in,
 because
 we
 have
 so
 many
 people
 in
 the

group.
So
if
you
have
a
supervisor
that’s
on
vacation,
now
you’ve
got
to
have
someone

else
step
up
and
come
in
and
cover
for
those
people.
That’s
hard
to
do.”
—
Manager
 


 

Tracking
flexible
schedules


Compressed
workweeks
and
part‐time
arrangements
require
that
time
worked
and
time
off
be
tracked

in
hours;
however,
company
time‐tracking
systems
often
use
days.
This
results
in
additional
paperwork

and
sometimes
a
second
time‐tracking
system
for
managers
and
employees
to
keep
track
of
what
the

employee
has
worked
and
what
time
off
he
or
she
is
entitled
to;
initially
it
takes
practice
and
working

through
some
examples
for
all
to
understand
how
to
count
vacation
time,
holidays
and
so
on.



“In
the
beginning,
the
tracking
of
time
from
days
to
hours
[was
a
big
challenge].
It
just

took
some
getting
used
to.”
—
Manager



“That
 is
 the
 one
 thing
 that
 you
 have
 to
 get
 acclimated
 to.
 You
 have
 to
 transpose

everything
 and
 you’re
 dealing
 with
 hours.
 Now,
 it
 would
 be
 different
 if
 we
 were
 on
 a

four‐day
 week
 and
 that
 was
 it,
 you
 know
 four
 10‐hour
 days
 and
 that’s
 your
 only


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Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


59



 


schedule;
that
would
be
fine.
Because
you’re
going
back
and
forth
between
the
eight‐
hour
 day
 and
 the
 10‐hour
 day,
 you
 have
 to
 be
 careful
 how
 you
 schedule
 things.
 You

could
possibly
end
up
losing
time.”
—
Employee



Addressing
performance
issues

Some
 managers,
 particularly
 those
 who
 have
 not
 managed
 individuals
 on
 flexible
 arrangements,
 ask

how
 they
 will
 be
 able
 to
 manage
 performance.
 Managers
 and
 employees
 suggest
 that
 performance

should
 be
 managed
 according
 to
 the
 delivery
 of
 results
 using
 productivity
 reports
 and
 other
 tools,

regardless
 of
 work
 schedules.
 When
 individuals
 abuse
 the
 arrangements
 and
 do
 not
 perform
 up
 to

expectations,
 it
 can
 affect
 morale
 in
 the
 entire
 workgroup.
 Poor
 performance
 should
 be
 addressed
 at

the
individual
level
so
as
not
to
jeopardize
the
availability
of
flexibility
for
the
entire
team.




 “Flexibility
will
make
[poor
performance]
show
up.”
—
Employee




 “There
 was
 an
 issue
 on
 the
 team
 with
 a
 worker
 who
 wasn’t
 compliant,
 and
 he
 was

working
 from
 home
 but
 the
 same
 thing
 would
 have
 happened
 here.
 You
 really
 can’t

hold
that
against
the
whole
pilot
program.”
—
Employee




 “That’s
not
really
a
big
problem.
You
can
always
monitor,
whether
on
the
computer
or

when
they
punch
their
card
…
and
I
know
we
have
a
productivity
database
and
we
put
in

all
the
work
we
do
throughout
the
day,
so
you
would
notice
if
someone
is
coming
early

and
not
doing
their
work.”
—
Employee




 “Just
manage
the
abuse
and
don’t
let
it
taint
your
philosophy.
It
has
to
be
individual.”


—
Manager



Family
responsibilities/personal
circumstances
may
not
allow
use
of
certain
flexible
schedules


Although
 compressed
 workweeks
 and
 early
 start
 times
 may
 be
 attractive
 to
 many
 employees,

limitations
 of
 child
 care
 hours
 of
 operation
 and
 availability
 of
 public
 transportation
 prevent
 some

employees
 from
 benefiting.
 Consideration
 should
 be
 given
 so
 that
 there
 is
 fair
 access
 to
 the
 various

work
schedules
that
are
created.




“People
 with
 day
 care
 issues
 …
 in
 the
 beginning
 said
 they
 would
 love
 to
 be
 on
 it
 but

couldn’t
 because
 of
 the
 longer
 days.
 But
 they
 have
 been
 able
 to
 work
 around
 it.
 One

person
initially
couldn’t
be
on
it
because
she
had
to
pick
up
her
child
by
6:30,
and
our

program
lasted
until
5:30.
She
eventually
found
after‐care
help.”
—
Manager



“I
had
a
day
care
situation
with
my
son
and
the
times
that
we
had
for
our
extended
day,

I
would
have
been
getting
there
late
every
day
to
pick
him
up,
so
I
wasn’t
able
to
take

advantage
of
compressed
workweeks.”
—
Employee



“In
 the
 morning
 it’s
 hard
 because
 [the
 child
 care
 center]
 doesn’t
 open
 until
 7:00.”


—
Employee



“We
just
changed
some
of
our
schedules
to
even
go
a
little
bit
earlier
to
accommodate

for
the
[local
transit]
changes;
because
of
the
bus
schedules,
people
were
having
trouble

getting
here
and
getting
the
buses.”
—
Manager




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


60



 


Implications/Considerations
for
Other
Employers



Flexible
 work
 practices
 are
 enabling
 PNC
 to
 attract
 and
 retain
 an
 engaged
 workforce
 while
 effectively

managing
costs
and
servicing
customers.
While
different
areas
of
the
organization
have
adopted
flexible

work
practices
in
different
ways,
each
implementation
has
required
managers
and
employees
to
think
of

scheduling
 options
 innovatively,
 creatively
 and
 with
 an
 open
 mind.
 Because
 of
 the
 changing
 nature
 of

the
 banking
 industry,
 PNC
 has
 used
 flexibility
 in
 its
 scheduling
 to
 attract
 employees
 and
 cover
 more

hours
 to
 remain
 competitive.
 Using
 a
 combination
 of
 traditional
 schedules,
 compressed
 workweeks,

telework,
 part
 time,
 and
 flexible
 start
 and
 end
 times,
 managers
 are
 able
 to
 provide
 the
 required

coverage.
Because
the
tasks
of
some
employees
are
dependent
upon
other
employees,
preventing
gaps

in
coverage
is
critical
to
meeting
business
objectives
and
reducing
overtime
costs.




Managers
and
employees
agree
on
the
importance
of
piloting
programs
and
including
employees
in
the

rollout
 and
 implementation
 of
 flexible
 work
 arrangements.
 Empowering
 employees
 to
 figure
 out

coverage
and
swap
shifts
has
been
shown
to
strengthen
flexibility
programs
at
PNC.
Managers
provide

approval
 of
 scheduling
 changes,
 but
 it
 is
 the
 employees
 who
 are
 tasked
 with
 figuring
 out
 solutions
 to

challenges
 or
 scheduling
 conflicts.
 Taking
 ownership
 of
 this
 responsibility
 has
 enhanced
 team

collaboration
and
productivity
as
a
group.




Flexibility
at
PNC
clearly
benefits
the
employees,
managers,
customers
and
the
business.



Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


61



 


Case
Study:
Procter
&
Gamble


Consumer
relations
representatives
—
responsible
for
handling
customer
contacts
by
phone,


e‐mail
and
postal
mail
—
are
teleworking,
resulting
in
higher
job
satisfaction,
greater

retention,
improved
coverage
during
busier
times
and
lower
real
estate
costs.



Administrative
assistants
—
supporting
managers
who
travel
—
are
teleworking;
accessibility

by
phone,
e‐mail
and
instant
messaging
are
keys
to
success.
Greater
productivity
and
more

efficient
integration
of
work
and
personal
responsibilities
are
reported
as
outcomes
of
this

flexibility.





Background




Procter
&
Gamble
(P&G),
a
global
consumer
products
organization
with
a
U.S.
workforce
of
more
than

38,000
 employees,
 offers
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 and
 occasional
 (ad
 hoc)
 flexibility
 to
 consumer

relations
representatives
and
administrative
staff
at
its
headquarters
in
Cincinnati,
OH.




The
 consumer
 relations
 representatives
 respond
 to
 consumer
 feedback
 and
 questions
 via
 phone
 calls,


e‐mail
 and
 postal
 mail.
 Flexibility
 utilized
 by
 this
 group
 includes
 telework,
 flextime
 and
 less
 than
 full

time,
or
some
combination
of
these
flexible
work
options.
Administrative
staff
across
the
United
States,

including
 those
 who
 support
 managers
 who
 are
 out
 of
 the
 office
 traveling
 or
 who
 work
 at
 a
 different

corporate
 location,
 also
 use
 flexible
 work
 options,
 primarily
 telework,
 compressed
 workweeks
 and

flextime,
or
a
combination
of
arrangements.






Business
Drivers




Several
 issues
 have
 contributed
 to
 P&G’s
 decision
 to
 offer
 access
 to
 flexibility
 for
 its
 nonexempt

population.
As
early
as
1994,
P&G
piloted
telework
programs
as
a
way
to
save
on
real
estate
costs.
More

recently,
 there
 has
 been
 concern
 about
 work‐life
 results
 on
 employee
 opinion
 surveys
 —
 many

nonexempt
 workers
 felt
 they
 could
 not
 balance
 their
 work
 and
 nonwork
 responsibilities.
 At
 the
 same

time,
senior
leadership
recognized
that
Generation
Y
employees
expect
more
flexibility
than
their
older

colleagues,
 as
 they
 tend
 to
 integrate
 their
 work
 and
 personal
 lives
 more
 fluidly
 than
 their
 older

colleagues
 and
 demand
 a
 work
 environment
 that
 allows
 them
 to
 do
 so.
 In
 addition,
 global

responsibilities
are
expanding
the
workday
for
some
employees
who
work
early
in
the
morning
and
late

at
night
to
connect
with
colleagues
in
other
time
zones.
Benchmarking
against
comparable
organizations

made
it
clear
that
flexible
work
arrangements
and
ad
hoc
flexibility
had
to
be
offered.
Considering
these

factors
 and
 the
 goal
 of
 retaining
 quality
 employees,
 P&G
 needed
 to
 offer
 flexibility
 equal
 to
 or
 better

than
that
offered
by
its
competitors.






Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


62



 


“The
results
of
the
corporate
survey
have
been
a
huge
driver.
People
[were]
saying
that

they
don’t
have
enough
balance
in
their
lives.
They
would
like
more
flexibility.
We
need

to
motivate
employees
and
retain
employees
—
if
they
can’t
get
flexibility
here,
they’re

going
to
go
elsewhere.”
—
Manager





History



Telework
 arrangements
 for
 consumer
 relations
 representatives
 were
 first
 piloted
 in
 1994
 with
 two

teams
of
part‐time
employees
to
save
on
operating
costs;
the
pilots
have
been
expanded
over
time
to

include
 most
 consumer
 relations
 representatives
 in
 the
 Cincinnati
 P&G
 location.
 There
 were
 several

factors
in
recent
years
that
have
contributed
to
the
expanded
implementation
of
flexible
work
practices

at
 P&G.
 As
 part
 of
 the
 effort
 to
 retain
 talented
 women
 and
 to
 encourage
 women
 to
 return
 to
 work

following
 maternity
 leave,
 P&G
 focused
 on
 the
 underutilized
 policies
 pertaining
 to
 less‐than‐full‐time

schedules
 and
 teleworking.
 A
 merger
 with
 another
 large
 consumer
 products
 company
 prompted

additional
 examination
 of
 policies
 and
 practices
 with
 the
 intention
 of
 continuing
 the
 best
 options

available.
At
the
same
time,
a
senior
leader
at
P&G
embraced
the
idea
of
flexibility,
understanding
that

P&G
 needed
 such
 policies
 in
 place
 in
 order
 to
 attract,
 retain
 and
 engage
 employees,
 particularly

Generation
Y
employees.
He
understands
the
business
case
for
flexibility
and
has
led
a
shift
to
greater

acceptance
of
innovative,
more
flexible
ways
to
work.






Program
Description




Consumer
relations
representatives

Telework
 arrangements
 have
 expanded
 from
 a
 pilot
 group
 of
 20
 part‐time
 consumer
 relations

representatives
 in
 1994
 to
 include
 most
 part‐
 and
 full‐time
 consumer
 relations
 representatives.

Previously,
 all
 full‐time
 consumer
 relations
 representatives
 were
 on
 site;
 when
 the
 option
 to
 telework

was
 introduced,
 employees
 transitioned
 to
 working
 from
 home.
 After
 four
 to
 six
 months,
 most

representatives
 work
 from
 home,
 using
 technology
 provided
 by
 P&G
 (i.e.,
 laptop,
 phone,
 high
 speed

internet,
e‐fax).
Managers
are
able
to
monitor
quality
and
volume
of
calls,
e‐mails
and
letters
answered

by
 consumer
 relations
 representatives
 teleworking,
 just
 as
 they
 can
 for
 consumer
 relations

representatives
 working
 at
 a
 P&G
 location,
 using
 the
 technology
 available.
 All
 consumer
 relations

representatives
 usually
 come
 into
 the
 P&G
 office
 once
 or
 twice
 per
 month,
 using
 shared
 hotelling

spaces.
 Currently
 there
 is
 room
 at
 the
 P&G
 office
 for
 about
 60
 percent
 of
 the
 consumer
 relations

representatives.




“They
 tell
 you
 when
 you’re
 hired
 that
 you’ll
 be
 teleworking
 eventually
 if
 everything
 is

going
well.
I
think
it’s
a
big
incentive
to
just
work
your
hardest,
and
it
makes
it
very
hard

to
leave
the
department.”
—
Consumer
Relations
Representative




Flextime


Consumer
relations
representatives
have
blocks
of
time
during
which
they
are
on
the
phone,
available

to
answer
customer
calls.
They
are
also
responsible
for
responding
to
customer
e‐mails
and
postal
mail.

