Longer days, shorter weeks: Compressed work weeks in policing

Public Personnel Management

Volumn 26, Issue 3, 1997, Pages 391-402

  Vega, Arturo ^a   Gilbert, Michael J ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO   (United States)

^b NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0031215173     PISSN: 00910260     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/009102609702600308     Document Type: Article

References (44)

1. Park, Kee O. "Expenditure Patterns and Interactions Among Local Governments in Metropolitan Areas." Urban Affairs Quarterly 29 (1994): 535-564; Morgan, David. R. and William J. Pammer. "Coping With Fiscal Stress - Predicting the Use of Financial Management Practices Among U.S. Cities." Urban Affairs Quarterly 24
2. Park, Kee O. "Expenditure Patterns and Interactions Among Local Governments in Metropolitan Areas." Urban Affairs Quarterly 29 (1994): 535-564; Morgan, David. R. and William J. Pammer. "Coping With Fiscal Stress - Predicting the Use of Financial Management Practices Among U.S. Cities." Urban Affairs Quarterly 24
3. Glickman, Albert S. and Zeniz Brown. Changing Schedules of Work - Patterns and Implications Washington, D.C.: The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 1974; Tepas, Donald. I. 1985. Flextime, Compressed Workweeks and Other Alternative Work Schedules. In Hour of Work - Temporal Factors In Work-Scheduling, ed. Simon Folkard and Timothy H. Monk. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., 1985.
4. Glickman, Albert S. and Zeniz Brown. Changing Schedules of Work - Patterns and Implications Washington, D.C.: The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 1974; Tepas, Donald. I. 1985. Flextime, Compressed Workweeks and Other Alternative Work Schedules. In Hour of Work - Temporal Factors In Work-Scheduling, ed. Simon Folkard and Timothy H. Monk. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., 1985.
5. Ronen, Simcha and Sophia Primps. "The Compressed as Organizational Change Behavioral and Attitudinal Outcomes." Academy of Management Review 6 (1981): 61-74, define a compressed work week as a "work schedule in which a trade is made between the number of hours worked per day, and the number of days worked per week, in order to work the standard number of weekly hours in less than five days."
6. One hour and 20 minutes per day is alloted for shift change overlap between in-coming and out-going shifts. The out-going shift uses this time for report writing and participation in a "wellness" physical fitness program.
7. See Northup, Herbert R. "The Twelve Hour Shift in North American Mini-Steel Industry." Journal of Labor Research 12 (1991): 261-781; Flaim, Paul. O. "Work Schedules of Americans: An Overview of New Findings." Monthly labor Review 109 (1986): 3-6 ; Hung, Rudy. "Multiple Shift Workforce Scheduling Under the 3-4 Workweek with Different Weekday and Weekend Labor Requirements." Management Science 40 (1994): 280-84.
8. See Northup, Herbert R. "The Twelve Hour Shift in North American Mini-Steel Industry." Journal of Labor Research 12 (1991): 261-781; Flaim, Paul. O. "Work Schedules of Americans: An Overview of New Findings." Monthly labor Review 109 (1986): 3-6 ; Hung, Rudy. "Multiple Shift Workforce Scheduling Under the 3-4 Workweek with Different Weekday and Weekend Labor Requirements." Management Science 40 (1994): 280-84.
9. See Northup, Herbert R. "The Twelve Hour Shift in North American Mini-Steel Industry." Journal of Labor Research 12 (1991): 261-781; Flaim, Paul. O. "Work Schedules of Americans: An Overview of New Findings." Monthly labor Review 109 (1986): 3-6 ; Hung, Rudy. "Multiple Shift Workforce Scheduling Under the 3-4 Workweek with Different Weekday and Weekend Labor Requirements." Management Science 40 (1994): 280-84.
10. San Diego County, California, is the only other known county Sheriff's Department currently using a compressed work week.
11. Hung, Rudy. "Multiple Shift Workforce Scheduling Under the 3-4 Workweek with Different Weekday and Weekend Labor Requirements." Management Science 40 (1994): 280-84; Blyton, Paul. Changes in Working Time. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985; Fournet, Myron. "The 12 Hour Shift: A Workable Alternative." The Police Chief 50 (1983): 57-59.
12. Hung, Rudy. "Multiple Shift Workforce Scheduling Under the 3-4 Workweek with Different Weekday and Weekend Labor Requirements." Management Science 40 (1994): 280-84; Blyton, Paul. Changes in Working Time. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985; Fournet, Myron. "The 12 Hour Shift: A Workable Alternative." The Police Chief 50 (1983): 57-59.
