Or compressed workweeks, which don't cost the company more if they're done right.

"But I'm not sure the answer is the compressed workweek.

Management experts call them compressed workweeks.

Work-at-home arrangements, compressed workweeks, flexible work scheduling and on-site child care all allow parents to see more of their children during regular working hours without sacrificing time at the job.

Jordan Kaplan, an associate professor of management at Long Island University in Brooklyn, said some companies offered other opportunities for breaks from work, including compressed workweeks and compensatory time.

Among the suggestions are that they adopt "compressed workweeks," cluster vacations for employees for that time, and encourage telecommuting, or working from home with the help of computers and faxes.

Mr. White started a high-profile campaign called the Flexible Workplace Initiative to encourage companies to give their employees more workplace options, such as flexible hours, working from home, and compressed workweeks.

At Nynex in White Plains, Roy Deitchman, a managing director for environmental policy, said he had developed a team to look at the options for complying with the act and was weighing the advantages of compressed workweeks and other measures.

A4 National A12-13, D21-23 SHORTER WORKWEEKS SPREAD Compressed workweeks, which have been in effect for decades for some workers, particularly in police and fire departments, are a growing trend in manufacturing.