Employees
 can
 request
 specific
 phone
 schedules
 —
 seniority
 and
 performance
 contribute
 to
 the

determination
of
who
gets
which
shifts.
Once
the
phone
shifts
are
assigned,
employees
are
expected
to

be
 on
 the
 phone
 during
 those
 times.
 There
 is
 more
 flexibility
 in
 terms
 of
 when
 consumer
 e‐mails
 and


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


63



 


letters
sent
via
postal
mail
are
answered.
Employees
can
opt
to
do
this
in
the
evening
or
on
weekends,

as
long
as
responses
are
sent
within
the
internal
service
level
time
frames.




“Phone
time
is
real
time.
You
can’t
change
that.
Outside
of
phone
time,
it’s
very,
very

flexible.”
—
Consumer
Relations
Representative



Full‐time
 consumer
 relations
 representatives
 can
 have
 flexible
 start
 and
 end
 times
 for
 their
 8.5
 hour

workday
within
the
8
a.m.–6
p.m.
window,
but
everyone
has
to
be
ready
to
work
by
9
a.m.
when
the

phone
lines
open.
Employees
greatly
value
the
ability
to
attend
to
personal
commitments
(i.e.,
a
child’s

or
 parent’s
 doctor’s
 appointment,
 a
 child’s
 sporting
 event
 or
 recital,
 a
 parent‐teacher
 conference,
 an

appointment)
and
are
not
asked
to
use
vacation
time
to
make
up
for
the
absence.




“I
 think
 it’s
 nice
 that
 I
 can
 start
 as
 early
 as
 I
 want.
 I
 start
 working
 at
 6:30
 a.m.”


—
Consumer
Relations
Representative





“There
 have
 been
 times
 when
 I
 would
 have
 taken
 a
 half
 day
 of
 vacation
 because
 I

needed
to
go
to
a
30‐minute
appointment.
Now
I
can
flex
the
time
and
make
it
up
later

in
the
day
or
another
time
that
week.”
—
Consumer
Relations
Representative



“I
work
8:45
a.m.
to
3:00
p.m.
three
days
a
week
and
then
I
usually
flex
at
least
four
to

six
 hours
 of
 e‐mail
 a
 week,
 so
 on
 average
 I
 work
 between
 23
 and
 25
 hours
 a
 week.”


—
Consumer
Relations
Representative



Part
time


Part‐time
 representatives
 bid
 on
 schedules
 based
 on
 seniority
 and
 performance.
 Flexibility
 provides

incentive
to
be
productive
and
efficient.




“You
almost
feel
like
you
need
to
prove
that
you
can
do
this
and
you’re
not
going
to
do

anything
to
jeopardize
it.”
—
Consumer
Relations
Representative



Administrative
assistants

Telework


Administrative
 assistants
 also
 utilize
 flexible
 work
 arrangements,
 primarily
 the
 option
 to
 telework

several
 days
 each
 week.
 Generally,
 policy
 requires
 that
 individual
 office‐based
 employees
 do
 no
 more

than
 50
 percent
 work‐at‐home
 schedules,
 but
 some
 entire
 organizations
 (like
 Consumer
 Relations),
 as

well
as
remote
or
field‐based
situations,
set
a
natural
stage
for
some
increased
use
of
telework.
In
some

cases,
 they
 are
 supporting
 managers
 who
 frequently
 travel
 or
 are
 working
 out
 of
 other
 P&G
 offices,

often
 out
 of
 state.
 When
 the
 administrative
 employees
 are
 part
 of
 a
 team,
 they
 work
 out
 a
 schedule

among
themselves
so
at
least
one
person
is
at
the
P&G
office
each
day.
In
some
cases,
if
teams
need
to

hold
 face‐to‐face
 meetings,
 everyone
 is
 required
 to
 come
 into
 the
 office
 on
 that
 day.
 The
 current

scheduling
flexibility
is
a
change
from
previously,
when
all
administrative
assistants
were
expected
to
be

at
their
desks
during
traditional
business
hours
with
little
or
no
scheduling
flexibility.




“My
managers
are
going
to
call
me
or
send
me
an
e‐mail
or
instant
message
me.
Why
do

I
need
to
be
in
the
office?
It
doesn’t
matter
if
I’m
here
or
at
home
…
the
first
way
people

get
in
touch
with
me
is
instant
messenger.”
—
Administrative
Assistant




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


64



 


“We
 seriously
 can
 do
 our
 work
 in
 the
 office
 one
 day
 a
 week,
 and
 everything
 else
 at

home.
I
support
people
who
I
don’t
even
see
when
I
come
into
the
office.
We’re
trying

to
 present
 our
 case
 that
 one
 day
 a
 week
 is
 more
 than
 enough.”
 —
 Administrative

Assistant



Compressed
workweek

Some
 administrative
 staff
 are
 using
 compressed
 workweeks
 —
 completing
 their
 full‐time
 job

responsibilities
in
four
days
each
week.
These
arrangements
can
create
greater
flexibility
in
scheduling

meetings
or
meeting
customer
needs.
An
unexpected
outcome
has
been
some
saving
in
overtime
costs.

As
 with
 telework,
 compressed
 workweeks
 require
 coordination
 of
 scheduling
 among
 colleagues
 if
 it
 is

necessary
to
have
at
least
one
administrative
assistant
in
the
office
each
day.




“I
 do
 four
 10‐hour
 days.
 I’m
 off
 on
 Fridays,
 and
 I
 work
 from
 home
 on
 Mondays.”


—
Administrative
Assistant




“When
 I
 was
 working
 until
 4:00
 every
 day,
 sometimes
 management
 would
 have
 a

meeting
 starting
 at
 4:00
 so
 I
 would
 have
 to
 stay
 and
 that
 was
 overtime
 unless
 I
 took

time
off
on
another
day
that
week.”
—
Administrative
Assistant



Occasional
flexibility

Across
many
parts
of
P&G,
employees
use
flexibility
on
an
occasional
basis.
In
some
cases,
this
involves

leaving
an
hour
early
or
coming
in
an
hour
later
or
taking
a
longer
break
in
the
middle
of
the
day
and

making
up
the
time
on
another
day
that
week.
Policies
set
parameters
for
use
of
flexibility.
For
example,

employees
are
expected
to
make
up
flexed
time
within
the
week
that
it
is
taken.
In
addition,
occasional

flexing
should
only
be
initiated
by
employees
so
that
the
company
maintains
FLSA
compliance.
However,

employees
take
personal
responsibility
to
meet
their
work
obligations.




“My
situation
is
very
flexible.
Any
time
I
say
I
have
a
doctor’s
appointment
or
whatever,

I
make
up
the
extra
hour
the
next
day.”
—
Consumer
Relations
Representative





Impacts/Benefits



Employee
satisfaction
and
retention

Employees
report
they
are
more
satisfied
with
their
jobs,
more
likely
to
stay
with
P&G,
less
stressed,
and

better
 able
 to
 manage
 the
 demands
 of
 work
 and
 their
 family/personal
 lives.
 P&G
 benefits
 from

employees
who
are
more
productive,
more
creative
and
more
motivated
—
the
employees
value
their

flexibility
and
want
to
ensure
that
it
continues
to
be
available
to
them.
In
addition
to
feeling
better
able

to
manage
personal
and
professional
responsibilities,
many
employees
cite
cost
savings
resulting
from

flexible
work
arrangements
(i.e.,
gas,
parking,
dry
cleaning).




“It’s
financially
better
…
gas,
paying
for
parking
when
you
come
downtown,
and
also
the

time
 …
 the
 extra
 hour
 or
 two
 that
 I
 get
 in
 a
 day
 when
 I’m
 not
 commuting.”


—
Administrative
Assistant



“The
folks
that
telecommute
love
to
telecommute,
and
the
folks
that
have
their
four‐by‐
tens
love
their
four‐by‐tens.”
—
Manager



Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers

 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


65



 


As
a
result
of
flexible
work
options
at
P&G,
employees
report
that
their
morale
has
increased
—
people

appreciate
that
they
are
home
as
soon
as
their
workday
ends.
They
enjoy
the
convenience
of
being
close

to
 their
 children’s
 school
 and
 activities
 and
 the
 ability
 to
 run
 errands
 at
 lunch
 time
 or
 go
 to

appointments
without
needing
to
use
vacation
time.
The
employees
utilizing
flexible
work
arrangements

report
being
more
engaged
and
satisfied
with
their
jobs
and
report
that
as
a
result
they
are
more
likely

to
stay
at
P&G.
Increased
retention,
in
turn,
benefits
P&G
because
of
decreased
spending
on
recruiting

and
training.




“At
 first,
 I
 resisted
 the
 idea
 of
 teleworking,
 and
 now
 I
 can’t
 imagine
 not
 doing
 it.
 It’s

absolutely
the
best
of
both
worlds.”
—
Consumer
Relations
Representative



“I’m
 able
 to
 sign
 off
 my
 computer
 and
 be
 home
 or
 be
 at
 an
 appointment
 or
 be
 at
 a

school
 function
 10
 minutes
 later
 …
 it’s
 the
 biggest
 gift
 to
 the
 working
 world.”


—
Consumer
Relations
Representative



“I
 told
 my
 manager
 that
 if
 he
 keeps
 letting
 me
 work
 from
 home,
 I’m
 not
 going

anywhere.”
—
Administrative
Assistant



“People
 are
 working
 very
 hard
 and
 diligently
 at
 home
 because
 we
 don’t
 want
 the

privilege
taken
away.
People
really
want
it
to
work.”
—
Administrative
Assistant



“I
 think
 people
 are
 feeling
 valued
 because
 they’ve
 found
 a
 flexible
 arrangement
 that

works
for
them.
I
think
they
have
a
higher
level
of
engagement,
which
leads
to
higher

levels
of
productivity
and
this
usually
leads
to
higher
retention,
and
there
are
just
a
lot

of
benefits
to
all
of
that.”
—
Manager




Real
estate
savings
for
P&G

As
 a
 result
 of
 teleworking
 among
 consumer
 relations
 representatives,
 significantly
 less
 real
 estate
 is

necessary;
the
reduction
in
space
needed
at
one
location
(from
two
floors
to
half
a
floor)
has
resulted
in

significant
 savings
 to
 P&G.
 Consumer
 relations
 representatives
 are
 expected
 to
 come
 into
 the
 office

once
or
twice
a
month
and
use
hotelling
spaces
available
for
teleworkers.
Currently,
there
is
space
at
the

office
location
for
about
60
percent
of
the
consumer
relations
representatives.




Prepared
for
unexpected
events

Equipping
the
consumer
relations
representatives
to
telework
has
better
prepared
P&G
to
handle
crisis

situations
 —
 everything
 from
 inclement
 weather
 to
 an
 unexpectedly
 high
 volume
 of
 calls
 and
 e‐mails

due
to
consumer
concern
about
a
particular
product.
Having
employees
able
to
work
from
home
allows

P&G
 to
 shift
 staff
 to
 changing
 work
 priorities.
 During
 a
 recent
 event
 prompting
 exceptionally
 high
 call

volume,
all
of
the
representatives
were
“manning
the
phone
lines
from
8:00
a.m.
until
9:00
p.m.
seven

days
a
week”
from
their
homes.




“The
people
calling
from
California
don’t
care
if
it’s
snowing
here
when
they
call.
They

expect
someone
on
the
other
end
of
the
phone.”
—
Consumer
Relations
Representative



“We’re
able
to
flow
to
the
work,
whatever
it
is
—
crisis
or
whatever
—
almost
any
hour

of
the
day.”
—
Consumer
Relations
Representative




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“It’s
the
ability
to
shift
people
where
they
need
to
be
…
because
of
the
combination
of

full‐time
and
part‐time
and
flexible
work
hours.”
—
Consumer
Relations
Representative



“We
 all
 did
 weekends
 during
 [the
 recent
 concern
 about
 one
 of
 our
 products].”


—
Consumer
Relations
Representative





Success
Factors



Discussing
flexibility
and
work‐life
integration

Talking
 about
 flexibility
 and
 work‐life
 integration
 is
 important
 to
 the
 continued
 and
 growing
 use
 of

flexible
 work
 arrangements.
 Managers
 at
 P&G
 discuss
 these
 issues
 as
 part
 of
 quarterly
 performance

meetings
with
employees
and
adjust
work
schedules
as
needed
to
meet
changing
business
needs.
Both

managers
and
employees
need
to
bring
creativity
and
trust
to
these
discussions
of
flexibility.




“The
 more
 you
 do
 it,
 the
 more
 relaxed
 the
 managers
 are
 with
 it.
 As
 long
 as
 you’re

meeting
deadlines,
it
becomes
normal.”
—
Administrative
Assistant



“Think
about
the
specific
people
that
would
be
working
flexible
arrangements
and
try
to

visualize
how
it
would
work
before
you
make
a
decision.”
—
Manager




Employees
and
managers
collaborating

Successful
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 require
 flexibility
 on
 the
 part
 of
 everyone
 involved.
 At
 P&G,

employees
 and
 managers
 partner
 to
 develop
 an
 appropriate
 flexible
 work
 arrangement
 for
 each

employee
involved
in
the
program;
combining
different
types
of
flexibility
is
often
necessary
to
meet
the

needs
of
employees
as
well
as
the
demands
of
the
business.




“We
want
every
employee
to
be
aware
that
flexibility
is
something
that
is
okay
to
talk

about
with
their
manager
and
really
encourage
them
to
have
a
regular
discussion
about

these
issues
as
part
of
our
quarterly
performance
development
planning.”
—
Manager



Cross
training

Cross
 training
 and
 the
 ability
 to
 back
 up
 colleagues
 is
 key
 to
 the
 success
 of
 many
 of
 the
 flexible
 work

arrangements.
Aligned
with
this
is
the
importance
of
scheduling
with
the
skill
sets
of
team
members
in

mind.




“We
 always
 have
 somebody
 as
 a
 backup
 with
 a
 very
 detailed
 backup
 plan
 for
 every

single
person
in
our
group.
If
one
person
isn’t
there
and
something
high
priority
comes

up,
then
the
other
person
just
covers.
So
far,
everything
has
worked
very
smoothly
…
.”

