Flexible schedules in the workplace Rebecca Bilderback, P.E. Civil Engineer III, Public Works Department City of Olathe, Kansas Member, APWA Diversity Committee
his year’s diversity theme is “inclusiveness.” Inclusiveness includes the more traditional diversity categories such as different nationalities and races. However, with four generations now in the workforce, soon to be five, inclusiveness must now encompass all ages of people.
your employees would like to avoid the peak rush-hour commute times. Non-traditional start and end times can help employees balance their work and home lives by providing the option to meet family commitments or other pursuits, as for example taking night classes that benefit the employee and employer.
It is important to have all generations engaged in your workplace. Younger workers must be attracted to replace retiring employees. Employees in their 30s, 40s and 50s are needed to ensure that knowledge transfer and succession planning can take place to keep things running smoothly. Older, more experienced workers are needed to provide their vast expertise.
The four ten-hour days per week schedule is common in construction but can be an efficient option for public works field crews. It takes the same amount of time each day to mobilize out to the field and then back to the shop. When crews work 10-hour days versus 8-hour days, more time is spent on field work each day.
There are many ways to improve your workplace’s ability to attract and retain workers of all generations in the workplace such as diversity training, education on working with multiple generations, and non-discriminatory hiring practices. One often-overlooked way for organizations to recruit and retain people of all ages is to provide options for flexible work schedules.
Sabbaticals: A sabbatical is an extended period taken off work without pay for reasons other than FMLA situations. Sabbaticals can be for a couple of weeks or up to several months. This was a flexibility option discussed in the “Public Works Transcending Across Generations” panel at Congress this past September. In that particular session, it was introduced as a way to attract and retain younger employees who may want to spend some time traveling or pursuing personal interests for a few weeks before they have built up vacation time at work.
Options to provide flexibility to all generations in the workplace include the following: Flex-time: Flex-time can include starting work earlier or later than 8:00 a.m., or working a schedule something other than eight hours per day, such as four ten-hour days per week. An early or late start could be a popular option in communities where 12 APWA Reporter
January 2012
More experienced employees may be interested in sabbaticals as well. A Greatest Generation employee may want to take three months off one year to travel somewhere warm or take an extended cruise. A Baby
Boomer employee may want to take time off to take family vacations with their college-age children in the summer or take a sailing trip. Many employees believe they can only get extended time away from work when moving between jobs. Providing an option for employees to get a break while staying at their current workplace can reduce turnover. Part-Time Schedule: Part-time is a weekly schedule less than 40 hours per week. Offering a parttime schedule is a good way to get a Generation Y employee involved in your workplace as they are finishing college. It can be a way to keep Generation X and Baby Boomers in the workplace as they are trying to balance work with family commitments such as caring for an elderly parent. A part-time schedule is one way to keep experienced employees in your workplace in a semi-retirement or even bring people back from retirement to assist with knowledge transfer and mentorship of younger employees. Work from Home: In a work from home scenario, employees produce some or all of their work from home rather than in the office. This flexibility option is sometimes referred to as telecommuting. In today’s 24/7 world where many employees are already connected to the office after hours through cell phones or laptops, a work from home schedule is often a feasible option. This option can keep employees productive on the occasional day when they may need to stay home
