How well could this level of flexible scheduling work in another industry? For example, consider scheduling in a steel mill.

Case Study: Chapter 4, p 142 “Bon Secours Health Care”

• How well could this level of flexible scheduling work in another industry? For example, consider scheduling in a steel mill.

The nature of flexible scheduling itself advocates a control by the employees over their schedules. For example if we have a flexible schedule in an organization, the employees would be able to enjoy flexibility in deciding their own working hours. Also depending on the nature of work, flexible scheduling would allow the employees to even work from home. Especially in the case of software programmers who might find it easy to schedule their working hours at their home and be in contact with other team members via online working platforms like ASANA.

Flexible scheduling is not only beneficial for the employees, it can also benefit the organization that the employees work for. The organization is highly concerned with productivity, employees may feel comfortable within a flexible scheduling environment and be more productive. In some cases, employees working from home can save the organization valuable resources like utilities and office spaces.

Flexible scheduling can be utilized in many industrial setups. In the case of a steel mill, it can also benefit. For example the nature of a steel mill industry is that it has a 24/7 functioning requirements. In such a situation, the employees can set together and decide shift that each employees feels comfortable with. The steel mill can adopt to strategies like increased hourly payments on weekends and night shift to motivate the employees to opt to work in these shifts. I think that flexible scheduling would add to the productivity of a steel mill.

• Identify other potential flexible work ideas that Bon Secours might use.

Flexible scheduling can be used in all healthcare setups in my opinion. Apart from the strategies utilized by Bon Secours, there are many other flexible scheduling option available. The following are a few of them.

Create own work time schedule: This is a great strategy that can be utilized by the employees at Bon Secours. In this strategy, the employees would need to collaborate with each other in forming work schedules that are best for each one of them. This does not mean that there would not be any flexibility shown by the employees. In fact the success of this strategy depends on the cooperation of the employees to understand each other needs and identify the needs of the organization and work together.  

Shift Switching: Employees can shift switch with each other. This is a great strategy if any employee confronts an unforeseen circumstance like a family emergency. They can talk to another coworker and request them to help them out via a shift switch.

• Flexible scheduling is common in health care. What would be the likely result without flexible scheduling?

We know that healthcare is an industry based on working with humans with medical conditions. This profession is a tough profession and a lot of motivation and dedication is required in it. In the absence of a flexible schedule, I believe that people working in the healthcare industry would feel frustrated and exhausted. We have to be aware that medical professionals might have to work in conditions that we, as ordinary citizens can’t even imagine. For example they have to treat severely injured people in accidents and other medical emergencies. Therefore, with flexible scheduling, they can feel in control of their job and have the extra motivation they need to work in emergency like situations.