—
Manager




Communication

Communication
among
peers
as
well
as
between
employees
and
managers
is
critical.
Instant
messaging

technology
has
made
it
possible
for
employees
to
let
everyone
know
where
they
are
and
how
they
can

be
 reached
 at
 any
 time
 during
 their
 workday.
 In
 environments
 in
 which
 managers
 and
 employees
 are

comfortable
with
instant
messaging,
the
question
of
how
to
find
someone
when
they’re
not
in
the
office

becomes
a
nonissue.



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“Between
e‐mail
and
instant
messenger
and
the
phone,
getting
my
questions
answered

is
really
not
an
issue
because
I
can
talk
with
anyone
at
any
time.”
—
Manager



“I’m
very
easy
to
track
down.
My
voicemail
lets
customers
know
where
they
can
find
me

each
day.
I
do
the
same
thing
with
instant
messenger
…
I
set
it
up
so
people
know
when

and
how
they
can
reach
me.”
—
Administrative
Assistant



Technology


In
 addition
 to
 e‐mail
 and
 instant
 messaging,
 other
 technology
 has
 also
 contributed
 to
 the
 success
 of

flexible
 work
 arrangements.
 Virtual
 meetings
 using
 webinars,
 videoconferencing
 and
 conference
 calls

make
 it
 possible
 for
 people
 to
 work
 off
 site
 and
 still
 contribute
 to
 team
 meetings.
 While
 some

interactions
are
best
done
face‐to‐face
(including
performance
reviews
and
discussions),
many
meetings

can
take
place
when
participants
are
not
physically
in
the
same
room.
It
is
important
for
managers
to

know
about
virtual
meeting
options
and
not
assume
that
their
team
members
all
need
to
be
in
the
same

location.



Sharing
success
stories

Sharing
 success
 stories
 supports
 the
 expansion
 of
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 and
 increases
 the

acceptance
of
flexibility
as
part
of
the
P&G
culture.
Greater
awareness
of
how
others
have
used
flexible

work
 arrangements
 to
 better
 balance
 their
 work
 and
 personal
 responsibilities
 can
 only
 help
 as

employees
 consider
 their
 own
 situations
 and
 weigh
 their
 options.
 For
 both
 managers
 and
 employees,

it’s
helpful
to
know
what
other
people
and
teams
are
successfully
doing.




“So
much
about
corporate
culture
is
the
story
telling
…
when
people
share
their
success

stories
 and
 help
 people
 to
 see
 that
 this
 has
 worked,
 then
 it
 becomes
 okay
 and
 it

becomes
 less
 of
 the
 exception
 to
 the
 rule
 and
 more
 of
 how
 we
 do
 business.”


—
Manager



“Exposure
 to
 role
 models
 and
 other
 people
 doing
 things
 differently
 is
 another

good
strategy
to
help
change
the
culture.”
—
Manager



Flexibility
training

Over
the
past
year,
P&G
has
invested
in
training
and
communications
for
employees,
managers
and
HR

professionals
on
successful
implementation
of
flexible
work
arrangements.
The
new
flexibility
Web
site

is
the
main
portal
through
which
flexibility
tools
and
information
are
accessed.
P&G’s
training
includes

online
 courses
 for
 HR
 addressing
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 policies,
 the
 business
 case
 for
 flexibility,

the
 culture
 change
 needed
 for
 successful
 implementation
 of
 flexible
 ways
 of
 working,
 managers’

concerns
 and
 myths
 about
 flexibility,
 a
 tool
 kit,
 Q&A,
 and
 a
 tool
 of
 considerations
 for
 managers
 and

employees.
Employees
also
have
an
online
toolkit
to
refer
to.
In
addition,
HR
professionals
are
trained

on
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 so
 they
 are
 able
 to
 be
 resources
 for
 both
 managers
 and
 employees.

Online
seminars
on
work‐life
balance
are
accessible
through
the
flexibility
Web
site
as
well.




Mutual
respect
and
trust

Both
 managers
 and
 employees
 note
 the
 importance
 of
 mutual
 trust
 and
 respect
 in
 the
 success
 of

flexible
work
arrangements.
Especially
when
an
employee
is
teleworking,
the
manager
must
trust
that

the
employee
is
working
as
she
would
be
if
she
were
in
the
office,
even
though
the
manager
cannot
see

the
employee.
Employees
express
concern
that
abuse
of
flexibility
by
a
few
employees
could
threaten

the
availability
of
flexibility
for
everyone.
If
an
employee
is
abusing
her
flexible
work
arrangement,
that


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abuse
 must
 be
 addressed
 specifically
 with
 that
 employee,
 not
 as
 evidence
 that
 flexible
 work

arrangements
in
general
are
not
feasible.




“You
still
need
to
meet
your
goals
and
expectations
…
it’s
not
just
a
free
for
all.
One
bad

apple
 ruins
 the
 whole
 thing
 …
 you
 really
 just
 have
 to
 be
 mindful
 of
 that.”


—
Administrative
Assistant



“You
have
to
trust
your
people
and
use
the
technology
…
but
not
micromanage
because

that’s
unhealthy
not
only
for
the
employee
but
also
for
you
as
a
manager.”
—
Manager



Establishing
expectations


Many
employees
who
utilize
a
flexible
work
arrangement
see
this
as
a
privilege
and
put
in
extra
effort
to

ensure
they
can
continue
to
work
in
this
way.
In
some
cases,
hourly
employees
are
working
more
hours

than
 they’re
 acknowledging
 to
 their
 manager
 —
 willing
 to
 give
 more
 to
 P&G
 because
 of
 their
 flexible

work
arrangement.
However,
while
managers
appreciate
the
extra
effort
and
high
commitment,
careful

attention
 to
 managing
 schedules
 is
 an
 important
 part
 of
 P&G
 flexibility
 management
 as
 unauthorized

overtime
could
pose
a
liability
for
the
company.




Many
teleworkers
indicate
that
they
are
more
productive
than
when
they
were
in
the
office
—
there
are

fewer
 distractions
 at
 home,
 and
 they
 spend
 less
 time
 socializing.
 It
 is
 important
 for
 the
 employee
 to

have
 a
 designated
 space
 at
 home
 to
 work,
 separated
 from
 distractions.
 If
 other
 people
 live
 with
 the

employee,
 those
 people
 have
 to
 understand
 that
 when
 the
 teleworker
 is
 working,
 she
 cannot
 be

interrupted.




“When
I
come
into
the
office,
I
probably
get
about
half
the
work
done
that
I
do
when

I’m
at
home.”
—
Consumer
Relations
Representative



“It’s
 important
 that
 your
 family
 understands
 that
 when
 you’re
 working
 from
 home,

you’re
not
really
there.”
—
Administrative
Assistant






Challenges/Barriers




Management
support

P&G
 employees
 recognize
 that
 even
 with
 the
 best
 policies
 in
 place,
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 won’t

succeed
 without
 the
 support
 of
 managers
 and
 senior
 leaders.
 Support
 for
 flexibility
 among
 managers

varies.
 There
 are
 some
 in
 management
 who
 “just
 don’t
 get
 it”
 and
 continue
 to
 be
 skeptical
 about

flexible
 work
 arrangements
 and
 employees
 teleworking.
 Successful
 pilots
 have
 gone
 a
 long
 way
 in

addressing
these
concerns,
but
shifting
the
P&G
culture
takes
time
and
perseverance.
Some
managers

are
reluctant
to
believe
that
employees
can
be
productive
when
they’re
not
working
at
a
P&G
location

or
are
resistant
to
using
instant
messaging
technology
or
e‐mail
when
looking
for
an
employee.




Viewing
flexibility
as
a
business
tool,
not
an
entitlement


Some
 managers
 may
 believe
 that
 they
 have
 to
 approve
 all
 requests
 for
 a
 flexible
 work
 arrangement,

when
 in
 fact
 they
 should
 deny
 those
 requests
 that
 will
 be
 detrimental
 to
 the
 business.
 Recently

implemented
 manager
 training
 includes
 discussion
 of
 flexibility
 as
 a
 business
 tool
 and
 addresses
 the

issue
 of
 evaluating
 requests.
 If
 a
 requested
 flexible
 work
 arrangement
 would
 be
 detrimental
 to
 the


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Options
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business,
 managers
 are
 advised
 to
 consider
 modification
 of
 the
 request
 before
 denying
 it
 outright;
 in

these
situations,
it’s
important
to
be
creative
and
open
to
compromise.



“It’s
important
for
managers
to
understand
the
policies,
and
also
know
how
to
say
no
to

people.
 Managers
 ought
 to
 creatively
 try
 to
 think
 about
 other
 options
 before
 you
 say

no.
However,
there
will
be
cases
where
we
can’t
do
it.”
—
Manager



Managers
express
concern
that,
once
implemented,
employees
will
see
flexibility
as
an
entitlement
and

it
 will
 be
 difficult
 for
 a
 manager
 to
 get
 employees
 to
 come
 into
 the
 P&G
 location
 on
 days
 they
 don’t

usually
come
into
the
office.
Flexible
work
arrangements
are
provided
at
the
discretion
of
the
business

unit
and
can
be
discontinued
if
the
arrangements
are
no
longer
working
or
manageable
given
business

needs.
 However,
 managers
 are
 discouraged
 from
 requesting
 changes
 to
 an
 employee’s
 schedule
 on
 a

regular
 or
 frequent
 basis.
 At
 the
 same
 time,
 employees
 are
 asked
 to
 remain
 flexible
 enough
 to
 come

into
 the
 office
 on
 occasion,
 as
 necessary.
 Managers
 and
 employees
 also
 regularly
 assess
 the

arrangement
to
ensure
that
it
is
meeting
business
and
employee
needs.




“Sometimes
we
have
to
remind
them
that
part
of
the
job
is
to
come
in
for
meetings.”


—
Manager





Implications/Considerations
for
Other
Employers



Ultimately,
each
flexible
work
arrangement
should
benefit
the
individual
employee,
the
team
and
P&G.

While
P&G
encourages
managers
to
support
flexibility,
the
approval
of
a
flexible
work
arrangement
is
at

the
 discretion
 of
 the
 manager;
 arrangements
 that
 are
 detrimental
 to
 the
 business
 should
 not
 be

approved,
and
arrangements
that
benefit
the
business
should
be
encouraged.




It
 is
 important
 to
 have
 systems
 in
 place
 to
 track
 utilization
 and
 measure
 the
 benefits
 of
 flexibility
 for

P&G
—
in
terms
of
attracting,
retaining
and
engaging
employees.
Data
supporting
the
business
case
for

flexibility
go
a
long
way
in
growing
any
flexibility
initiative.



 

Overall,
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 and
 occasional
 flexibility
 contribute
 to
 a
 win‐win
 situation
 for

employees
 and
 for
 P&G.
 Employees
 value
 their
 arrangements
 and
 are
 productive,
 engaged
 and
 more

likely
to
stay
at
the
company.
P&G
is
saving
money
on
real
estate
and
a
decreased
need
to
hire
and
train

employees.
Customers
are
benefiting
from
interacting
with
P&G
employees
who
are
more
satisfied
with

their
jobs
and
more
available
to
address
inquiries.
While
not
without
challenges,
the
flexibility
in
how,

when
and
where
work
gets
done
by
P&G
employees
has
many
benefits.




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 SURVEY
FINDINGS





Workplace
Flexibility
Defined



In
 the
 survey,
 we
 explored
 three
 different
 categories
 of
 flexibility
 use:
 formal
 flexible
 work

arrangements,
 use
 of
 flexibility
 on
 an
 occasional
 basis
 and
 other
 time‐off
 strategies.
 Formal
 work

arrangements
are
those
in
which
there
is
an
agreement
between
the
employer
and
employee
as
to
the

specific
requirements
 the
 employee
 must
follow,
such
as
for
teleworking
or
part‐time
work.
Flexibility

on
an
occasional
basis
occurs
when
employees,
with
their
manager’s
approval,
may
change
their
hours

of
work
in
order
to
attend
to
a
personal
matter,
such
as
leaving
work
early
for
a
doctor’s
appointment.

Other
time‐off
strategies
include
ways
employees
use
sick,
vacation
and
unpaid
time
personnel
policies,

such
as
the
ability
to
use
sick
time
in
order
to
care
for
a
sick
family
member.



For
 the
 purposes
 of
 this
 study,
 we
 inquired
 about
 all
 three
 categories
 of
 flexibility
 —
 that
 is,
 formal,

occasional
 and
 other
 time‐off
 strategies.
 We
 discover
 that
 employees
 select
 the
 number
 and
 types
 of

options
 to
 build
 their
 own
 personal
 mosaic
 that
 best
 meets
 their
 needs.
 The
 types
 and
 number
 of

flexibility
options
that
employees
use
have
an
impact
on
their
connection
to
their
workplace
and
their

personal
 well‐being.
 Gender
 and
 age
 have
 some
 influence
 on
 these
 patterns
 of
 flexibility
 use
 and
 its

impact.






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 Use
of
Flexibility



In
 Table
 1,
 we
 show
 the
 frequency
 of
 use
 for
 each
 type
 of
 flexibility
 for
 the
 study
 population
 and
 by

gender.
More
than
three‐fourths
use
an
occasional
flexibility
option,
and
two‐thirds
or
more
use
some

form
of
formal
flexibility
and
time‐off
strategies.