13. Hung, Rudy. "Multiple Shift Workforce Scheduling Under the 3-4 Workweek with Different Weekday and Weekend Labor Requirements." Management Science 40 (1994): 280-84; Blyton, Paul. Changes in Working Time. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985; Fournet, Myron. "The 12 Hour Shift: A Workable Alternative." The Police Chief 50 (1983): 57-59.
14. Nollen, Stanley D. New Work Schedules in Practice. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1982; Dunham, Randall B. and Donald L. Hawk. "The Four Day/Forty Hour Week: Who Wants It?" Academy of Management Journal 20 (1977): 644-655 ; Ronen, Simcha and Sophia Primps. "The Compressed as Organizational Change Behavioral and Attitudinal Outcomes." Academy of Management Review 6 (1981): 61-74; Breaugh, James A. "The 12-Hour Work Day: Differing Employee Reactions." Personnel Psychology 36 (1983): 277-288; Steele, James L. and R. Poor. "Work and Leisure: The Reactions of People at 4-Day Firms." In 4 Days, 40 Hours, ed. R. Poor, 105-122. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Bursk and Poor Publishing, 1970.
15. Nollen, Stanley D. New Work Schedules in Practice. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1982; Dunham, Randall B. and Donald L. Hawk. "The Four Day/Forty Hour Week: Who Wants It?" Academy of Management Journal 20 (1977): 644-655 ; Ronen, Simcha and Sophia Primps. "The Compressed as Organizational Change Behavioral and Attitudinal Outcomes." Academy of Management Review 6 (1981): 61-74; Breaugh, James A. "The 12-Hour Work Day: Differing Employee Reactions." Personnel Psychology 36 (1983): 277-288; Steele, James L. and R. Poor. "Work and Leisure: The Reactions of People at 4-Day Firms." In 4 Days, 40 Hours, ed. R. Poor, 105-122. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Bursk and Poor Publishing, 1970.
16. Nollen, Stanley D. New Work Schedules in Practice. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1982; Dunham, Randall B. and Donald L. Hawk. "The Four Day/Forty Hour Week: Who Wants It?" Academy of Management Journal 20 (1977): 644-655 ; Ronen, Simcha and Sophia Primps. "The Compressed as Organizational Change Behavioral and Attitudinal Outcomes." Academy of Management Review 6 (1981): 61-74; Breaugh, James A. "The 12-Hour Work Day: Differing Employee Reactions." Personnel Psychology 36 (1983): 277-288; Steele, James L. and R. Poor. "Work and Leisure: The Reactions of People at 4-Day Firms." In 4 Days, 40 Hours, ed. R. Poor, 105-122. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Bursk and Poor Publishing, 1970.
17. Nollen, Stanley D. New Work Schedules in Practice. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1982; Dunham, Randall B. and Donald L. Hawk. "The Four Day/Forty Hour Week: Who Wants It?" Academy of Management Journal 20 (1977): 644-655 ; Ronen, Simcha and Sophia Primps. "The Compressed as Organizational Change Behavioral and Attitudinal Outcomes." Academy of Management Review 6 (1981): 61-74; Breaugh, James A. "The 12-Hour Work Day: Differing Employee Reactions." Personnel Psychology 36 (1983): 277-288; Steele, James L. and R. Poor. "Work and Leisure: The Reactions of People at 4-Day Firms." In 4 Days, 40 Hours, ed. R. Poor, 105-122. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Bursk and Poor Publishing, 1970.
18. Nollen, Stanley D. New Work Schedules in Practice. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1982; Dunham, Randall B. and Donald L. Hawk. "The Four Day/Forty Hour Week: Who Wants It?" Academy of Management Journal 20 (1977): 644-655 ; Ronen, Simcha and Sophia Primps. "The Compressed as Organizational Change Behavioral and Attitudinal Outcomes." Academy of Management Review 6 (1981): 61-74; Breaugh, James A. "The 12-Hour Work Day: Differing Employee Reactions." Personnel Psychology 36 (1983): 277-288; Steele, James L. and R. Poor. "Work and Leisure: The Reactions of People at 4-Day Firms." In 4 Days, 40 Hours, ed. R. Poor, 105-122. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Bursk and Poor Publishing, 1970.
