How to Implement an Alternative Work Week Schedule
As the owner or manager of a company, you should strive to keep your employees happy and efficient. One way to do this is to implement an alternative work schedule arrangement. Your employees will appreciate it, morale will improve and you will see productivity increases as a result.
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Instructions
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Implemeting the Alternative Schedule
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To determine if implementing an alternative work schedule is best for your company, you must first assess the benefits. Studies have shown that flexible arrangements can cut overhead costs such as electricity, improve morale, and lower absenteeism.
It can also benefit employees as well by reducing their gasoline or transportation costs, reducing dependent care costs and better overall job satisfaction.
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You will need to review which employees or departments will be eligible for the alternative arrangement depending on your business needs. You may need at least one or two people in the office if you need someone to answer the phone during all normal business hours. If your business provides customer support, it will be important to still maintain your service level commitments to your customers. Additionally, employees will still need to cover meetings with clients, attend conference calls with vendors and meet all deadlines.
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Decide on an alternative schedule. There are many different variations of alternative work schedules. You will need to decide if you are going to adopt just one method or implement several. Here are some examples;
Compressed Work Week: This consists three or four 10-hour days.
Flex Time: Allows employees to choose their start and end time per day based on guidelines. For example, you might want to offer employees the option to start anywhere between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. as long as they work 8 hours per day.
Variable Schedule Days: This allows employees to choose how many hours to work per day as long as they get their 40 hours in each week. Someone can choose to work 10 hours one day and 6 hours another day.
980 Schedule: Employees on this schedule, in a two-week period, work eight 9-hour days, one 8-hour day and get every other Friday off.
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It is important to write up a policy detailing the new work schedule. In the policy, you will want to include details on the alternative schedule, which employees and/or departments will be affected, if employees can choose what schedule they would like and what the consequences will be for not adhering to the alternative work schedule. Enlist the help of managers, supervisors and key employees in drafting the policy.
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Implement the flexible policy. Share with employees benefits of the change and review the policy with them. Also, give employees advance notice so they can adjust or implement child care, ride sharing or transportation as needed.
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Tips & Warnings
In going to a compressed work week schedule, it's best to alternate employees' days off. This gives you coverage throughout the week instead of everyone having the same day or same days off.
Double-check with your state government to see if there are any laws that may affect your new schedule.