 Table
1:
Use
of
Flexibility
and
Time‐Off
Strategies:
Percent
Respondents




 
 Total
 Men
 Women
 

Flextime
—
set
schedule
 30%
 25%
 32%
 *

Compressed
workweek
 23%
 17%
 25%
 *

Formal


Part
time
 11%
 9%
 13%
 


Flextime
—
can
change
on
daily
basis
 13%
 16%
 12%
 

Teleworking^
 9%
 4%
 11%
 *

Job
share
 1%
 1%
 1%
 


 Any
Formal

 67%
 57%
 72%
 *


 
 
 
 
 

Occasionally
adjust
work
hours
for
personal/family

55%
 44%
 60%
 *

matters

Occasional


Take
paid
time
off
on
short
notice
(<
one
week)
 39%
 44%
 38%
 


Trade
shifts
with
co‐worker
for
personal/family

35%
 26%
 39%
 *

matters

Take
time
off
during
the
workday
to
take
care
of

35%
 23%
 39%
 *

personal/family
matters


 Any
Occasional
 78%
 71%
 81%
 *


 
 
 
 
 

Use
vacation
time
in
hourly
or
partial‐day
increments
 52%
 49%
 53%
 

Take
extra
time
off
without
pay
beyond
vacation
and

Time
Off


35%
 41%
 31%
 *


personal
days

Use
sick
time
in
hourly
or
partial
day
increments
 23%
 15%
 26%
 *

Use
paid
sick
time
to
care
for
a
sick
child
 14%
 12%
 15%
 

Use
paid
sick
time
to
care
for
a
sick
family
member^
 11%
 10%
 12%
 


 Any
Time
Off
 69%
 71%
 67%
 


 
 
 
 
 



^
One
of
the
five
companies
did
not
include
this
flexibility
type
in
its
survey.

*
Difference
between
men
and
women
significant,
p
<
.05.






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Flexibility
Options
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Hourly
Workers
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Voices
for
Working
Families


72

 In
Table
2,
we
see
that
respondents
are
most
likely
to
use
several
types
of
occasional
flexibility.
Using

vacation
time
in
partial
increments
is
also
an
often‐used
time‐off
strategy,
and
flextime
(either
on
a
set

or
potentially
changing
schedule)
is
the
most
frequently
used
formal
arrangement
(41
percent).




 Table
2:
Use
of
Formal
Flexibility,
Occasional
Flexibility
and
Time‐Off
Strategies
Sorted
by



 Frequency
of
Use




 Total
 Men
 Women

Occasionally
adjust
work
hours
for
personal/family
matters
 55%
 44%
 60%

Use
vacation
time
in
hourly
or
partial
day
increments
 52%
 49%
 53%

Flextime
 41%
 38%
 42%

Take
paid
time
off
on
short
notice
(<
one
week)
 39%
 44%
 38%

Trade
shifts
with
co‐worker
for
personal/family
matters
 35%
 26%
 39%

Take
time
off
during
the
workday
to
take
care
of

35%
 23%
 39%

personal/family
matters

Take
extra
time
off
without
pay
beyond
vacation
and
personal

35%
 41%
 31%

days

Compressed
workweek
 23%
 17%
 25%

Use
sick
time
in
hourly
or
partial
day
increments
 23%
 15%
 26%

Part
time
 11%
 9%
 13%

Use
paid
sick
time
to
care
for
a
sick
child
 14%
 12%
 15%

Teleworking^
 9%
 4%
 11%

Use
paid
sick
time
to
care
for
sick
family
member^
 11%
 10%
 12%

Job
share
 1%
 1%
 1%



^
One
of
the
five
companies
did
not
include
this
flexibility
type
in
its
survey.



“I
 have
 a
 workday
 off
 to
 deal
 with
 personal
 and
 family
 matters.
 That
 could
 not
 be

addressed
if
I
was
working
five
eight‐hour
days.”
—
Male,
formal,
compressed
workweek




Gender
differences
in
use
of
flexibility

Women
are
more
likely
than
men
to
use
formal
flexible
work
arrangements
(72
percent
vs.
57
percent)

and
 occasional
 flexibility
 options
 (81
 percent
 vs.
 71
 percent),
 but
 they
 are
 equally
 likely
 to
 use
 other

time‐off
strategies.




Examining
specific
formal
types
of
flexible
work
arrangements
by
gender,
women
are
more
likely
than

men
to
be
using
flextime
with
a
set
schedule
(32
percent
vs.
25
percent),
a
compressed
workweek
(25

percent
vs.
17
percent)
and
teleworking
(11
percent
vs.
4
percent).



Looking
 at
 types
 of
 occasional
 flexibility,
 women
 are
 more
 likely
 than
 men
 to
 sometimes
 adjust
 their

hours
 for
 family
 and
 personal
 matters
 (60
 percent
 vs.
 44
 percent),
 trade
 shifts
 with
 a
 co‐worker
 for

personal/family
 matters
 (39
 percent
 vs.
 26
 percent),
 and
 take
 time
 off
 during
 the
 day
 for
 family
 and

personal
matters
(39
percent
vs.
23
percent).




Women
are
more
likely
than
men
to
use
the
time‐off
strategy
of
using
sick
time
in
hourly
or
partial
day

increments
 (26
 percent
 vs.
 15
 percent),
 while
 men
 are
 more
 likely
 to
 take
 extra
 time
 off
 without
 pay


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Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


73

 beyond
vacation
and
personal
days
(41
percent
vs.
31
percent).
There
are
no
other
gender
differences

with
regard
to
other
types
of
time‐off
strategies.




“The
flexibility
at
the
company
has
allowed
me
to
work
while
raising
my
children
…
Once

they
were
school
age,
I
worked
a
combination
of
days
and
nights
so
I
could
assist
in
their

classrooms
on
my
days
off
and
go
to
their
band
concerts
or
night
activities
on
my
nights

off.”
—
Female,
formal,
flextime
—
set
schedule



Age
differences
in
use
of
flexibility


There
 are
 differences
 in
 which
 types
 of
 flexibility
 are
 used
 by
 certain
 age
 groups
 (see
 Table
 3).
 The

youngest
respondents
(younger
than
25
years
old)
are
less
likely
than
older
respondents
to
make
use
of

formal
 types
 of
 flexibility,
 specifically
 flextime
 with
 a
 set
 schedule,
 compressed
 workweeks
 and

teleworking.
However,
in
addition
to
those
ages
25
to
34,
the
youngest
respondents
are
more
likely
to

make
use
of
trading
shifts
and
use
sick
time
in
partial
increments,
an
occasional
type
of
flexibility
and
a

time‐off
strategy.



The
 oldest
 respondents
 are
 more
 likely
 than
 younger
 respondents
 to
 use
 some
 types
 of
 formal

flexibility,
including
flextime
with
a
set
schedule
and
teleworking.




 Table
3:
Likelihood
of
Using
Flexibility
by
Age




 <
25
 25–34
 35–44
 45–54
 55+

Least
likely
 *Flextime
—
 
 
 *Take
time
off
 *Take
time
off

set
 during
 during

*Compressed
 workday
 workday

workweeks

*Teleworking

*Paid
time
off

—
short
notice

*Use
partial

vacation
time

Most
likely
 *Trade
shifts
 *Trade
shifts

 *Teleworking
 *Compressed
 *Flextime
—

*Sick
time
in
 *Paid
sick
 *Paid
sick
time
 workweeks
 set

partial
 time
for
child
 for
child
 *Teleworking

increments
 *Sick
time
in
 *Use
vacation

partial
 in
partial

increments
 increments



Use
of
multiple
flexibility
options
and
time‐off
strategies

Across
the
sample
of
employees
who
use
flexibility
(formal,
occasional
or
both):
63
percent
use
both
a

formal
flexible
work
arrangement
and
occasional
flexibility,
12
percent
use
only
a
formal
flexible
work

arrangement,
and
25
percent
use
flexibility
only
on
an
occasional
basis
(see
Figure
1).






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Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
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Voices
for
Working
Families


74

 Figure
1:
Use
of
Company
Flexibility
Programs
by
Flexibility
Users

 

Uses
only

Uses
only
 formal

occasional
 flexibility

flexibility


Uses
both
formal
and

occasional
flexibility






When
we
examine
all
of
the
respondents
and
their
usage
of
time‐off
strategies
in
addition
to
formal
and

occasional
 flexibility,
 we
 see
 that
 respondents
 use
 an
 assortment
 of
 arrangements
 to
 adapt
 to
 their

work
and
personal
needs
(see
Table
4).




Examining
 different
 combinations
 of
 categories
 of
 flexibility,
 women
 are
 more
 likely
 than
 men
 to
 be

using
a
formal
and
occasional
flexibility
option
with
a
time‐off
strategy
(45
percent
vs.
35
percent).




 Table
4:
Use
of
Forms
of
Flexibility
by
Frequency
of
Use




 Total
 Men
 Women

Use
formal,
occasional
and
time
off
 42%
 35%
 45%

Use
occasional
and
time
off

 17%
 21%
 14%

Use
formal
and
occasional
 14%
 10%
 16%

Use
only
formal
 6%
 6%
 6%

Use
formal
and
time
off
 5%
 6%
 4%

Use
only
occasional
 5%
 5%
 5%

Use
time
off
only
 5%
 9%
 3%


 
 
 


Do
not
use
any
 6%
 8%
 6%






Most
of
the
respondents
use
multiple
types
of
flexibility
or
time‐off
strategies,
with
the
average
being

3.8.
 Across
 all
 types
 of
 flexibility
 and
 time‐off
 strategies,
 women
 use
 4.0
 strategies
 compared
 to
 men,

who
use
an
average
of
3.3.
In
Figure
2,
one
can
see
the
variations
of
types
of
strategies
used
by
gender.




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
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Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
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for
Working
Families


75

 




 Figure
2:
Number
of
Flexibility
Options
Used
by
Gender



Men
 1%
 Women

100%
 3%
 5%
 2%
 4%

11%
 11%
 7%

90%
 16%
 13%
 11%

80%
 19%
 26%
 4

70%
 25%
 25%

44%
 3

60%
 25%

51%

50%
 36%
 28%

2

40%
 29%

1

30%
 26%

20%
 43%
 0

28%
 29%
 29%
 33%

10%
 19%

0%

Average
 .7
 1.0
 1.4
 1.8
 1.2
 1.3

Formal
 


 Occasional
 Time
Off



“I
 am
 able
 to
 go
 to
 appointments
 at
 doctors’
 offices
 and
 other
 places
 that
 only
 have

hours
 during
 the
 day.”
 —
 Female,
 formal,
 flextime
 —
 set
 schedule,
 compressed

workweek,
telecommute



Looking
at
the
use
of
multiple
flexibility
options
by
age
(see
Figure
3),
respondents
ages
25
to
44
report

using
 the
 highest
 number
 of
 flexibility
 types
 and
 time‐off
 strategies
 compared
 to
 those
 younger
 and

older.




For
 formal
 flexibility,
 the
 oldest
 respondents
 (ages
 55
 and
 older)
 are
 more
 likely
 than
 their
 younger

counterparts
to
use
multiple
formal
options.





Figure
3:
Total
Number
of
Flexibility
and
Time‐Off
Options
by
Age




100%

90%
 23%
 22%
 20%
 22%
 6+

30%
 29%

80%
 5

70%
 14%
 10%
 14%
 13%

60%
 14%
 14%
 15%
 10%
 4

14%
 16%

50%
 11%
 14%
 13%
 18%
 3

40%
 15%
 11%
 19%

19%
 14%
 2

30%
 16%
 18%

20%
 11%
 18%
 13%
 1

15%
 13%

10%
 12%
 11%
 10%
 12%

9%
 8%
 0

0%
 6%
 5%
 4%
 5%

Total
 <25
 25‐34
 35‐44
 45‐54
 55+



Average


 3.8
 3.4
 4.1
 4.1
 3.4
 3.7





Does
use
of
flexibility
vary
by
family
status
or
ethnicity?

There
 are
 a
 few
 other
 demographic
 differences
 among
 respondents
 using
 different
 categories
 of

flexibility
(see
Table
5).
There
are
no
differences
in
use
of
flexibility
by
marital
status,
by
whether
or
not

the
 respondents
 have
 elder
 care
 responsibility,
 or
 by
 race
 and
 ethnicity.
 Employees
 using
 formal
 and


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Workers
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for
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76

 occasional
flexibility
options,
however,
are
more
likely
than
those
not
using
flexibility
to
have
child
care

responsibilities,
especially
for
very
young
children
and
school‐age
children.




 Table
5:
Partner
and
Dependent
Care
Status
by
Flexibility




 Formal
 Occasional
 Not
Using

Married/partnered
 66%
 59%
 64%

Parent
of
child
<
18
 37%
 38%
 9%

Planning
first
child
 8%
 7%
 9%

Ages
of
children
 
 
 


<
age
6
 17%
 15%
 5%


6
to
14
 20%
 21%
 6%


15
to
17
 12%
 11%
 13%

Adult
dependent

 16%
 18%
 13%





Changing
work
schedules
between
full
and
part
time

Full‐time
employees
were
asked
whether
or
not
they
could
arrange
to
work
part
time
in
their
current

positions,
and
part‐time
employees
were
asked
if
they
could
arrange
to
work
full
time.
One‐fourth
(24

percent)
 of
 full‐time
 employees
 report
 they
 could
 work
 part
 time,
 but
 most
 report
 they
 could
 not
 (39

percent)
 or
 that
 they
 do
 not
 know
 (38
 percent).
 In
 contrast,
 three‐fifths
 (62
 percent)
 of
 part‐time

employees
report
they
could
switch
to
a
full‐time
schedule,
one‐fifth
(20
percent)
reported
they
could

not
make
that
switch,
and
about
one‐fifth
(18
percent)
do
not
know.



Ease
or
difficulty
of
accessing
occasional
flexibility
and
time‐off
strategies

Because
 occasional
 flexibility,
 as
 well
 as
 the
 use
 of
 time‐off
 strategies,
 often
 requires
 obtaining

permission
and/or
notifying
others
(one’s
supervisor,
peers,
HR),
we
wanted
to
know
how
difficult
it
is

to
 use
 these
 options.
 We
 asked
 respondents
 about
 the
 relative
 ease
 or
 difficulty
 they
 have
 in
 taking

advantage
of
various
types
of
occasional
flexibility
and
other
time‐off
strategies.
Results
exclude
those

who
responded
that
the
type
of
flexibility
did
not
apply
to
them.



