TECHNIQUE OF THE FIVE-DAY WEEK 39

These variations appear to indicate a desire to extend the
privilege of two free days at the end of the week to as large
a proportion of the total working force as possible, but also a
recognition that, since the prevailing practice throughout the
business world is to include Saturday forenoon as a business
day, it is important to have the company offices open at that
“ime and in a position to meet any demands made upon them.
Failure of the union-enforced five-day week to make similar
 provision for the office workers is indicated by the fact
that, in 719, of the union establishments that furnished information,
 the office staff worked on Saturday the year
around, as compared with 529, of the companies not working
under a union agreement. The five-day schedule was rarely
made applicable to sales or executive offices located away
from the plant, although in a few cases free Saturdays were
granted during the summer months.
It appears from the data discussed in this chapter that
there is as yet little that can be called established practice in
the methods or technique of five-day week operation. Some
companies are subject to union agreements and can not exercise
 their unrestrained discretion. In the case of other companies,
 legislative restrictions sometimes impose conditions
that must be taken into account. Beyond this point, or in
the absence of such limitations, the policy of each company is
guided by conditions in the industry and in the individual
establishment. That the solutions of the problems involved
in the change to five-day weekly operation fall into a few
generally similar categories indicates both the substantial
similarity of the questions involved, regardless of location or
industry, and the ability to arrive at equitable solutions if
there is the desire to put the shorter weekly work schedule in
affect.