Flexibility: Compressed
Workweeks - Success Stories
(SAMPLE –
to be replaced by Our Company)
Here are two examples of how compressed workweeks have been used
successfully at other organizations:
Monica Mosley, Bo Jonsson, Stephen Antrim, Randy Ross and Sylvia
Pachouli
Client Service Representatives, Social Work
Last year a group of five client service representatives
requested a change from their Monday - Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
schedules to compressed workweeks that would have each of them working
four 10-hour days. Their proposals had two of them taking Fridays off,
two Mondays and one Thursday.
The proposed arrangement provided extra staffing on Tuesdays and
Wednesdays, the department’s busiest days, and reduced staffing on
Mondays and Fridays, the lightest days. It also provided expanded hours
for clients every day. Many clients had been asking for appointments
before or after they went to work.
By having some staff start as early as 7 a.m. and others stay as
late as 7 p.m., the department was able to offer clients 10 hours a week
of appointments before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m.
Their manager, Barney Owens looked at the business benefits of the
proposals and accepted them.
The five employees had already worked as a team, covering for one
another when one or more were in meetings, seeing clients, sick or on
vacation. They
cross trained one another to know enough about each other’s cases to
be able to respond to basic questions and requests.
They continue to do this under the compressed workweek
arrangement.
Under the new arrangement more clients are being seen and client
satisfaction has improved significantly. Barney and the five employees
are all more than pleased with this arrangement and expect to continue
it as long as it meets business and their own needs.
Dan
Drew, Finance Specialist, Online Finance
Dan was excited when the company developed its flexible work
arrangements policy. He knew he wanted to work a nine-day compressed
workweek, having one day off every other week.
Dan originally wanted to take either Monday or Fridays off, but those
are busy days in Finance. When he presented his proposal to Joan
Comfort, she said she couldn’t accept a proposal with a Monday or
Friday flex day.
Dan went back to the drawing board and suggested he have every
other Wednesday off.
He also asked to come in an hour earlier each day, leaving at the
same time he usually left. Since he is based on the west coast and works
with people in Our Company’s Denver office, he felt this arrangement
made sense.
Joan agreed. She knew that Dan was a solid performer and a person she
could trust. She
was also impressed that he had talked to one of his colleagues who
agreed to cover for him on Wednesdays, the lightest day in the office.
Dan has been working this compressed “9/100%” schedule (that is,
getting 100% of his work done in nine days over a two-week period
instead of 10) for two years now.
Does he get to take every other Wednesday off?
Not always.
There are some weeks when there is just too much work to do.
But he has not worked a Saturday since he’s been on this
schedule (he occasionally had to do that when he was working 8am-5pm).
And, when he does take a Wednesday off he does not feel guilty
because he knows his work is getting done. |
|
|
|
|
