The Problem. Everything we know and understand about flexible work arrangements (FWAs) revolves around extant research exploring the effects and effectiveness of FWAs based on samples in which organizations and/or employees freely adopted their use. In a post COVID-19 world, organizations implemented FWAs and employees who may not have been prepared for or desired such arrangements. This has resulted in implementing FWAs in situations where the job, culture, or person does not “support” FWAs. The Solution. We suggest the economic uncertainty of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic should shift Human Resource Development (HRD) attention to managing the organizational climate of work and work expectations, specifically with regard to FWAs. We discuss how HRD practitioners can help, specifically by preparing managers for enhanced communication and feedback, as well as through supporting employee development via proactive job crafting, to better prepare managers and workers to accept and flourish in FWAs both short and long term. The Stakeholders. The stakeholders for this article include decision-makers in organizations interested in driving success through long-term initiatives rooted in developing human capital. In addition, this article should resonate with HRD professionals interested in working with managers and employees to systematically build sustainable FWA systems.

Time banditry recently has been introduced as a distinct construct in the counterproductive work behavior literature. Employees are engaged in time banditry when they pursue non–task-related activities during work time. We posit that they capitalize on the ambiguity in most work environments to manage impressions that their time banditry behavior really is productive and not counterproductive work behavior. In this investigation, two studies were conducted to explore variables that can be used to classify time bandits into four different categories. Discriminant function analysis was used to determine individual-level and job-level factors that classify time bandits. Results revealed that both situational and dispositional variables can be used to predict time bandit type. Suggestions for future research and implications for managing, reducing, and changing time banditry behaviors are discussed.

Time banditry has recently been introduced as a distinct construct in the organizational behavior literature. An employee is engaged in time banditry when he or she pursues nontask‐related activities during work time (i.e., chatting with a co‐worker or surfing the web). This study examines the novel concept of time banditry and the impact of climate on its prevalence in the workplace. Climate is a direct reflection of how employees feel about where they work, and is postulated to have a direct effect on engagement in time banditry behaviors. Results provide evidence that employee perceptions of process, policies, and satisfaction as they relate to the job climate are positively related to engagement in time banditry. Thus, when climates promote positive feelings at the job level, employees actually engage in more time banditry behavior. However, no significant relationship was found between time banditry and climate perceptions at the team or the organizational level.

In early 2020, the COVID-19 virus caused a global pandemic, threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions across the globe. As of this writing, 40 million Americans had filed first-time unemployment claims U.S. Department of Labor (2020, March 26). Employment and Training Administration. https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta . The United States, with its historical reliance upon employers to cover many basic benefits, must overcome unique challenges in its recovery from this global crisis. In this article, we briefly describe the initial federal response; we then present the history of US benefits along with recent yet prepandemic benefit trends, and we conclude by presenting a potential path forward that may allow for both employers and workers to recover in a postpandemic society.

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