The conventional wisdom is that employees would be happier and more productive if freed from their rigid 9-to-5 schedule. But that's not necessarily so, say psychologists at Northern Illinois University after reviewing the results of 28 studies that examined the impact of alternative work schedules on employee well-being. The researchers looked at flextime, which lets employees set their own hours, and at compressed workweeks, where employees typically put in four 10-hour days.
While the findings do justify giving staffers some freedom as to when they show up, the benefits aren't as dramatic as jealous 9-to-5ers might expect. For one thing, professionals and managers aren't any happier or more efficient when allowed to work their own hours--although this may be because they already have the autonomy to adjust their schedules to outside demands.
