302 Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofi t Organizations
work have changed, leading to increased stress on employees as they strive
to balance the demands of work and family life. Employees who cannot
manage these confl icting demands are often less productive, absent more
often, and have lower morale.
To better meet the needs of their employees, many organizations have
developed fl exible work structures. Flextime, voluntary shifts to part - time work,
job sharing, fl exible leaves, compressed workweeks, and work - at - home or tele-
commuting opportunities are some of the strategies used to alleviate work and
family confl icts.
Another issue affecting morale and motivation at work is career
plateauing, or the inability to move up in the organization. As pub-
lic and nonprofit agencies are confronted with fewer promotional
opportunities, more employees have reached career plateaus. To keep
employees motivated, organizations must institute HRM policies that
focus on the contributions employees can make to the organization
without being promoted. Techniques such as job rotation, job enlarge-
ment, skill - based pay, and midcareer breaks have been used to maintain
employee motivation.
Job rotation allows workers to diversify their activities. Employees
perform a variety of tasks by moving to a new activity when their cur-
rent tasks are no longer challenging or when the work schedule dictates
it. They are thus provided with a range of experience that broadens
their skills, provides them with a greater understanding of other activi-
ties within the agency, and prepares them to assume more responsibility.
Job enlargement increases the scope of a job by increasing the number
of operations required in it. The job becomes more diverse and chal-
lenging because more tasks must be completed. Knowledge or skill - based
pay can be used to keep employees motivated by keeping them engaged
in learning new skills. Employees are not promoted to a higher - level
position, but they are still able to perform new skills and assume new
responsibilities.
Typically, midcareer breaks or sabbaticals have been considered one of
the benefi ts of academia. However, many other organizations have begun
to realize the benefi ts of time spent away from work, and some foundations
are willing to provide support for sabbaticals.
Not all organizations can afford to give paid leaves to employees, so
some have developed alternatives, such as unpaid leave with a guarantee
of a job on return or unpaid leave but with tuition reimbursement to
defray the costs of schooling.