Sunday, March 30, 1997

Workplace becoming more flexible

By DOUG WILLIAMSON

Business Editor

Remember when a job was going to the office from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and taking a hour from noon-1 p.m. for lunch?

Things have changed. The workplace has become more flexible. And, both employees and employers seem to be winners.

"It's the best thing we ever did," said Wanda Turner, transcription manager at Hendrick Medical Center. "Productivity and morale both rose."

Barry Mousa, chief operating officer at Abilene Regional Medical Center, said the flexible scheduling is good for the patient, the employee and the hospital, alike.

Teal Pemberton, xxxx at HMC, said flexible scheduling has contributed to a more cooperative workplace.

A flexible workplace can range from choices in scheduling the time you work to telecommuting, and a lot of stops in between.

Hendrick utilizes a couple of different flexibility options.

"About 80 percent of our nursing units are on 12-hour shifts," said Mike McBroom, assistant vice president for human resources. "They work three or four days a week and then are off.

"Patient care is more intensive. They need to get away for a period of time. It's a quality of life issue. Probably 80 percent of the RNs and LVNs are female. Lots are mothers."

Pemberton said the program began in the trauma and critical care units five or six years ago and has expanded throughout other units only in the last 18-24 months.

ARMC has both 8- and 12-hour shifts for its nursing staff.

It utilizes "travelers" or agency personnel to fill in the gaps, Mousa said.

"We pay this pool of personnel about 25 percent above the normal starting rate," he said. "They are on a first call basis, available if someone calls in sick. They fill in the gap in nursing, or lab or X-ray."

Hendrick also uses a pool system.

Shifts usually begin at 7 a.m., 3 p.m. and 11 p.m., but ARMC is using some flexible scheduling to have employees at work when they are needed the most.

For example, "We've done studies that found that we get a lot of phone calls at our switchboard during the noon hour," Mousa said. "Rather than having to operators there from 7-3, we bring one in from 7-3 and another from 10-6."

The HMC medical transcription department takes flexibility to even a higher level.

Turner said her transcriptionists may put in their eight hours anytime from 5 a.m.-5 p.m. - most at their homes.

"We have 11 transcriptionists and 10 of them work from their homes," she said.

Those homes aren't just across town, they are across the Big Country and Concho Valley.

Turner's employees work from their homes in places like San Angelo, Brownwood, Woodson and Abilene. Two live on ranches and one other "lives way, way out in the country."

"In 1994, our best transcriptionist wanted to go home and work. We didn't want to lose her, so we sent her home and set her up to do the work. Then the rest wanted to go home. Productivity immediately went up."

Today, only one transcriptionist remains in the office, the rest have found places at home to do the work. The hospital equipped them with computer, modem and phone lines.

"They come into the office once or twice a year for meetings," Turner said.

Doctors dictate their reports for the medical records. The transcriptionists call into the office to access the dictation. They type it up, hit one button on the computer and the report is named, saved, printed at the hospital and faxed to the doctor's office, Turner said.

"This flexibility allows the employees time to take Johnny to school or the doctor and pick up Beth and bring her home. They save on the baby-sitter, gas, clothing and lunches. They are a lot easier to supervise. There's no office gossip," Turner said.

The transcriptionists are full-time employees and they receive full benefits.

ARMC also has medical transcriptionists who work from their homes.

During the summer, some institutions of higher learning here in Abilene have gone to the four-day workweek. Officials said they keep faculty and students happy and air-conditioning bills lower.

"If we don't have programs that will encourage our people to stay, then somebody else is going to invent the next breakthrough product," said Joan Gardner, vice president of management resources at DuPont Corp. in Wilmington, Del. She was quoted in "HR Magazine."

8 common problems

"HR Magazine" reports eight common options for a flexible workplace.

1. Flextime - Flexible starting and ending times.

2. Compressed work week - Four, 10-hour days.

3. Telecommuting - Allows employees to work at home or some place other than the traditional office.

4. Permanent part-time - Steady, part-time employment, usually for a set number and configuration of hours each week.

5. Job-sharing - Allows two peple to share the responsibilities of one, full-time employee.

6. Phased or partial retirement - Employee, who is about to retire cuts back his or her hours to part-time.

7. Leave time - An authorized period away from work without loss of employment rights.

8. Contingent employment - Temporary workers, consultants, contractors, those hired for other special projects and others on a non-employment status.

Related story: Compact schedules help workers stretch