As
 indicated
 in
 Figure
 4,
 about
 three‐fifths
 of
 respondents
 report
 it
 is
 “very
 easy”
 or
 “easy”
 to
 use

vacation
time
in
hourly
or
partial‐day
increments
(60
percent)
and
to
occasionally
adjust
work
hours
to

take
care
of
personal
or
family
matters
(58
percent).
For
the
other
types
of
time
off,
two‐fifths
or
more

of
respondents
report
it
is
easy
to
use
them.



Examining
the
amount
of
difficulty,
one‐fourth
to
one‐third
report
having
some
difficulty
obtaining
most

types
of
occasional
flexibility
and
time
off.
They
were
most
likely
to
report
difficulty
with
obtaining
time

off
 during
 the
 day
 for
 family
 and
 personal
 matters
 (33
 percent)
 and
 taking
 extra
 time
 off
 without
 pay

beyond
vacation
and
personal
days
(30
percent).



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77

 Figure
4:
Ease
of
Use
of
Occasional
Flexibility
and
Other
Types
of
Time
Off
by
All
Employees


%
Using
Option


52%

55%

35%

39%

23%

11%

14%

N/A

35%

35%


*
One
of
the
five
companies
did
not
include
this
item.
 





Men
 in
 the
 study
 report
 much
 more
 difficulty
 using
 occasional
 flexibility
 and
 other
 time‐off
 strategies

than
 women,
 specifically
 trading
 shifts,
 occasionally
 adjusting
 work
 hours,
 taking
 time
 off
 during
 the

workday,
using
sick
time
in
partial
increments,
using
sick
time
to
care
for
sick
children,
using
extra
time

off
without
pay
beyond
vacation
and
using
personal
days.




The
youngest
respondents
are
more
easily
able
to
trade
shifts
with
co‐workers,
use
sick
time
in
partial‐
day
increments,
take
extra
time
off
without
pay
beyond
vacation
and
personal
days,
and
use
paid
sick

time
to
care
for
a
sick
child.




“If
 an
 employee
 requests
 a
 day
 off
 two
 weeks
 or
 more
 in
 advance,
 the
 administration

should
be
able
to
plan
for
coverage
in
that
time,
whether
by
calling
for
temporary
help

or
working
the
schedule
around
their
absenteeism.
I
feel
as
though
the
administration

finds
 it
 easier
 to
 just
 say
 no,
 rather
 than
 to
 try
 to
 work
 around
 it.”
 —
 Female,
 formal,

flextime
—
changing
schedule



“Rare
requests
for
time
off
at
the
end
of
the
day
for
appointments
are
denied
because

the
management
insists
that
two
people
may
not
be
scheduled
off
at
once,
even
though

the
responsibilities
are
not
interchangeable.”
—
Female,
no
flex



Use
of
vacation

We
 also
 wanted
 to
 examine
 respondents’
 use
 of
 vacation
 time,
 which
 is
 the
 typical
 way
 in
 which

employees
in
the
United
States
get
time
off.
While
nine
out
of
10
(90
percent)
employee
respondents

are
able
to
take
all
of
their
vacation
days
without
forfeiting
them
at
the
end
of
the
year,
one‐tenth
(10

percent)
of
employees
are
unable
to
do
so.





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78

 There
are
no
gender
differences
with
regard
to
use
of
vacation,
but
there
are
age
differences.
Younger

workers
 are
 less
 likely
 to
 take
 all
 of
 their
 vacation
 days
 each
 year
 than
 older
 workers
 (76
 percent

younger
 than
 25
 vs.
 90
 percent
 overall).
 Employees
 using
 rotating
 shifts
 and
 split
 shifts
 are
 less
 likely

than
others
to
use
all
of
their
vacation
time.



Those
who
do
not
take
all
of
their
vacation
time
are
more
likely
to
report
more
difficulty
using
all
of
the

occasional
flexibility
and
other
time‐off
options.
They
also
report
less
control
over
their
work
schedules

than
others.



“Flex
hours,
shift
change,
and
one‐day
or
half‐day
vacations
are
excellent
benefits


to
assist
in
managing
a
busy
home
life.”
—
Female,
formal,
flextime
—
set
schedule





Support
for
Flexibility



Where
do
employees
get
information
about
flexibility?

Information
about
flexibility
policies
and
procedures
comes
from
a
number
of
sources
—
both
through

formal
 channels
 and
 from
 other
 employees.
 We
 asked
 respondents
 about
 their
 sources
 of
 flexibility

information
 (see
 Figure
 5).
 For
 those
 who
 have
 received
 information
 about
 flexibility,
 the
 most
 likely

source
has
been
their
manager
(62
percent)
followed
by
other
employees
who
have
used
flexible
work

arrangements
(51
percent).
Other
likely
sources
of
information
are
the
company
intranet
(45
percent)

and
HR
(44
percent).



Some
of
these
sources
of
information
vary
by
the
category
of
flexibility
used
by
the
respondent.
While

all
 employees
 are
 equally
 likely
 to
 have
 received
 information
 from
 co‐workers
 using
 flexibility,

respondents
using
formal
flexibility
are
more
likely
than
other
respondents
to
have
received
information

from
several
formal
communication
channels,
including
managers,
HR,
trainings,
company
intranet,
etc.





 Figure
5:
Sources
of
Information
about
Flexibility
among
Those


 Receiving
Information
by
Flexibility
Type



*
One
of
the
five
companies
did
not
have
this
option
as
a
source.






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79

 “Information
isn’t
openly
available,
and
it’s
hard
to
get
a
flexible
schedule.”
—
Female,

occasional



Manager
access
to
flexibility
information

As
seen
above,
most
respondents
rely
on
their
managers
for
information
about
flexibility,
so
manager

access
 to
 flexibility
 information
 is
 important.
 We
 asked
 managers
 whether
 or
 not
 they
 have
 the

information
they
need
to
assist
their
employees
with
their
working
flexibly.
Two‐thirds
(65
percent)
of

managers
agree
they
have
the
information
they
need,
and
an
additional
one‐fourth
(23
percent)
have

the
information
at
least
to
some
extent.
One‐tenth
(12
percent),
however,
do
not
have
the
information

they
need
to
assist
their
employees
with
working
flexibly.




Examining
 the
 managers
 who
 supervise
 employees
 who
 use
 flexibility,
 nine
 out
 of
 10
 have
 the

information
they
need,
at
least
to
some
extent
(73
percent
yes
and
20
percent
to
some
extent).



Company
support
for
flexibility

While
flexibility
policies
and
options
may
be
formalized
in
employee
handbooks,
the
culture
and
norms

of
organizations
tend
to
drive
the
ability
of
employees
to
use
flexibility.
Respondents
were
asked
how

supportive
various
constituents
in
their
companies
are
toward
the
use
of
flexibility
(see
Figure
6).




The
 majority
 of
 respondents
 agree
 that
 various
 constituents
 in
 their
 organizations
 are
 supportive
 of

flexibility
 —
 two‐thirds
 or
 more
 agree
 their
 managers
 are
 supportive
 of
 their
 use
 of
 flexibility
 (70

percent),
their
peers
are
supportive
of
their
use
of
flexibility
(68
percent),
and
their
peers’
workload
is

not
 heavier
 due
 to
 their
 use
 of
 flexibility
 (66
 percent).
 More
 than
 half
 of
 respondents
 also
 agree
 that

company
leadership
is
supportive
of
the
use
of
flexibility
by
nonexempt,
hourly
workers
(59
percent).



Examining
the
data
by
gender,
the
results
show
that
for
all
flexibility
support
items,
women
have
more

positive
ratings
than
men.



The
 oldest
 respondents,
 compared
 to
 respondents
 overall,
 are
 more
 likely
 to
 agree
 that
 company

leadership
is
supportive
of
flexibility
by
hourly
and
nonexempt
workers
(71
percent
vs.
59
percent)
and

that
their
manager
is
supportive
of
their
use
of
flexibility
(78
percent
vs.
70
percent).





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 Figure
6:
Flexibility
Support
Items


Strongly

Agree


68%
 66%
 59%


70%
 Agree


Neither


Disagree


Strongly

Disagree


*
Scoring
of
item
has
been
reversed
from
survey.





“My
manager
is
very
supportive;
she
trusts
me
to
get
my
work
done
and
allows
me
the

flexibility
to
handle
both
work
and
home
commitments.”
—
Female,
formal,
flextime
—


set
schedule



“Our
 manager
 is
 very
 receptive
 to
 flextime.
 I
 believe
 he
 understands
 it
 makes
 the

workplace
 more
 positive
 and
 helps
 our
 clients
 in
 the
 end.”
 —
 Gender
 not
 identified,

formal,
flextime



“Everyone
 here
 seems
 to
 work
 flexibly,
 which
 allows
 us
 all
 to
 be
 flexible.”
 —
 Female,

formal,
flextime
—
changing
schedule



Flexibility
users’
views
of
support
for
flexibility

Employees
 using
 formal
 flexibility
 are
 more
 likely
 than
 those
 who
 use
 only
 occasional
 flexibility
 and

those
 not
 using
 any
 flexibility
 to
 report
 higher
 ratings
 of
 supportiveness
 on
 all
 flexibility
 items
 (see

Figure
 7).
 Employees
 not
 using
 any
 flexibility
 are
 less
 likely
 than
 those
 using
 occasional
 flexibility
 to

report
their
company
leadership
is
supportive
of
flexibility
use
by
hourly
and
nonexempt
employees.


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 Figure
7:
Percent
Who
“Strongly
Agree”
and
“Agree”
with
Support
for

Flexibility
by
Type
of
Flexibility


Occasional


Not
Using

Formal


Manager
supportive
 Peers
do
not
have
heavier
 Peers
are
supportive
of
my
 Co.
leadership
supports


of
flexibility workload
because
I
use
 use
of
flexibility flexibility
by
non‐exempt
flexibility*


*
Scoring
of
item
has
been
reversed
from
survey.





“The
company
is
very
open
to
us
flexing
our
time,
to
meet
both
the
company
needs
and

our
 personal
 needs.”
 —
 Female,
 formal,
 flextime
 —
 changing
 schedule,
 compressed

workweek



Overtime
and
extra
hours

We
also
asked
respondents
about
overtime
practices
and
their
perceptions
of
the
impact
of
not
working

extra
hours.
About
half
(54
percent)
of
employees
are
“rarely
or
never”
required
to
work
paid
overtime

or
 unpaid
 extra
 hours
 with
 little
 or
 no
 advance
 notice,
 but
 one
 in
 five
 (20
 percent)
 employees
 are

required
to
do
so
at
least
several
times
a
month.




Men
 are
 more
 likely
 than
 women
 to
 report
 being
 required
 to
 work
 paid
 overtime
 or
 extra
 hours
 (40

percent
“at
least
once
a
month”
or
more
vs.
24
percent).



Most
 respondents
 report
 they
 can
 refuse
 to
 work
 extra
 hours
 without
 fear
 of
 losing
 their
 jobs
 (see

Figure
8).
The
majority
report
they
can
refuse
extra
hours
without
an
impact
on
their
advancement
and

that
 managers
 do
 not
 assume
 they
 will
 work
 overtime
 without
 first
 asking.
 Approximately
 one‐fifth

report
that
they
do
have
to
work
extra
hours
when
asked
or
it
could
hurt
their
job
advancement
or
job

retention
and
that
their
manager
assumes
they
will
work
extra
hours
without
asking
them
first.



Women
 are
 more
 likely
 than
 men
 to
 report
 these
 overtime
 concerns.
 In
 addition,
 there
 are
 some
 age

differences,
with
respondents
ages
45
to
54
being
more
likely
to
report
all
three
overtime
concerns.


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 Employees
 using
 formal
 flexibility
 are
 more
 likely
 than
 those
 who
 use
 only
 occasional
 flexibility
 and

those
 not
 using
 any
 flexibility
 to
 agree
 that
 extra
 hours
 do
 not
 have
 an
 impact
 on
 their
 job
 or

advancement
and
their
managers
do
not
assume
they
will
work
extra
without
first
asking.







 Figure
8:
Working
Extra
Hours


Not
Using

Occasional

Formal

Total


Agree


Neither


Disagree


If
I
don’t
work
extra
hours
when
 My
manager
does
not
assume
I
will
 If
I
don’t
work
extra
hours
when


asked,
it
will
not
impact
my
job*
 work
extra
without
asking*
 asked,
it
will
not
impact
my

advancement*

*
Scoring
of
item
has
been
reversed
from
survey.





“I
am
required
to
work
too
many
hours
for
my
position
…
.”
—
Female,
formal,
telework,

part
time



Barriers
to
flexibility

In
addition
to
company
culture
and
managers’
attitudes
having
an
impact
on
the
availability
of
formal

and
occasional
flexibility
and
the
ease
with
which
employees
can
avail
themselves
of
these
policies
and

options,
 other
 factors
 often
 are
 found
 to
 be
 stumbling
 blocks
 to
 the
 use
 of
 flexibility.
 We
 asked
 both

employees
 and
 managers
 about
 these
 barriers,
 and
 we
 asked
 to
 them
 to
 indicate
 from
 a
 list
 of
 12

barriers
the
top
two
significant
barriers,
if
any,
to
flexibility.
Employees
were
asked
to
rate
the
barriers

with
 respect
 to
 their
 own
 experiences,
 and
 managers
 were
 asked
 to
 rate
 the
 barriers
 from
 the

perspective
of
providing
employees
with
the
flexibility
that
they
need.




Among
 employees
 using
 different
 categories
 of
 flexibility
 as
 well
 as
managers,
 there
 is
 a
 great
 deal
 of

agreement
as
to
the
most
significant
barriers
(see
Table
6).
For
all
groups,
the
nature
of
the
work
and

workload
are
in
the
top
three
barriers.
Company
policies
are
a
top
barrier
for
employees
regardless
of

their
 use
 of
 flexibility.
 Manager/supervisor
 attitudes
 are
 also
 a
 top
 barrier
 for
 employees
 using

occasional
flexibility.