19. Nollen, Stanley D. New Work Schedules in Practice. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1982.
20. Faught, Millard C. "The 3-Day Revolution To Come: 3 Day Workweek, 4-Day Weekend." In 4 Days, 40 Hours - Reporting a Revolution in Work and Leisure, ed. R. Poor, 133-141. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Bursk and Poor Publishing, 1970.
21. Steele, James L. and R. Poor. "Work and Leisure: The Reactions of People at 4-Day Firms." In 4 Days, 40 Hours, ed. R. Poor, 105-122. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Bursk and Poor Publishing, 1970; Fournet, "The 12 Hour Shift," 57-59 ; William W. Stenzel and William R. Buren, "Police Work Scheduling: An Important and Manageable Function," The Police Chief 50 (1983): 54-56.
22. Steele, James L. and R. Poor. "Work and Leisure: The Reactions of People at 4-Day Firms." In 4 Days, 40 Hours, ed. R. Poor, 105-122. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Bursk and Poor Publishing, 1970; Fournet, "The 12 Hour Shift," 57-59 ; William W. Stenzel and William R. Buren, "Police Work Scheduling: An Important and Manageable Function," The Police Chief 50 (1983): 54-56.
23. Steele, James L. and R. Poor. "Work and Leisure: The Reactions of People at 4-Day Firms." In 4 Days, 40 Hours, ed. R. Poor, 105-122. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Bursk and Poor Publishing, 1970; Fournet, "The 12 Hour Shift," 57-59 ; William W. Stenzel and William R. Buren, "Police Work Scheduling: An Important and Manageable Function," The Police Chief 50 (1983): 54-56.
24. Glickman and Brown, Changing Schedules of Work, 40.
25. Patterson, Bernie L. "Job Experience and Perceived Job Stress Among Police, Correctional, and Probation/Parole Officers." Criminal Justice and Behavior 19 (1992): 258-60; Burke, R. J. "Stressful Events, Work-Family Conflict, Coping, Psychological Burnout, and Well-Being Among Police Officers." Psychological Reports 75 (1994): 787-800; Violanti, John M. and Fred Aron. "Ranking Police Stressors." Psychological Reports 75 (1994): 824-26; Hart, Peter M., Alexander J. Wearing, and Bruce Headey. "Perceived Quality of Life, Personality, and Work Experiences: Construct Validation of Police Daily Hassles and Uplifts Scales." Criminal Justice and Behavior 21 (1994): 282-311.
26. Patterson, Bernie L. "Job Experience and Perceived Job Stress Among Police, Correctional, and Probation/Parole Officers." Criminal Justice and Behavior 19 (1992): 258-60; Burke, R. J. "Stressful Events, Work-Family Conflict, Coping, Psychological Burnout, and Well-Being Among Police Officers." Psychological Reports 75 (1994): 787-800; Violanti, John M. and Fred Aron. "Ranking Police Stressors." Psychological Reports 75 (1994): 824-26; Hart, Peter M., Alexander J. Wearing, and Bruce Headey. "Perceived Quality of Life, Personality, and Work Experiences: Construct Validation of Police Daily Hassles and Uplifts Scales." Criminal Justice and Behavior 21 (1994): 282-311.
27. Patterson, Bernie L. "Job Experience and Perceived Job Stress Among Police, Correctional, and Probation/Parole Officers." Criminal Justice and Behavior 19 (1992): 258-60; Burke, R. J. "Stressful Events, Work-Family Conflict, Coping, Psychological Burnout, and Well-Being Among Police Officers." Psychological Reports 75 (1994): 787-800; Violanti, John M. and Fred Aron. "Ranking Police Stressors." Psychological Reports 75 (1994): 824-26; Hart, Peter M., Alexander J. Wearing, and Bruce Headey. "Perceived Quality of Life, Personality, and Work Experiences: Construct Validation of Police Daily Hassles and Uplifts Scales." Criminal Justice and Behavior 21 (1994): 282-311.
28. Patterson, Bernie L. "Job Experience and Perceived Job Stress Among Police, Correctional, and Probation/Parole Officers." Criminal Justice and Behavior 19 (1992): 258-60; Burke, R. J. "Stressful Events, Work-Family Conflict, Coping, Psychological Burnout, and Well-Being Among Police Officers." Psychological Reports 75 (1994): 787-800; Violanti, John M. and Fred Aron. "Ranking Police Stressors." Psychological Reports 75 (1994): 824-26; Hart, Peter M., Alexander J. Wearing, and Bruce Headey. "Perceived Quality of Life, Personality, and Work Experiences: Construct Validation of Police Daily Hassles and Uplifts Scales." Criminal Justice and Behavior 21 (1994): 282-311.
