Fewer administrative tasks assigned to an agent will reduce that person's workload. Research shows Extension program responsibilities alone consume a large proportion of agents' lives. Most report two to three night meetings per week as well as weekend work, especially among youth agents. Lack of control over hours is the most frequently reported problem affecting Extension agents' lives. An Extension office is never static.
Agents come and go.
Provisions can be made in a shared responsibility system to delegate administrative tasks to new agents when they've been employed a few years and express an interest in becoming involved. The Other Side A shared responsibility model also has disadvantages. First, there are built-in inefficiencies, for example, time spent routing a call or letter to the appropriate agent or the need to discuss an issue several times with different people. Another disadvantage is that the system is difficult to explain to staff, clientele, and county government officials. This, of course, is due partly to tradition.