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07/07/2020

Consider Letting Workers Set Their Schedules

Ask these four questions

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed the workplace in ways that will permanently transform the future of most organizations. Many leaders have been forced to craft new and improved strategies for successfully running an office remotely, building environments that help — not hurt – our immune systems, and developing guidelines to enforce safety measures like social distancing. Perhaps the most common change designed to address all of these areas is rethinking employee schedules, whether it is to support changes in work-life balance, to minimize social contact, or to meet wavering business demands. The traditional nine-to-five workday is no longer the gold standard.

The pandemic has put nurses, doctors, grocery store workers, delivery drivers and others who often work irregular hours in the spotlight. But the reality is that nonstandard work schedules are common, and every organization that is re-imagining the workplace should be cognizant of the pros and cons of implementing them. Schedules can affect a host of important outcomes for employees, both personal and professional.

We recently conducted a review of 153 academic articles examining how working a nonstandard schedule affects employee attitudes, behavior, physical and psychological health, as well as their personal and family life.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Harvard Business Review.

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