Squeeze people and they complain

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My company is going to try out a compressed work week schedule starting in April, so we can get every second Friday off. This is in response to a survey done more than a year ago in which more family time was identified as a priority among the employees.

The rules are simple:

(1) Monday – Thursday we work 8.5 hours
(2) First Friday is 7.0 hours, second Friday is off.

Total hours worked over those two weeks 75.0.

Apparently this is causing a lot of people to get up in arms, because they are finding it incredibly inconvenient.

I find it amazing how sensitive people are to small changes and what a big fuss they put up (you can see e-mails flying about).

I think it is a sad comment on ingrained inflexibility – please do not disturb my comfortable quasi-isolated little paradise.

I can understand those voicing childcare concerns – after all, daycare has fairly fixed hours, but the biggest childcare gripes seem to come from those who have a nanny.

Comments

my imperfect offering said…
Wow, that sounds great to me! We currently work a "9/80" schedule here. The first week we work 9-9-9-9-8 (Monday thru Friday), then the second week 9-9-9-9 (with Friday off). Your schedule sounds much better! :)
March 08, 2006 5:55 PM
Richard said…
I guess that's because we only "officially" work a 37-1/2 hour week.

The reality is not too different - on a normal week I probably clock in a little over 40 (hmmm ... maybe that's why I'm not management material - need to put in more 60+ hour weeks, that and learn to play golf)
March 09, 2006 12:37 PM
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