Time on their side

Entrepreneur, Nov, 2004 by Chris Penttila

How would you use an extra hour away from the office? When staffing firm Ajilon Finance put this question to 582 U.S. workers recently, 42 percent said they would prefer to accumulate the hours and have a day off every month, while about 30 percent said they would leave work a bit earlier each day.

Giving employees an additional hour or two of flexibility here and there can work well as an employee reward. In fact, when OfficeTeam, a temporary office staffing firm, asked 613 U.S. employees last summer what would give them greater job satisfaction, 33 percent said more scheduling flexibility.

"In an entrepreneurial venture, you're working ridiculous hours," says Anthony McClure, an adjunct business professor at SMU Cox School of Business in Dallas and president of The Peregrine Group International, a marketing and security firm. "It can burn people out."

Letting employees telecommute one morning a week, incorporating part-time work, offering compressed workweeks, or closing the office a few hours early on Fridays during the summer are just a few ways to add flexibility, says Barbara Moses, a management expert and author of What Next? The Complete Guide to Taking Control of Your Working Life.

A little spontaneity once in a while doesn't hurt, either. "You might just say 'There's a [baseball game] this afternoon. Who wants to go?'" McClure says. When the economy surges, you could be glad you took the time to ask.