Most California companies plan to give employees the New Year's weekend off despite the risk of Y2K date change problems, according to a survey by the Employers Group, a Los Angeles-based human resources organization. But the larger the company, the more likely key employees will have vacation time limited or be required to remain on call during the Y2K transition period.
Some 63% of businesses surveyed said they won't significantly alter their staffing schedules, and 77% said they wouldn't limit their employees' use of vacation or personal time because of Y2K concerns.
The survey, which queried 619 large and small California companies, also revealed that Y2K staff-preparedness plans were far more likely to be observed by organizations that serve the public, including financial firms, utilities, government agencies and hospitals.
"California's economy is dominated by small and midsize companies, and these firms are not changing their staffing schedules as the Y2K weekend approaches," said William R. Dahlman, president and CEO at Employers Group.
For larger companies, the most common Y2K staffing plan, reported by 24% of firms, involves requiring key employees to be on company premises between Dec. 31 and Jan. 2. The next most common practice, reported by 23% of firms, requires that employees be on call in December and January.
Only 2% of companies surveyed said they plan to add personnel as a preventive measure.
The survey also found that the majority of employees who are affected by scheduling changes for the Y2K transition period won't be bringing home bonus checks, said Juan P. Garcia, Employers Group research director. "Rather, the vast majority of these employees will receive compensatory time off," he said.
For more enterprise computing news, visit Computerworld online. Story copyright © 1999 All rights reserved.
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