opportunity : Flexible Workplace :
Compressed work schedules

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1 A compressed work schedule is a working arrangement through which a staff member works the required weekly hours (e.g. 40 hours per week) but instead of spreading those hours over a traditional five-day week:

• may work the weekly 40 hours during four days (often called a four-day week); or
• may work the fortnightly 80 hours during nine days (often called a nine-day fortnight); or
• may work some other compressed schedule that delivers the required number of hours’ work in less than a conventional week.

Thus the staff member can plan to take a regular day off every week/fortnight, or a regular half-day off every week, etc.

2 Unless there are overwhelming reasons to the contrary (e.g. supervision, essential service delivery, workplace safety) all staff should have access to compressed work schedules. It also should be noted that, as with other flexible workplace practices, a compressed work schedule is not necessarily ongoing. A compressed work schedule can be established to accommodate the particular circumstances of a staff member for a particular time, e.g. 6-12 months.

Potential benefits of compressed work schedules
3 Compressed work schedules offer a number of potential benefits to staff members, including:

• providing extra time to spend on studies or professional development;
• providing extra time to spend with children, parents, community, etc.;
• reducing costs for childcare, transportation or other daily work-related expenses; and
• reducing commuting time.

Possible drawbacks of compressed work schedules
4 The potential problems that may arise with compressed work schedules include:

• increased stress in some roles, due to spending longer hours or days in the workplace and, consequently, increased risk of burnout;
• lack of supervision for some hours of the working day; and
• possible reduction in personal productivity or customer service as a consequence of increased stress or burnout.

5 Specific administrative arrangements for payroll, leave and holidays may also need to be established by the Center’s HR group.

Developing a policy framework for implementing compressed work schedule arrangements
6 Developing detailed practices for implementing a compressed work schedule policy is similar to developing flexible working hours. Thus it would normally be guided by the following basic principles.

Access to compressed work schedules
7 Unless there are overwhelming reasons to the contrary (e.g. supervision, essential service delivery, workplace safety), all staff should have access to compressed work schedules.

Focus of flexibility
8 Flexibility should be provided over a period of a week or a fortnight. The staff member’s day off (or half-day off) can be required on the same day each week/fortnight, if this is necessary for scheduling work across teams.

Operational issues
9 Staff members and their managers should communicate pro-actively to ensure that necessary work outputs or services are delivered when staff members are working with compressed work schedules.

10 Managers should appraise performance based on output and required competencies, rather than observation of working patterns.

Other issues
11 Centers need to determine how to deal with paid holidays that fall on a staff member’s day (or part-day) off.

© CGIAR Gender & Diversity Program 2006