9to5 study finds part-time is win-win

A study has profiled 15 companies, and all agree employees should be allowed to work part-time hours without being penalized.

The employers, all from Wisconsin, were surveyed by 9to5 as part of a study funded by The Sloan Foundation. All found providing quality part-time options was beneficial to the business in a number of ways, including improved retention, increased morale, efficiency and productivity, and improved customer service. Researchers also collected information on best practices for managing part-timers. They included creating a fair workload for other staff, encouraging and training supervisors to be open about part-time options and manage them effectively, involving employees in resolving scheduling conflicts, and sending a clear message that employees are encouraged to use the options and the company wants all staff to achieve integration of work and personal life. "It's absolutely been worth the investment," says John Horky, a Principal at Kahler Slater, a Milwaukee design firm. His company has found replacement costs can run 300% of a person's salary. Adds Anne Wakeham, Director of Client Services at Covance, Inc. in Madison, "How can you not do it? It's so easy." Call us for a copy of the study.

# 19812 Press release, 9to5, 1-24-05

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