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 For
managers,
the
need
to
provide
on‐site
coverage
for
customers
is
a
top
barrier
to
employees’
ability

to
use
flexibility.




 Table
6:
Barriers
to
Flexibility
by
Employee
Flexibility
and
Manager



Formal
 Occasional
 Not
Using
 Manager
Perceptions

Nature
of
the
work
 Nature
of
the
work
 Nature
of
the
work
 Nature
of
the
work

(36%)
 (44%)
 (40%)
 (52%)

Workload
 Manager/supervisor
 Workload
 Workload

(26%)
 attitudes
 (29%)
 (26%)

(26%)

Company
policies
 Workload
 Company
policies
 Need
to
provide
on‐site

(24%)
 (23%)
 (29%)
 coverage
for
customers

Company
policies
 (21%)

(23%)



“As
 a
 call
 center
 representative
 our
 schedules
 are
 very
 rigid,
 not
 allowing
 for
 much


more
than
normal
scheduled
breaks.”
—
Male,
no
flex



“The
 nature
 of
 this
 business
 is
 to
 care
 for
 children.
 With
 staff
 taking
 a
 lot
 of
 time
 off,


parents
question
commitment
to
quality
care.”
—
Female,
manager



“There
needs
to
be
coverage
available
that
does
not
create
overtime
or
extra
expense


for
the
company.”
—
Male,
manager



Why
are
some
employees
not
using
flexibility?

As
mentioned
earlier,
a
comparison
sample
of
employees
not
using
any
flexibility
also
participated
in
the

study,
 and
 they
 make
 up
 about
 one‐tenth
 of
 the
 respondents.
 We
 asked
 them
 the
 main
 reason
 they

were
 not
 using
 the
 flexibility
 options
 offered
 by
 their
 organizations
 (see
 Figure
 9).
 The
 most
 common

reasons
given
by
these
respondents
are
that
the
flexible
work
options
are
not
available
to
individuals
in

their
 positions
 (39
 percent)
 and
 that
 they
 are
 satisfied
 with
 their
 current
 schedule
 (33
 percent).
 One‐
tenth
or
fewer
give
other
reasons.




 Figure
9:
Main
Reason
Not
Using
Any
Flexibility
Option


Prefer
current
schedule

Other

33%


5%

Considering
requesting
flexibility

3%

Could
not
afford
salary/
5%

benefits
reduction

1%

Could
hurt
advancement
 5%
 39%
 Flexible
work
options

9%
 are
not
available
to
me

Not
accepted
in
business
unit


Not
aware
of
flex
options






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 “It
 depends
 on
 what
 department
 you
 are
 in
 as
 far
 as
 flexibility,
 which
 is
 fine
 because

needs
 are
 different,
 but
 I
 believe
 [flexibility]
 should
 be
 more
 consistent.”
 —
 Female,

formal,
flextime
—
set
schedule



“[Flexible
work
options
are]
not
available
in
my
department.”
—
Male,
no
flex



For
those
not
using
flexibility,
do
they
have
an
interest?

Most
 (86
 percent)
 of
 the
 respondents
 currently
 not
 using
 flexibility
 would
 be
 interested
 in
 using

flexibility
 if
 it
 were
 offered
 to
 them
 without
 penalty,
 including
 almost
 half
 (45
 percent)
 who
 are
 “very

interested.”
There
are
no
differences
between
men
and
women
or
by
age
of
respondent.





Flexibility
Compatibility



Employees’
perceptions
of
work
schedules
 

In
order
to
examine
whether
work
schedules
are
in
synch
with
employee
needs,
we
asked
respondents

whether
 they
 have
 the
 control
 they
 need
 over
 their
 schedules,
 if
 they
 work
 their
 preferred
 work
 shift

and
whether
they
are
satisfied
with
their
work
schedule.




Respondents
 using
 formal
 flexibility
 are
 more
 likely
 to
 report
 schedules
 are
 in
 synch
 with
 their
 needs:

they
have
the
control
they
need
over
their
work
schedule,
they
have
their
preferred
work
shift,
and
they

are
satisfied
with
their
work
schedule
as
compared
to
those
using
only
occasional
flexibility
or
not
using

any
flexibility
(see
Table
7).




Looking
within
the
categories
of
formal,
occasional
or
no
flexibility,
there
are
no
gender
differences,
but

there
 are
 some
 age
 differences.
 Younger
 respondents
 (under
 25
 years
 old)
 using
 formal
 flexible
 work

arrangements
are
less
likely
than
older
respondents
using
formal
arrangements
to
agree
they
have
the

shift
they
prefer
and
they
are
satisfied
with
their
work
schedules.




It
is
also
worth
noting
that
employees
on
different
shifts
respond
differently
to
these
items.
Employees

on
the
regular
daytime
shift
are
more
likely
than
those
on
other
shifts
to
agree
they
work
their
preferred

shifts
and
have
as
much
control
as
they
need.
Respondents
on
rotating
and
split
shifts
report
the
least

satisfaction
with
their
work
schedule.






 Table
7:
Perceptions
of
Work
Schedules
by
Flexibility


 Formal
 Occasional
 Not
Using

Have
as
much
control
as
needed
over
work

71%
 35%
 40%

schedule

Have
the
preferred
work
shift
 82%
 57%
 63%

Satisfaction
with
work
schedule*
 87%
 69%
 61%




 *Item
not
included
for
one
company
survey.




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 We
also
examined
the
results
by
specific
types
of
formal
flexibility
and
found
that
generally
employees

using
compressed
workweeks
report
the
highest
agreement
with
these
items
(see
Table
8).






 Table
8:
Work
Arrangements
by
Formal
Flexibility
Types




 Formal
 Flextime
 Flextime
 Flextime Compress
 Telework
 Part


 —
Set
 —
 Time

Different

Have
as
much
control
as
 71%
 69%
 70%
 70%
 82%
 78%
 66%

needed
over
work
schedule

Have
the
preferred
work
 82%
 80%
 83%
 75%
 89%
 87%
 77%

shift

Satisfaction
with
work
 87%
 88%
 89%
 90%
 91%
 89%
 79%

schedule*




 *Item
not
included
for
one
company
survey.



“I
 feel
 grateful
 to
 be
 able
 to
 work
 a
 compressed
 workweek
 and
 feel
 I
 have
 a
 better

work‐life
balance!”
—
Female,
compressed
workweek



“My
 job
 gives
 me
 the
 opportunity
 to
 make
 changes
 in
 my
 schedule
 depending
 on
 my

school
schedule.”
—
Female,
formal,
part
time



Flexibility
“fit”:
who
has
the
flexibility
they
need?


While
 companies
 may
 provide
 flexibility
 policies
 and
 options,
 the
 extent
 to
 which
 these
 policies
 and

options
 fit
 the
 needs
 of
 employees
 is
 important
 to
 the
 realization
 of
 benefits
 employers
 expect
 by

providing
these
policies
and
options.
Respondents
using
formal
flexibility
are
more
likely
to
report
they

have
 the
 flexibility
 they
 need
 in
 their
 work
 schedule
 to
 manage
 work,
 family
 and
 personal

responsibilities,
 compared
 to
 those
 using
 only
 occasional
 flexibility
 or
 not
 using
 any
 flexibility
 (74

percent
formal
vs.
47
percent
occasional
and
39
percent
not
using
flex).




The
 types
 of
 flexibility
 options
 used
 and
 the
 number
 of
 flexibility
 arrangements
 are
 related
 to

employees’
 reporting
 they
 have
 the
 flexibility
 they
 need
 to
 manage
 their
 work,
 family
 and
 personal

roles.
The
use
of
flextime,
compressed
workweeks,
telework
and
part
time
has
a
positive
influence
on

employees’
reporting
their
ability
to
manage
multiple
roles
and
responsibilities.
The
higher
the
number

of
formal,
occasional
and
time‐off
strategies
employees
use,
the
more
likely
they
are
to
report
they
have

the
flexibility
they
need
to
manage
their
multiple
roles.




Employees
on
the
regular
daytime
shift
are
more
likely
than
those
on
other
shifts
to
agree
they
have
the

flexibility
they
need
to
address
work,
family
and
personal
responsibilities.




As
 might
 be
 expected,
 the
 degree
 of
 support
 from
 company
 leadership,
 managers
 and
 peers
 has
 a

positive
impact
on
whether
employees
have
the
flexibility
they
need.
The
greater
the
support,
the
more

likely
they
are
to
report
they
have
the
flexibility
they
need
in
their
work
schedules.
Similarly,
the
ease

with
which
respondents
can
take
advantage
of
occasional
and
time‐off
strategies
also
positively
impacts

employees’
reports
of
having
the
flexibility
they
need.



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 The
oldest
respondents
(ages
55
or
older)
are
more
likely
to
agree
than
younger
respondents
that
they

have
 the
 flexibility
 they
 need
 in
 their
 work
 schedule
 to
 manage
 multiple
 roles,
 while
 those
 with
 elder

care
 responsibilities
 are
 less
 likely
 than
 those
 without
 this
 responsibility
 to
 report
 they
 have
 the

flexibility
they
need
in
their
work
schedule.



“My
 company
 works
 very
 hard
 with
 me
 to
 allow
 me
 the
 flexibility
 I
 need
 to
 balance

work
with
everyday
life.
I
am
extremely
appreciative
of
the
hard
work
and
time
they
put

in
 to
 allow
 me
 options
 in
 flexibility
 that
 other
 companies
 do
 not.”
 —
 Male,
 formal,

flextime
—
set
schedule



Satisfaction
with
the
opportunity
to
work
flexibly

Employees’
 perceptions
 of
 the
 opportunities
 for
 flexibility
 are
 an
 important
 indicator
 of
 whether
 the

company
culture
supports
flexibility.
We
asked
respondents
if
they
are
satisfied
with
their
opportunities

to
work
flexibly
at
their
organizations,
and
two‐thirds
(66
percent)
are
satisfied
(see
Figure
10).
The
level

of
 satisfaction
 is
 highest
 for
 those
 who
 use
 their
 company’s
 formal
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 (80

percent)
and
lowest
for
those
who
do
not
currently
use
any
flexibility
offerings
(26
percent).
Two‐fifths

(44
percent)
of
those
who
use
occasional
flexibility
are
satisfied
with
the
opportunities
to
work
flexibly.




Women
 and
 men
 who
 use
 different
 categories
 of
 flexibility
 are
 equally
 satisfied
 with
 opportunities
 to

work
flexibly.




When
examining
the
satisfaction
with
opportunities
for
flexibility
by
age,
respondents
ages
25
to
34
are

the
least
satisfied;
this
is
especially
true
of
those
using
formal
flexible
arrangements.







 Figure
10:
Satisfaction
with
Opportunities
for
Flexibility
by
Gender





80%


44%


26%




While
 most
 employees
 who
 are
 using
 a
 formal
 flexible
 arrangement
 are
 satisfied
 with
 their

opportunities
to
work
flexibly,
we
wanted
to
find
out
whether
respondents
using
specific
types
of
formal

arrangements
 are
 more
 satisfied
 with
 their
 opportunities.
 For
 formal
 flexible
 options,
 the
 use
 of


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


87

 flextime,
 compressed
 workweeks,
 telework
 and
 part
 time
 all
 contribute
 to
 increased
 satisfaction
 with

the
 opportunities
 to
 work
 flexibly.
 Those
 using
 a
 compressed
 workweek
 are
 the
 most
 likely
 to
 be

satisfied
 with
 the
 opportunities
 to
 work
 flexibly
 at
 the
 organizations
 (see
 Figure
 11).
 The
 number
 of

options
used
also
influences
satisfaction;
as
the
number
of
formal
options
one
uses
increases,
so
does

the
level
of
satisfaction
with
the
opportunities.





 Figure
11:
Percent
“Very
Satisfied”
and
“Satisfied”
with
the
Opportunities
to
Work


 Flexibly
by
Type
of
Flexibility
Using*




*
Respondents
may
use
more
than
one
arrangement.





Examining
 those
 who
 use
 occasional
 flexibility,
 respondents
 who
 adjust
 their
 work
 hours
 for
 personal

reasons
 are
 significantly
 more
 likely
 to
 be
 satisfied
 with
 opportunities
 for
 flexibility.
 In
 addition,
 the

more
occasional
options
one
uses,
the
greater
the
satisfaction.



Because
many
respondents
use
formal
flexibility
in
addition
to
their
use
of
occasional
flexibility,
we
also

examined
 these
 data
 by
 including
 those
 individuals
 who
 also
 make
 use
 of
 a
 formal
 flexible
 work

arrangement.
 As
 shown
 in
 Figure
 12,
 satisfaction
 is
 significantly
 higher
 when
 occasional
 flexibility
 is

coupled
with
a
formal
arrangement.


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88

 

Figure
12:
Percent
“Very
Satisfied”
and
“Satisfied”
with
the
Opportunities
to
Work



Flexibly
by
Type
of
Occasional
Flexibility
Using




Those
with
Formal
FWAs:






“It
 is
 one
 of
 the
 best
 opportunities
 I
 have
 had
 with
 this
 company
 since
 I
 began.
 It
 has

been
 wonderful
 to
 have
 a
 day
 off
 to
 help
 around
 the
 house
 and
 spend
 time
 with
 the

kids.”
—
Male,
formal,
compressed
workweek



“The
 compressed
 workweek
 allows
 me
 to
 help
 my
 family
 in
 ways
 I
 could
 not
 have

otherwise.”
—
Female,
formal,
compressed
workweek



The
ease
of
use
of
flexibility
options
and
the
support
for
flexibility
from
various
company
constituents

are
also
related
to
satisfaction
with
their
company’s
flexibility
opportunities.
Respondents
who
have
an

easier
time
accessing
occasional
flexibility
and
time‐off
strategies
are
more
satisfied
than
those
having

difficulty
 accessing
 these
 options.
 Respondents
 reporting
 support
 from
 company
 leadership
 and

managers
 for
 flexibility
 are
 more
 likely
 to
 be
 satisfied
 with
 opportunities
 than
 those
 who
 find
 the

environment
less
supportive.



