Billing Clerk Receives Revolutionary Flexible Schedule After Management Discovers Friday Has an Afternoon
The Kevin Files · Story 010
The Discovery of Friday Afternoon
HIMstrata has approved a rotating schedule allowing billing employees to leave early on selected Fridays after a four-week pilot demonstrated that the department could continue functioning in their absence.
The proposal originated with billing clerk Dana Mitchell, who suggested staggering employee coverage around scheduled claim-processing deadlines.
"We know when the work is due," Mitchell explained. "I thought we could organize who was here."
Billing Supervisor Greg Pendergast approved a trial after confirming that employees could maintain coverage without reducing scheduled processing hours or delaying submissions.
The results were uneventful.
Deadlines were met. Exception queues remained under control. Employees reported that the occasional paid Friday afternoon off was popular.
Pendergast called the outcome surprising.
"I had assumed there would be more problems. There really weren't."
Dana pointed out that the department already scheduled lunches and vacations and could plan early Fridays the same way.
Human Resources approved the arrangement on a continuing basis and presented Mitchell with the company's Adaptive Scheduling Pioneer award.
The framed certificate featured a calendar with several Fridays highlighted in gold.
Mitchell thanked the department for trying her suggestion.
She left the ceremony at 1:00 PM, which was her scheduled time to go home.
No one needed to cover her work.