Workers more satisfied, productive with flexible hours
November 14, 2011 By Jared Wadley
(PhysOrg.com) -- Employers can expect higher worker satisfaction and production if the company offers flexible hours that allow employees to handle crises and short-term family commitments, a new University of Michigan study indicates.
When the demands of personal and family life come up against rigid company policies, workers often feel compelled to maneuver around these formal rules.
Lawrence Root, a professor at the School of Social Work, and the Alford Young, Jr. chair of the Department of Sociology in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, examined how Midwest factory workers created opportunities for short-term flexibility at their jobs.
The workers were able to cope with their family situations, such as dealing with child care or attending their child's sporting event, when they had sympathetic supervisors and supportive co-workers, the research showed.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-11-workers-productive-flexible-hours.html