Gender
influences
whether
one
is
satisfied
with
the
flexibility
opportunities
provided
by
one’s
company


—
women
are
more
likely
than
men
to
be
satisfied.
Age
also
is
a
determining
factor
—
respondents
ages

25
to
34
are
less
satisfied
with
the
opportunities
provided
than
others.
Also,
respondents
with
elder
care

responsibilities
are
less
satisfied
with
flexibility
opportunities
provided.




“[I
am
satisfied
with
the]
ability
to
have
whatever
hours
and
breaks
I
choose,
the
ability

to
give
my
hours
away
and
take
hours
from
someone
else.”
—
Female,
formal,
flextime

—
both



“I’m
thrilled
with
my
current
schedule
and
appreciate
having
the
alternative
options
for

my
 health.
 I
 feel
 valued
 as
 an
 employee
 to
 have
 this
 opportunity.”
 —
 Female,
 formal,

part
time




Innovative
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89

 Flexibility
Impacts



What
are
the
business
and
personal
impacts
of
flexibility?

According
to
most
flexibility
users
and
managers
of
employees
using
flexibility,
flexibility
has
a
positive

influence
 on
 several
 business
 and
 personal
 outcomes:
 in
 particular,
 employees’
 ability
 to
 meet

personal/family
responsibilities,
productivity,
measures
of
work‐life
effectiveness,
and
customer
service

(see
Table
9).
It
is
also
important
to
note
that
one‐tenth
or
fewer
report
flexibility
has
a
negative
impact

on
any
of
these
business
or
personal
factors.



For
 employees
 using
 flexibility,
 women
 report
 even
 more
 positive
 influences
 than
 their
 male

counterparts.





 Table
9:
Impacts
of
Flexibility
by
Flexibility
Users
and
Managers
of
Flexibility
Users



Positive
Influences
on
Business
and
Employees’
 Flexibility
Users
 Managers
of

Personal
Lives
(Percentage
“Very
Positive”
and
 Self
Report
 Flexibility
Users

“Positive”)

Ability
to
meet
personal/family
responsibilities
 85%
 92%

Team
productivity
and
effectiveness
 80%
 79%

Overall
satisfaction
working
at
company
 81%
 88%

Responsiveness

 75%
 74%

Level
of
customer
service
 70%
 71%

Level
of
stress,
health
and
well‐being
 69%
 77%

Absenteeism
 64%
 74%



“This
 opportunity
 is
 key
 to
 balance
 people's
 lives.
 By
 offering
 more
 flexibility,
 the

company
should
see
results
in
productivity
and
experience
more
employee
loyalty.”
—

Female,
formal,
flextime
—
set
schedule,
compressed



“No
 traffic;
 fewer
 distractions/interruptions;
 more
 productive
 —
 able
 to

concentrate/focus
on
projects
for
longer
periods
of
time
in
order
to
complete
tasks
on

time
(or
ahead
of
schedule).”
—
Female,
formal,
flextime
—
changing
schedule



Does
flexibility
help
companies
recruit?

Most
(83
percent)
of
the
respondents
who
have
joined
their
companies
in
the
last
two
years
report
that

flexibility
 was
 either
 “very
 important”
 (43
 percent)
 or
 “somewhat
 important”
 (40
 percent)
 in
 their

decision
to
take
a
job
with
the
company
—
which
suggests
that
the
presence
of
flexibility
options
assists

companies
in
recruiting
talent
(see
Figure
13).
Managers
concur
—
four‐fifths
(79
percent)
report
that

their
ability
to
recruit
talented
employees
is
enhanced
by
opportunities
to
work
flexibly,
including
about

two‐fifths
 (45
 percent)
 who
 report
 it
 is
 enhanced
 “a
 great
 deal”
 or
 “very
 much”
 (see
 Figure
 14).
 Only

one‐tenth
(11
percent)
report
flexibility
did
not
have
any
impact
recruitment.



The
importance
of
flexibility
to
joining
their
companies
does
vary
by
the
level
of
flexibility
being
used
by

the
employee
once
they
join.
Those
who
recently
joined
and
are
using
formal
flexibility
are
more
likely

to
report
flexibility
was
“very
important”
(57
percent
vs.
27
percent
occasional
and
28
percent
not
using

flexibility)
in
their
decision‐making
process.





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 There
is
no
gender
difference
in
the
influence
of
flexibility
on
recruitment,
but
there
are
differences
by

age
with
regard
to
the
importance
of
the
role
flexibility
had
in
their
joining
their
companies.
Contrary
to

expectations,
the
youngest
respondents
are
least
likely
to
report
flexibility
was
“very
important”
in
their

decision
 to
 join
 the
 company,
 and
 those
 over
 the
 age
 of
 44
 are
 the
 most
 likely
 to
 report
 it
 was
 “very

important.”








Figure
13:
Employees’
Ratings
—
Importance
 Figure
14:
Supervisors’
Ratings
—


of
Flexibility
in
Decision
to
Take
a
Job
with
 Recruitment
of
Talented
Employees
Is

Company*
 Enhanced
by
Opportunities
to
Work
Flexibly


Not
At
All

Not
At
All
Not
 A
Great

A
Great

Important
 Very
 Not
 Deal

Deal

11%

Important
 Much

Not

Much
 10%
 22%


Somewhat
 23%

34%

Important
 Somewhat
 Very

Somewhat
 Much

Very
Much


*
Among
those
who
have
joined
in
the
last
two
years.






“Flex
work
has
been
the
most
critical
component
responsible
for
my
success
in
both
my

personal
 and
 professional
 life.
 I
 would
 not
 be
 able
 to
 do
 what
 I
 do
 without
 it.”
 —

Female,
formal,
flextime
—
changing
schedule



What
impact
does
flexibility
have
on
employee
engagement?

Flexibility
 does
 make
 a
 difference
 to
 employees’
 engagement.
 Engagement
 scores
 are
 highest
 for

respondents
 using
 formal
 flexibility
 compared
 to
 others,
 and
 the
 more
 types
 of
 formal
 flexibility
 they

use,
 the
 more
 engaged
 they
 are.8
 Types
 of
 formal
 flexibility
 that
 have
 the
 most
 impact
 are
 flextime,

compressed
workweeks
and
telework.




Engagement
is
also
higher
among
respondents
who
occasionally
adjust
their
work
hours
to
take
care
of

personal
 or
 family
 matters
 as
 well
 as
 those
 who
 report
 it
 is
 easier
 for
 them
 to
 take
 advantage
 of

occasional
flexibility
and
time‐off
opportunities.




The
 demographics
 do
 not
 have
 an
 influence
 on
 engagement
 —
 there
 are
 no
 engagement
 score

differences
by
gender,
age,
or
among
those
with
child
or
elder
care
responsibilities.




Whether
 respondents
 feel
 they
 have
 the
 flexibility
 they
 need
 in
 their
 work
 schedule
 to
 manage
 their

work
 and
 personal
 responsibilities
 is
 also
 significantly
 related
 to
 engagement
 (see
 Figure
 15).


Innovative
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Workers
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91

 Engagement
is
55
percent
higher
for
employees
who
have
the
flexibility
they
need
compared
to
those

who
do
not.





 

Figure
15:
Engagement
by
Having
the
Flexibility
Needed
to
Manage



Work,
Personal
and
Family
Responsibilities






“The
company
truly
cares
about
its
employees
and
truly
gives
the
employees
a
listening

ear
and
wants
success
for
the
company
team.
I
really
believe
the
company
is
all
for
the

win‐win
 situation
 in
 all
 aspects
 of
 the
 company.
 I
 love
 the
 company,
 and
 I
 am
 so

honored
 to
 be
 a
 part
 of
 such
 a
 wonderfully
 positive
 organization!”
 —
 Female,
 formal,

telework



Is
flexibility
an
effective
retention
tool?

The
question
from
a
business
perspective
is
whether
or
not
flexibility
plays
a
role
in
reducing
turnover

costs
 and
 ensuring
 a
 stable
 workforce.
 We
 examined
 three
 measures
 of
 retention:
 whether
 the

opportunity
 to
 work
 flexibly
 impacts
 respondents’
 decisions
 to
 remain
 at
 their
 company,
 whether
 the

loss
of
flexibility
options
would
be
a
reason
to
seek
a
work
opportunity
with
another
organization,
and

the
 relationship
 between
 having
 adequate
 flexibility
 and
 the
 number
 of
 years
 respondents
 expect
 to

remain
at
their
organizations.



More
 than
 four‐fifths
 (83
 percent)
 of
 employees
 report
 the
 opportunity
 to
 work
 flexibly
 is
 at
 least

somewhat
important
in
their
intention
to
stay
with
their
company.
Of
employees
with
a
formal
flexibility

arrangement,
87
percent
report
it
is
at
least
somewhat
important,
and
more
than
one‐half
(54
percent)

report
flexibility
is
“very
important.”



Innovative
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92

 The
opportunity
to
work
flexibly
is
especially
important
to
intention
to
stay
for
respondents
using
part‐
time
arrangements
and
those
using
telework
arrangements
(see
Figure
16).





Figure
16:
Employees
—
Importance
of
Formal
Flexibility
in
Intention
to
Stay


Any
part
time


Telework


Flextime

—
changing
schedule


Flextime

—
set
schedule


Compressed
workweek






Flexibility
is
important
to
the
retention
of
those
using
occasional
flexibility
and
those
not
using
flexibility;

it
plays
a
significant
role
for
both
groups
(78
percent
important
and
66
percent).



Women
 are
 more
 likely
 than
 men
 to
 report
 the
 opportunity
 to
 work
 flexibly
 is
 important
 to
 them,

especially
“very
important”
(52
percent
vs.
34
percent).
Respondents
ages
25
to
34
are
more
likely
than

younger
 and
 older
 respondents
 to
 report
 that
 flexibility
 is
 “very
 important”
 to
 their
 retention
 at
 their

companies.




More
 than
 four‐fifths
 (85
 percent)
 of
 managers
 report
 that
 opportunities
 to
 work
 flexibly
 enhance
 at

least
somewhat
their
ability
to
retain
talented
employees
(see
Figure
17).
More
than
half
(57
percent)
of

the
managers
report
flexibility
enhances
retention
“very
much”
or
“a
great
deal.”






 Figure
17:
Manager
—
Extent
Retention
of
Talented


 Employees
Is
Enhanced
by
Opportunity
to
Work
Flexibly


Innovative
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93

 Another
 measure
 of
 the
 importance
 of
 flexibility
 to
 retention
 is
 the
 likelihood
 that
 employees
 who

currently
use
flexibility
would
leave
the
company
without
it.
Three‐fifths
(60
percent)
of
flexibility
users

report
 that
 they
 are
 either
 “very
 likely”
 (22
 percent)
 or
 “likely”
 (38
 percent)
 to
 leave
 their
 company

without
 the
 opportunity
 to
 work
 flexibly
 (see
 Figure
 18).
 There
 is
 no
 difference
 between
 those
 using

formal
versus
occasional
flexibility.



Women
are
more
likely
than
men
to
report
they
would
leave
their
companies
if
they
did
not
have
the

opportunity
to
work
flexibly
(63
percent
“very”
or
“somewhat”
vs.
51
percent).







 Figure
18:
How
Likely
Is
It
That
You
Would
Leave
the
Company
If
You

Did
Not
Have
the
Opportunity
to
Work
Flexibly?*


Not
Likely


Very
Likely

Rated
as
“Very
Likely
to
Leave”

 Formal
FWA
user:
22%

 Occasional
flex
user:
21%


Somewhat
 *
Asked
only
of
those
using

Likely

 formal
or
occasional
flexibility.






“Many
hours
are
spent
in
the
workplace.
We
spend
more
time
with
our
co‐workers
than

our
 family.
 Any
 perk
 that
 also
 works
 for
 the
 business,
 can
 only
 improve
 employee

retention
 and
 employees’
 well‐being
 and
 happiness
 in
 their
 current
 positions.
 This

would
be
instrumental
in
keeping
employees
in
their
jobs
longer.”
—
Female,
manager



Impact
of
flexibility
“fit”
on
turnover
intention

Flexibility
 does
 make
 a
 difference
 to
 employee
 turnover.
 Turnover
 is
 lower
 for
 respondents
 using

flextime
 and
 telework
 compared
 to
 others.
 In
 addition,
 the
 greater
 the
 number
 of
 formal
 flexibility

options
 used,
 as
 well
 as
 the
 total
 number
 of
 formal,
 occasional
 and
 time‐off
 strategies
 used,
 the
 less

likely
 employees
 are
 to
 consider
 leaving
 their
 organizations.
 Those
 who
 have
 less
 difficulty
 accessing

flexibility
options
are
also
less
likely
to
consider
leaving.



We
 also
 examined
 the
 relationship
 between
 having
 needed
 flexibility
 and
 the
 number
 of
 years

respondents
expect
to
remain
with
their
companies.
The
expected
turnover
rate
for
employees
who
do

not
have
the
flexibility
they
need
at
their
companies
is
almost
twice
the
rate
of
those
who
do
have
the

flexibility
they
need
(see
Figure
19).




Innovative
Workplace
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Options
for
Hourly
Workers
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for
Working
Families


94

 


 Figure
19:
Retention
by
Having
the
Flexibility
Needed
to
Manage
Work,


 Personal
and
Family
Responsibilities






 Have
Flexibility
Needed
 Do
Not
Have
Flexibility


 50%




 40%



 
27%

30%



15%


 20%




 10%



0%



Percent
Who
Plan
to
Leave
Within
2



Years





What
impact
does
flexibility
have
on
employee
stress
and
burnout?

