The wage-lead approach gives a gain in unit costs, offset by highly skilled labor, which requires appropriate payment. The wage-competitive approach focuses on the accompanying working conditions, excluding wages from them as a determining factor. The wage-follower approach highlights the exclusively professional side of the work, in which making money is not the primary goal (Berman et al., 2019). Each of the listed approaches fits a specific range of tasks, regulated by the conditions of the employer’s opportunity, the goals, mission, and vision of the company, and the applicants’ attitude. These methods are differentiated in their definitions, although in practice, intermediate variants of the philosophy of compensation are possible, in a different proportion of the impact of wages on the operational activities of an employee. Likely, the closer the Wage-follower approach, the more professional activity is associated with a socially or environmentally responsible mission. At the same time, all three methods are united by compensation for highly skilled labor, the lack of professionalism in this situation is unacceptable.
The first type of alternative work arrangement includes a flex option that regulates the number of working hours but not the schedule. The second type, telecommuting, has become quite popular today, as it defines workplaces other than the office, including the home. Part-time work allows less than 35 hours per week (Berman et al., 2019). Voluntary reduced work time is beneficial for the employer, as the time and cost of the employee’s work are reduced; however, not every type of work can be voluntary. Leave sharing and pooling is the donation of one’s sickness or vacation benefits to other employees in crisis (Berman et al., 2019). Job sharing, in this case, is similar to the previous type; only the division takes place not by benefits but by work responsibilities and benefits. Temporary work involves, as a rule, a piecework approach in which, after fulfilling certain obligations, the applicant is not bound by labor relations with the employer.
Reference
Berman, E. M., West, J., Bowman, J. S., & Van Wert, M. R. (2019). Human Resources Management in Public Service: Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications