
Employees can work at home all or part time and in the office part time. With PDAs, computers, the internet and cell phones, employees no longer have to be "under the same roof" to accomplish their jobs. Telecommuting is a plan that incorporates characteristics from several other flextime ideas. In this instance, the employee functions much like an external consultant who's hired on a project basis. And the employee can take time off between projects if they finish sooner than planned. With this type of job, an option here is for the employee to be paid on a project basis by deciding how long the task should take and what the remuneration will be for that responsibility.

In many companies, some employees' job responsibilities are primarily project oriented-as soon as one job's completed, the employee can simply go on to the next task. Instead, employees can leave early some days or take a day off to balance out their hours. Closely related to this seasonal plan is "comp time" which refers to employees working more hours than usual each week but not being paid overtime for this overage. In companies with peak periods, such as accounting firms or tourist businesses, employees can work many more than forty hours each week during the busy season(s), and then enjoy shorter weeks in the less-busy season(s). The possibilities here are only limited by what works for your business. Or they can work four, ten-hour days every week and then have three consecutive days off. Or, if your business allows it, employees can work ten days straight (including weekends) and then enjoy four consecutive days off. to 7 p.m.Īnother option allows employees to alternate between a four-day week and then a five-day week, thus permitting a traditional two-day weekend followed by an extended three-day weekend. to 5 p.m., flextime employees might work 7 a.m. For this type of plan, tasks, roles and responsibilities need to be closely coordinated to ensure optimal productivity.Ī second plan allows for employees to work different hours, which usually involves them coming in to work either earlier or later than most of their counterparts. In this case, two workers usually each work half time, comprising one full-time equivalent (FTE) employee. So just what kind of options are there to the traditional workday? Perhaps one of the oldest plans is job sharing. Because employees are often so glad that their employers are willing to allow for a work-life time adjustment, they tend to work harder and in a more dedicated fashion to hold on to their now-perfect schedule and re-balance their lives. If you can offer flex time, you'll gain increased productivity and worker satisfaction, along with decreased absenteeism and turnover-all great money-savers for your company!įlextime helps create a happier, more satisfying workplace, too. The main reason is to retain key, dedicated employees whose personal needs conflict with traditional work hours. So why should employers consider creating flexible schedules? It can also be problematic to coordinate people, tasks and productivity when your employees aren't at work at the same time. And for others, working a nontraditional part-time schedule is a lifestyle choice.īut as an employer, why would you consider offering flextime? After all, it's "different," and if you run a very traditional sort of business or operate out of habit, to see employees arriving and leaving at various times during the day can be upsetting. Many need to adjust their schedules to avoid serious, predictable and time-consuming traffic jams. For instance, some employees need time off to attend or teach classes other workers have a second job. And at the end of the day, pick-up obligations for both kids and parents again ate into the traditional nine to five workday.Īnd there are reasons that go beyond the traditional family care issues. Employees with elderly parents needed time to assist with their parents' daily care or even drop them off at elder care facilities. Parents of young children needed time to drop those kids off at school or day care.

In some cases, the quality of both their work performance and their home life was decreasing. Their reasons for wanting this "flextime" were many and varied.