29. Cheek, Francis and Marie Miller. Prisoners of Life: A Study of Occupational Stress Among State Correctional Officers. Washington, D.C.: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, 1982.
30. Stenzef, William W. and R. Michael Buren. "Police Work Scheduling: An Important and Manageable Function." The Police Chief 50 (1983): 54-56.
31. Moore, Daniel T. and J. Glen Morrow. "Evaluation of the Four/Ten Schedule in Three Illinois Department of State Police Districts." Journal of Police Science and Administration 15 (1987): 107-108.
32. Fournet, "The 12 Hour Shift," 57-59.
33. Nineteen of the original 103 officers who worked patrol throughout the time period were no longer with the Department when this study was conducted. The questionnaire consisted of 101 items, ranging from demographic information to positive and negative perceptions about the compressed work week Instrument copies are available upon request.
34. Manski, Charles. F. Identification Problems In Social Sciences. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1995: 81-82 notes the problems of identification and inferential extrapolation with small response sets, suggesting that these problems can be mitigated with additional covariates from alternative data sources. In this case, productivity measures for all patrol officers working the compressed work week are employed to complement the attitudinal survey data. Both data sources demonstrate consistent patterns.
35. Computerized records for overtime, compensatory, sick leave and vacation time, were not available. Subsequent analysis await the availability of these data sources.
36. Jablonski, Mary, Kent Kunze, and Phyllis F. Otto. "Hours at Work: A New Base for BLS Productivity Statistics." Monthly Labor Review 113 (1990): 17-24; Brinkerhoff, Robert O. and Dennis E. Dressler. Productivity Measurement - A Guide for Managers and Evaluators. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications Inc., 1990; Pritchard, Robert. D. Measuring and Improving Organizational Productivity - A Practical Guide. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1990.
37. Jablonski, Mary, Kent Kunze, and Phyllis F. Otto. "Hours at Work: A New Base for BLS Productivity Statistics." Monthly Labor Review 113 (1990): 17-24; Brinkerhoff, Robert O. and Dennis E. Dressler. Productivity Measurement - A Guide for Managers and Evaluators. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications Inc., 1990; Pritchard, Robert. D. Measuring and Improving Organizational Productivity - A Practical Guide. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1990.
38. Jablonski, Mary, Kent Kunze, and Phyllis F. Otto. "Hours at Work: A New Base for BLS Productivity Statistics." Monthly Labor Review 113 (1990): 17-24; Brinkerhoff, Robert O. and Dennis E. Dressler. Productivity Measurement - A Guide for Managers and Evaluators. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications Inc., 1990; Pritchard, Robert. D. Measuring and Improving Organizational Productivity - A Practical Guide. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1990.
39. While it is plausible that officers might rebel against the work schedule and fail to arrest or book offenders, it is implausible that the work schedule independently would increase the number of arrests and bookings. Arrests and bookings tend to be a function of the types of incidents occured.
40. The Department limits the number of hours of off-duty employment to 24 hours per week Officers request permission to perform off-duty work. The approval mechanism acts as an internal check against officer fatigue, and ultimately, departmental liability on and off duty.
41. Of the 11 (or one-third) respondents that expressed negative organizational attitudes, nine (81 percent) had served less than eight years and six (54.5 percent) were between the ages of 26 and 30. Crosstabulation analyses between organizational attitudes and officer tenure were weak and not significant, while the relationship between organizational attitudes and age was moderate and significant (gamma = .39 at .01 level).
42. According to the Department, deputy patrol officers make $8-10,000 less than their City of San Antonio police counterparts.
43. From informed consent forms obtained from officers responding to the questionnaire, it was possible to identify all 34 respondents. By matching officers' names to officers' badge numbers, it was possible to roughly match survey responses to productivity measures. Given that 91 percent of the respondents expressed positive attitudes toward working the three-day work week, we are confident the match permits a meaningful comparison between officers' perceptions and their actual productivity.
44. Certainly, other factors may contribute to the changes evidenced in this study. The decline in the number of misdemeanor bookings and the increase in the number of felony bookings (see Table 1) may be an artifact of a new police administration, a shift in crime reported by citizens or change in criminal activity patterns.