Tyson Foods is testing three-day workweeks for employees at some of its processing plants.
Frontline and hourly employees are able to work three, 10-hour shifts per week without losing full-time company benefits.
At a time when many are quitting their jobs in search of more money, flexibility and happiness, employers are offering incentives, like wage increases and bonuses, to keep people going to work.
The reduced schedule, offered at a Tyson plant in North Little Rock, has been "overwhelmingly positive" among workers, company spokesman Derek Burleson said in an email Wednesday.
"We'll continue to look for additional opportunities to implement similar schedules at other locations," he said. There are plans to offer three-day workweeks at a location in New Holland, Pa., at the start of next year.
Although these employees are working 30-hour weeks, they are considered "full-time" and are eligible to receive benefits like health insurance, 401(k) and a stock purchase plan, according to Tyson. The Springdale-based company began testing out reduced scheduling in August. It is optional for workers.
Jason Apple, professor of meat science and head of the animal science department at Texas A&M University, Kingsville, said adjusting to longer, but fewer shifts is the way of the future as it gets harder to find more workers to do some of these jobs.
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