Devjani Mishra Quoted in HRWire
“The Pros and Cons of Compressed Work Schedules”

Devjani Mishra was quoted in the September 16, 2008 HRWire article, “The Pros and Cons of Compressed Work Schedules.” The article discussed the advantages and disadvantages of compressed work schedules. According to the article, the benefits of a compressed work week include flexibility, recruiting/retention improvements and higher productivity. Devjani noted some of the disadvantages for employers to consider. She advised employers to carefully assess the impact compressed schedules could have on their federal and state wage and hour obligations. She explained that "The employer's perspective has to be governed by the existing wage-hour framework. In many states, [the law] assumes anything over eight hours in a work day is overtime. Many states also require meal and rest  breaks after a specified number of hours. An employer has to weigh the increased administrative burdens/expenses of the compressed schedule against the perceived benefits."

Devjani also observed that "The employer might see benefits based upon employees having the flexibility to deal with personal matters on a regular weekday, therefore not taking unanticipated 'sick' or personal time off to handle them, but this is kind of an immeasurable projection." She further noted that "Unionized employers must consider the opposition of many unions to longer workdays and to working beyond eight hours a day without overtime compensation. There are special considerations in any union environment, where hours of work are typically dictated by the collective bargaining agreement.”