Lifescripts, 3rd Edition

70Increasing an Entire Staff's Hours but Not Their Pay

STRATEGY

Businesses in which increased hours on the job will result in increased revenue—such as a retailer—always have the option of asking employees to work increased hours without additional pay, in order to boost their bottom lines. While you can present this effort as an alternative to cutting pay or firing someone, employees are unlikely to be supportive of the effort. Despite its direr impact, pay cuts and terminations are perceived by employees as emergency defensive measures, whereas extending working hours is perceived as a money grab by management. Regardless of how well it's explained, this effort will always generate resentment. The best you can hope for is to make the case and keep overt grumbling to a minimum. This should be done in a group and at the end of the work week. Try to give at least one‐ or two‐weeks' notice to allow employees to make whatever arrangements needed to deal with longer working hours. Be prepared to absorb the inevitable pushback and anger. If the situation allows for some flexibility in terms of when in the work week the hours are added, do what you can to accommodate people.

TACTICS

• Attitude: Realize you're not going to get support. At best you'll get grudging acceptance.
• Preparation: Plan your responses to pushback and resistance.
• Timing: This should be done at the end of the work week to avoid as much shared staff grumbling as possible.

• Behavior: Do this as a group to reinforce ...