Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Structure of Work in the American Economy

The structure of work in the American economy is in a period of transition as the 1990s approach. Externally, both international and domestic pressures demand increased productivity from organizations. Internally, employees demand greater participation in the organizational decisions which affect their lives. One of the factors which is involved in each of these pressure areas is the scheduling or organizational work time for employees. Several different alternatives to the standard 40hour per week, eighthour per day work week have been suggested, and, on limited scales, implemented. Among these alternatives are job sharing, flextime, and the fourday work week. The research study proposed will examine the fourday work week alternative.

In the 1990s, organizations must develop structures and systems which will permit them to integrate often conflicting demands. One set of often conflicting demands pits employee pressures for changes in the standard 40hour per week, eighthour per day work week against demands for increased

productivity. A change in the standard work week need not lead to productivity reductions. The effect of such a change on productivity will depend largely on the structure of the new system, and how well the characteristics of the new system meshes with organizational requirements. An ill considered, hasty change, however, could potentially cause a serious deterioration in productivity. On the other hand, a well planned change in system might not only maintain productivity levels, but could conceivably lead to improvements in productivity. Within this framework of potentially conflicting demands on the organization, the proposed research study will investigate the following questions:

1. Can productivity levels be maintained if a fourday work week is substituted for the standard work week?

2. Can productivity levels be improved if a fourday work week is substituted for the stand...

Page 1 of 11 Next >

More on Structure of Work in the American Economy...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Structure of Work in the American Economy. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:31, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1691714.html