Lonnie Golden, professor of economics and labor-employment relations at Penn State Abington, co-authored a study that suggests flexible work hours make for happier employees and boosts productivity.

And such an approach to work has been named the “Golden Clock” in his honor, writes Regina Broscius for Penn State News.

Golden is lead author of “Work Schedule Flexibility: A Contributor to Employee Happiness?” Co-authors, Julia Henly and Susan Lambert, are faculty members at the University of Chicago.

Steve Farber of Inc. magazine highlighted it in his editorial. He said that the Golden Clock approach gives employees the option of deciding themselves how to make up for time when they have to leave for, say, a family engagement.

However, Golden acknowledges it could be challenging to implement in fields such as retail and hospitality.

Read more about the research from Penn State News by clicking here.