Alternative Work Schedules in the Federal Government

The Federal Employees Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules Act provided for a 3-year experiment to evaluate the impact of alternative work schedules on: efficiency of Government operations; mass transit facilities and traffic; levels of energy consumption; service to the public; increased opportunity for full-time and part-time employment; and individuals and families in general. The experiment encountered difficulties because of the impact of hiring freezes, budgetary constraints, and personnel ceilings. It was hard to measure the program's impact on energy consumption because of the small sample size of the work units which occupied only portions of buildings. Reliable measurements of productivity have not been developed for many Federal jobs. While the experiment has not provided conclusive data on the impact of the program, it has generated considerable data which indicate that alternative work schedules have had positive impacts. There is little evidence that alternative work schedules have had any significant negative impacts. Studies in the private and public sectors have generated similar results. Proposed legislation appears to provide a reasonable framework for permitting agencies to use alternative work schedules in appropriate circumstances, while providing for a continuous review of the effects. However, Congress needs to define the objectives which it believes alternative work schedules should achieve so that agencies and the Office of Personnel Management will have a basis for determining whether alternative work schedules should be used. It is also important to emphasize the need for management's commitment to planning, monitoring, and assessing the implementation of alternative schedules to insure that they provide positive benefits to the Government as well as to the employees.