When most of us think of a job, we immediately think of 8 to 5, Monday through Friday. But these days there are many more options available, from job sharing to flextime, 4-10s to telecommuting. Workers 鈥� including many University employees 鈥� are finding new ways to meet their obligations.
Take Sue Bartroff, for example. Fifteen years ago she was a typical fiscal specialist working a normal schedule in the Zoology Department. Then, her son suffered a cataclysmic brain injury. Suddenly, Bartroff found her responsibilities as a worker conflicting mightily with her responsibilities as a parent. So when the faculty came to her and asked what they could do to help, Bartroff requested a change in her schedule so that she could have one day off each week. What was worked out was 鈥�4-10s,鈥� four 10-hour days, giving Bartroff Mondays off to deal with her new challenges.
鈥淭hat was the first time such a thing had been authorized in the department, and it required a vote of the faculty,鈥� Bartroff says.
But it worked out so well that she has continued the schedule to this day, arriving at her office at 5 a.m. and leaving at 4, Tuesday through Friday.
鈥淭hose three hours in the morning when I can work without interruptions are the best of the day,鈥� Bartroff says.
Bartroff鈥檚 story is fairly typical of 91探花staffers on flextime, according to Bruce Miller, a human resource analyst at the University 鈥� though the actual process is simpler today. 鈥淚t鈥檚 usually a matter of an employee wanting to work a flexible schedule and approaching a supervisor with the idea,鈥� he says.
In most cases, if the supervisor and the employee agree, all that鈥檚 required is a memo in the employee鈥檚 file stating the schedule that has been agreed to.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 need to be reported centrally,鈥� Miller says. 鈥淭he memo is there for documentation purposes, but HR does not keep a central record of each employee鈥檚 designated work schedule.鈥�
The main sticking point is making sure that the needs of the department are being met with the alternative schedule. Irene Arden, for example, a counselor with Counseling and Career Services at 91探花Bothell, has worked a number of part-time schedules, including two 10-hour days and two 8-hour days plus one 4-hour.
But her schedule has been built around the needs of the students she serves 鈥� mostly adults returning to school and working at the same time. Right now she works 9 a.m.鈥�7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1鈥�7:30 p.m. Thursday and 1-5 p.m. Friday. The evening hours, she says, are very popular with students. And the schedule pleases her because she鈥檒l be able to open a private practice during the off-work hours.
That kind of balance between the needs of the employee and the needs of the office is crucial, says Patsy Wosepka. Wosepka currently does special projects for the Business School, but for many years was the director of the undergraduate program office there and had a number of employees on flexible schedules.
鈥淭he atmosphere we set up in our office was, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to be as flexible as we can for you, as long as you鈥檙e flexible in return,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淲e had a really nice give and take. People felt they were being treated respectfully as independent individuals, so I never got 鈥楾hat isn鈥檛 part of my job,鈥� or 鈥業 only work till 5.鈥欌��
One caveat is that Wosepka was supervising mostly staff who are not eligible for overtime. Miller says that when an employee is eligible for overtime, then special care must be taken in formulating the schedule and in record keeping to maintain compliance with applicable regulations and/or labor contract provisions. HR consultants are always available, he says, to consult on this or any other question connected with flextime.
HR鈥檚 knowledge of flextime isn鈥檛 entirely theoretical, either. Two HR consultants, Amy Hawkins and Caroline Currin, have been sharing one full-time position for about a year and a half. Both women have young children and are committed to part-time work, but enjoy the challenge of the consultant job.
It was Hawkins who had the idea of job sharing first. She and another woman in a different HR division 鈥� both full timers 鈥� had babies at the same time and asked their department head if they could share one job and open the other up for a new hire. That worked out so well that when Hawkins heard there were openings for consultants, she approached that department head about a job share. Currin, meanwhile, asked about part-time work. The two were eventually hired to share a consultant鈥檚 job.
Hawkins works Monday, Tuesday and half of Wednesday, while Currin does the other half of Wednesday, along with Thursday and Friday. They have overlapping time on Wednesday for meetings and to exchange information.
Both women love the arrangement but say it requires extra effort on their part to make it work. 鈥淭he type of work we do is fluid,鈥� Hawkins says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 relationship building. You鈥檙e continuing a process with a client. It鈥檚 not very often that I can talk to them once and it鈥檚 done. So the communication between Caroline and me has to be constant. We both need to be up to speed on everything鈥檚 that happened.鈥�
That, Currin says, means a lot of calling and e-mailing to the party who鈥檚 not in the office at a given time. But both women are more than willing to pay that price.
鈥淭his allows me to give the time I want to give to my family and be very focused when I am at work,鈥� Currin says.
Family was also the reason Robyn Eifertsen undertook a different kind of work arrangement 鈥� telecommuting. Eifertsen, a media relations representative in News & Information, had a baby in September and since her return from maternity leave has been working from home two days a week. She and her husband, doctoral candidate Dyne Eifertsen, juggle care of their son around his teaching schedule.
鈥淚t鈥檚 worked out pretty well,鈥� Eifertsen says. 鈥淚鈥檓 able to do things like interviews and writing and still keep track of the baby.鈥�
Eifertsen鈥檚 greatest difficulties, in fact, have had to do with home computer equipment that isn鈥檛 as speedy or versatile as what鈥檚 at the office. And there鈥檚 the psychological effect of not having colleagues to cheer you on. But on the whole she鈥檚 been pleased with the arrangement.
For employees interested in flextime arrangements, or supervisors who have been asked to allow it, there is a lot of help available. In addition to the HR consultants already mentioned, HR has a Web page on flexible and alternative work arrangements in general () and another on telecommuting (). Randi Shapiro, manager of the Work/Life Office in HR, says her office is willing to advise employees interested in alternative schedules and has some useful printed information, such as sample proposals prepared by those seeking permission to work such schedules.
Flextime won鈥檛 work for every employee or every work area. Miller says employees should try to think of all the consequences before they propose alternative schedules. 鈥淪uppose, for example, a holiday falls on a day you鈥檙e scheduled to work 10 hours,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e a full time employee you鈥檒l receive your regular day鈥檚 pay (10 hours) but the holiday is only 鈥榳orth鈥� 8 hours. The difference must normally be accounted for through use of paid leave or a schedule adjustment the week of the holiday. Is that going to be okay with you?鈥�
And in the end, no employee can work an alternative schedule without the approval of his or her supervisor. It鈥檚 a favor many supervisors are surprisingly willing to grant. 鈥淚 just believe in it,鈥� says Bartroff鈥檚 supervisor Kathryn Hahn, who has had several employees work alternative schedules over the years. 鈥淚 think that when people feel they have a little flexibility in their hours that they feel empowered somehow. They don鈥檛 feel like they鈥檙e chained to their jobs.鈥