One‐third
 or
 more
 of
 employees
 respond
 affirmatively
 to
 experiencing
 three
 factors
 of
 stress
 and

burnout,
including
frequently
feeling
physically
or
emotionally
drained
at
the
end
of
a
workday;
feeling

that
 no
 matter
 how
 hard
 they
 work,
 they
 can’t
 get
 everything
 done;
 and
 that
 the
 stress
 of
 balancing

work
 and
 personal/family
 responsibilities
 affects
 their
 health.9
 There
 are
 no
 stress
 and
 burnout
 score

differences
by
gender
or
among
those
with
child
care
responsibilities,
but
there
is
an
age
difference
that

shows
 oldest
 respondents
 have
 the
 least
 amount
 of
 stress
 and
 burnout.
 Employees
 with
 elder
 care

responsibilities
have
higher
stress
and
burnout
scores
than
other
employees.



Flexibility
 does
 make
 a
 difference
 in
 the
 amount
 of
 stress
 and
 burnout
 respondents
 experience.
 The

more
types
of
formal
flexibility
employees
use
and
the
easier
flexibility
is
to
access,
the
less
stress
they

report.




“I
have
more
time
to
work
with
my
charity
and
feel
much
less
stress
to
try
to
get
it
all

done.
 I
 wish
 this
 had
 been
 available
 when
 my
 daughter
 was
 younger.”
 —
 Female,

formal,
compressed
workweek



“Having
flextime
really
helps
as
far
as
family
and
personal
time
to
make
appointments.

[It]
makes
life
less
stressful
and
easier.”
—
Female,
formal,
flextime
—
set
schedule,
part

time



Personal
impact
of
flexibility
on
stress
and
burnout

Whether
 respondents
 feel
 they
 have
 the
 flexibility
 they
 need
 in
 their
 work
 schedule
 to
 manage
 their

work
 and
 personal
 responsibilities
 is
 also
 significantly
 related
 to
 stress
 and
 burnout
 (see
 Figure
 20).


Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


95

 Stress
is
more
than
two
times
greater
for
employees
who
do
not
have
the
flexibility
they
need
compared

to
those
who
have
it.






 Figure
20:
Stress
and
Burnout
by
Having
the
Flexibility
Needed
to


 Manage
Work,
Personal
and
Family
Responsibilities















Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


96

 About
the
Corporate
Voices
Survey
on
Flexibility
for
Hourly
and
Nonexempt

Workers



During
 2008,
 the
 five
 organizations
 participating
 in
 the
 Innovative
 Workplace
 Flexibility
 Options
 for

Hourly
 Workers
 project
 fielded
 the
 Corporate
 Voices
 Survey
 on
 Flexibility
 for
 Hourly
 and
 Nonexempt

Workers
to
a
sample
of
their
workforce.10




Across
 the
 five
 organizations,
 2,478
 managers
 and
 employees
 were
 invited
 to
 participate.
 The
 survey

was
conducted
primarily
online,
and
printed
surveys
were
made
available
in
one
organization
in
which

employees
did
not
have
access
to
computers
or
the
Internet
at
the
workplace.




The
 final
 number
 of
 participants
 was
 1,629,
 which
 included
 211
 managers;
 1,290
 lower
 wage,

nonexempt
and
hourly
workers
who
utilize
flexibility;
and
a
small
comparison
sample
of
128
employees

who
perform
comparable
jobs
in
the
same
companies
but
do
not
use
flexibility.
Survey
response
rates

within
companies
ranged
from
48
percent
to
82
percent
with
an
average
of
64
percent.




Data
 from
 the
 five
 organizations
 were
 weighted
 equally
 in
 the
 overall
 analyses.
 Statistical
 techniques

were
used
to
control
for
company
differences
when
examining
the
relationship
of
flexibility
to
various

business
and
employee
outcomes.




Overview
of
manager
respondents




 Managers

Gender
 


Men
 33%


Women
 67%

Age
 


<
35
years
 35%


35–44
years
 24%


45–54
years
 28%


55+
years
 13%

Minority
Status
 


Nonminority
 83%


Minority
 17%

Years
at
Company
 


<
3
years
 13%


3–9
years
 36%


10+
years
 52%




Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


97

 Overview
of
employee
respondents




 Employees

Gender
 


Men
 25%


Women
 75%

Age
 


<
35
years
 35%


35–44
years
 22%


45–54
years
 29%


55+
years
 14%

Minority
Status
 


Nonminority
 82%


Minority
 18%

Household
Composition
 


Married/partnered
 65%


Single
 35%

Dependent
Care
Status
 


Parent
of
child
under
age
18
 37%


Planning
first
child
 8%

Elder
and
Adult
Dependent
Care
 


Currently
have
 16%


Expecting
in
near
future
 20%

Years
at
Company
 


<
3
years
 31%


3–9
years
 31%


10+
years
 39%

Employee
Shifts
 


Regular
daytime

 67%


Regular
evening
 12%


Regular
night
shift
 9%


Rotating
shift
 6%


Split
shift
 1%


Other
 5%








Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


98

 Definitions
of
Common
Flexible
Work
Arrangements



Formal
 flexible
 work
 arrangements
 include
 the
 following,
 although
 not
 all
 may
 be
 applicable
 for

certain
positions:3



• Flextime:
 Modification
 in
 start
 and
 end
 times,
 often
 with
 required
 core
 hours
 for
 full‐time

employees



• Compressed
 workweek:
 Compression
 of
 full‐time
 job
 responsibilities
 into
 fewer
 than
 five
 days

per
week
(often
referred
to
as
a
4/10),
or
fewer
than
10
days
in
two
weeks
(often
referred
to
as

a
9/80)



• Telework:
Full‐time
work
conducted
up
to
several
days
a
week
at
a
site
other
than
the
primary

worksite



• Remote
 work:
 Full‐time
 work
 conducted
 at
 home
 or
 another
 site
 with
 limited
 presence
 at
 a

regular
company
facility



• Part
time:
Reduced
hours
or
schedule,
with
a
corresponding
reduction
in
job
responsibilities
and

pay,
and
an
adjustment
of
benefits




• Job
 sharing:
 Two
 employees
 on
 reduced
 schedules
 and
 workload
 share
 overlapping

responsibilities
of
a
full‐time
position,
with
a
corresponding
reduction
in
pay
and
an
adjustment

of
benefits
for
each






Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


99

 Endnotes



1. According
to
the
National
Compensation
Survey,
25
percent
of
U.S.
workers
earn
$10
per
hour

or
 less,
 or
 $20,080
 or
 less
 annually
 for
 a
 40‐hour
 workweek.
 “National
 Compensation
 Survey:

Occupational
 Wages
 in
 the
 United
 States,
 July
 2004,
 Supplementary
 Tables.”
 U.S.
 Bureau
 of

Labor
Statistics.
August
2005.



2. The
Labor
Department
had
estimated
that
between
2002
and
2012,
the
economy
would
create

more
 than
 7.5
 million
 new
 jobs.
 However,
 almost
 6
 million
 of
 these
 jobs
 are
 expected
 to
 be

lower
wage
jobs
that
require
limited
education
and
provide
minimal
training.



3. With
 funding
 from
 the
 Alfred
 P.
 Sloan
 Foundation,
 Corporate
 Voices
 and
 WFD
 Consulting

collaborated
on
the
report,
The
Business
Case
for
Flexibility:
An
Imperative
for
Expansion
(2005),

which
 summarized
 internal
 business
 data
 from
 28
 major
 American
 companies
 that
 collectively

demonstrate
 a
 powerful
 business
 case
 for
 management
 and
 professional
 flexibility;
 effective

flexibility
programs
increase
productivity
drivers
such
as
commitment
and
retention
and
have
a

direct
impact
on
financial
performance.



4. This
finding
is
reported
in
The
Business
Case
for
Flexibility:
An
Imperative
for
Expansion
(2005).

See
 Workplace
 Flexibility
 for
 Lower
 Wage
 Workers
 (2006),
 a
 Corporate
 Voices
 briefing
 paper

researched
 and
 written
 by
 WFD
 Consulting,
 for
 a
 summary
 of
 research
 on
 flexibility
 for
 lower

wage
workers.



5. During
data
collection
it
was
determined
that
one
participating
company
did
not
meet
the
lower

wage
 salary
 requirements.
 A
 decision
 was
 made
 to
 include
 their
 data
 given
 the
 relevance
 of

their
flexibility
work
practices
to
the
research
objectives
and
the
applicability
of
their
experience

to
lower
wage
work
environments
with
similar
job
types
and
work
processes.




6. The
comparison
sample
of
employees
who
were
not
using
flexibility
was
smaller
than
expected

in
 the
 study
 design.
 The
 researchers
 found
 that
 in
 business
 units
 or
 departments
 in
 which

flexibility
 was
 available,
 use
 was
 widespread
 and
 it
 was
 difficult
 to
 identify
 employees
 to

participate
in
the
survey
who
were
not
using
flexibility
in
some
fashion.



7. Pitt‐Catsouphes
and
Matz‐Costa
discuss
the
concept
of
flexibility
“fit”
in
their
article
“The
multi‐
generational
workforce:
Workplace
flexibility
and
engagement,”
which
can
be
found
in
the
May

2008
issue
of
Community,
Work
&
Family,
11(2).



8. WFD’s
 Engagement
 Index
 is
 composed
 of
 seven
 items
 that
 measure
 the
 degree
 to
 which

employees
are
engaged
in
the
organization,
internalize
and
identify
with
the
company’s
goals,

want
 to
 make
 the
 company
 successful,
 and
 are
 willing
 to
 devote
 effort
 on
 its
 behalf.
 The

Engagement
Index
is
a
14‐point
scale,
which
ranges
from
a
low
of
0
to
a
high
of
14.



9. WFD’s
Stress
and
Burnout
Index
is
composed
of
seven
items
that
measure
the
degree
to
which

employees
are
able
to
manage
the
multiple
demands
of
work
and
personal/family
life
and
the

impact
 of
 the
 multiple
 demands
 of
 their
 work
 and
 personal
 responsibilities
 on
 health,
 job

performance
and
ability
to
meet
family
obligations.
The
Stress
and
Burnout
Index
is
a
14‐point

scale,
which
ranges
from
a
low
of
0
to
a
high
of
14.



Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


100

 

10. The
 Corporate
 Voices
 Survey
 on
 Flexibility
 for
 Hourly
 and
 Nonexempt
 Workers
 instrument

incorporated
many
items
from
the
WFD
survey
database.
For
a
description
of
the
WFD
survey

database
items,
see
the
May
2008
issue
of
Community,
Work
&
Family,
11(2).
Several
new
items

were
developed
in
order
to
examine
aspects
of
flexibility
pertaining
to
lower
wage
workers
that

have
 not
 been
 measured
 previously.
 In
 addition,
 the
 following
 items
 were
 adapted
 from
 the

“National
Study
of
the
Changing
Workforce
2002
Questionnaire”
and
used
with
permission
from

the
Families
and
Work
Institute:
“How
easy
or
difficult
is
it
for
you
to
take
time
off
during
the

workday
to
take
care
of
personal
or
family
matters?”;
“How
easy
or
difficult
is
it
for
you
to
take

breaks
when
you
want
to?”;
“If
you
work
full
time,
could
you
arrange
to
work
part
time
in
your

current
position?”;
“If
you
work
part
time,
could
you
arrange
to
work
full
time
in
your
current

position?”;
“How
often
are
you
required
to
work
paid
overtime
hours
or
unpaid
extra
hours
with

little
or
no
advance
notice?”;
“My
supervisor/manager
assumes
that
I
will
be
available
to
work

extra
 hours
 without
 asking
 me
 first.”;
 “In
 your
 current
 position
 have
 you
 lost
 pay
 or
 been

disciplined
or
penalized
for
missing
time
because
of
family
or
personal
responsibilities?”;
“Have

you
ever
lost
a
full‐time
job
because
of
attendance
issues
or
too
many
unscheduled
absences?”

Innovative
Workplace
Flexibility
Options
for
Hourly
Workers
 Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families


101































CORPORATE
VOICES
FOR
WORKING
FAMILIES

Corporate
Voices
for
Working
Families
is
the
leading
national
business
membership
organization
representing
the
private

sector
on
public
and
corporate
policy
issues
involving
working
families.
A
nonprofit,
nonpartisan
organization,
we

improve
the
lives
of
working
families
by
developing
and
advancing
innovative
policies
that
reflect
collaboration
among

the
private
sector,
government
and
other
stakeholders.

To
create
bipartisan
support
for
issues
affecting
working
families,
we
facilitate
research
in
areas
spotlighting
the

intersecting
interests
of
business,
community
and
families:
workforce
readiness,
family
economic
stability
and
flexibility

in
the
workplace.

Collectively
our
50
partner
companies,
with
annual
net
revenues
of
more
than
$1
trillion,
employ
more
than


4
million
individuals
throughout
all
50
states.

Our
Web
site:
www.cvworkingfamilies.org
 Our
address:
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Virginia
Ave.,
Suite
205

Washington,
DC
20037

Our
blog:
www.corporatevoices.wordpress.com

Our
phone:
202‐333‐8924

Follow
us
on
Twitter:
@corporatevoices



WFD
CONSULTING

WFD
Consulting
partners
with
its
clients
to
create
inspiring
work
environments
where
organizations
succeed
and

employees
thrive.
Their
research,
consulting
and
implementation
services
help
clients
build
a
competitive
employee

value
proposition
and
mobilize
the
full
richness,
diversity
and
potential
of
their
employees,
resulting
in
a
more
resilient,

productive
and
engaged
workforce.
For
over
25
years,
WFD
Consulting
has
been
dedicated
to
improving
business

outcomes
and
improving
the
lives
of
working
families
through
collaboration,
innovation
and
a
commitment
to
action.

Our
Web
site:
www.wfd.com Our
address:
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Street

Our
phone:
800‐447‐0543
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02458