We strive to improve every sphere of our life, and our professional life is no exception. The pandemic in 2020 also made its adjustments and transformed the vision of working schedules forever. Instead of the hackneyed 9-to-5, employers came up with revolutionary flexible working hours. According to the US Department of Labor, it’s still a 40-hour working week; however, employees are empowered to choose their arrival and departure times on their own. There is an option to work remotely or have a split shift as well. The advantages of flexible schedules cannot be overestimated for both employers and employees. Stay tuned to learn more about flextime work, what benefits and drawbacks it can entail, and how to properly introduce it to your workers!
Table of Contents
The main idea of the flex time approach is to allow employees to choose when to start work, when to have a lunch break, and when to finish it. The total number of hours, meanwhile, remains unchanged. Depending on the sphere, there can be a core period when everybody is expected to be available, let’s say between 12-4 pm. The rest of the working hours are up to you. Another advantage is that one’s work schedule may vary daily. You may choose days when you start at 8 am and days at 10 am. However, you still need to negotiate it with your manager and inform them if anything has to be changed.
Let’s be brutally honest and admit that work is not the center of the universe, and our lives should not revolve around it. That’s why it’s critical to land a job that allows you to arrange your work and personal life, so you don’t feel discomfort combining them. Moreover, they have to avoid conflict with each other. Everybody is already aware of work-life balance, but only some have a chance to experience it. Flexible hours may be the first step towards reaching your balance between work and personal life through more freedom in arranging your work schedule without harming your performance.
Of course, we’ll start by listing the pros that employees can get when having flexible work hours instead of a traditional schedule. Besides the feeling of being trusted and appreciated, employees get a chance to avoid the havoc that standard schedules are fraught with wreaking on their lives.
Health is the most valuable asset anybody can possess, so it should be the top priority when choosing a workplace. By shifting your working hours in the morning, one may find time to do yoga or exercises. The same with working remotely – the time required for commuting can be used for sports. Sport reduces stress and is especially effective in preventing mental disorders. Furthermore, it gives energy and improves mood, thus contributing to employees’ productivity. If a company’s leaders don’t care about their workers’ mental and physical health, this company is hardly worth your time.
As nothing else, a flexible schedule brings you closer to reaching a better work-life balance. You can claim to have reached it when your work and personal needs don’t conflict with each other and you have the time and resources to handle both. A fixed schedule may deprive us of an opportunity to complete some personal things on workdays, as some institutions may have the same ending hours as you. Having your own schedule, you may adapt it to work and personal arrangements without constantly postponing them and getting stressed out.
Everybody has thought of embarking on career or personal development courses to get a chance for better career prospects. And only a few people manage to proceed from thinking to implementing. And there is none to blame because some of them, for example, are working parents and have other duties to do after they come back home from work; others might be stuck in a job whey they time and again have to work overtime hours or extra hours. Doing a course after a draining working day is out of the question for many people, but what if you had a chance to allocate some time during the day? That could become a game changer for many people.
This an excellent opportunity to unload traffic during rush hours and accelerate the movement time for people. Commuting is pretty time-consuming as a rule and creates another reason to get folks stressed. According to the Gartner 2021 Digital Worker Experience Survey, 30% of people admitted that less or no time commuting contributed to their productivity. Providing flexible schedules and allowing employees to work from home or change the time of showing up at work can make a big difference. Fewer people will crowd in public transport, and fewer cars will create risky situations on the roads.
Introducing flex time schedules is a win-win solution as it works in employers’ favor as well. Luckily, managers and bosses gradually realize that the carrot-and-stick approach needs to be updated. Building trustworthy relations and meaningful connections with their employees will instead lead to better performance and higher engagement. Let’s have a closer look at how exactly employers can benefit from introducing flexible work arrangements.
The healthier workers are the healthier environment they create around themselves. We’ve already figured out how exactly a flexible work schedule boosts employees’ wellness. Now you should envision when people are always tired, irritated, and dissatisfied at work. Does it look like the environment with high morale and engagement? Or if there are people who have gotten the grips with their lives, have time to accomplish everything they need without stress, and come to their offices to do their work and contribute to the company’s prosperity. What do you choose as an employer?
Candidates who belong to the current top talent pool seek jobs where they are treated like individuals, not just a workforce. They know that an option to have some days (or even a whole week) of remote work, room and opportunities for self-improvement, and flexible hours are the bare minimum when applying for a new job. It clearly shows that management cares about people who help their company thrive.
Workplace flexibility will show who is who. It will only play into your hands if you’re afraid that somebody may horse around due to high levels of freedom. You’ll reveal who is really committed and who is worth saying goodbyes. Other employees will only be thankful for this freedom and will pay back with loyalty and engagement. As a result, a company will have to spend less money on hiring and onboarding new employees.
Besides the possibility of cutting costs on hiring new employees due to the improved retention rates, flexible schedules can also save money on electricity and other office supplies. Furthermore, fancy modern offices cost an arm and a leg nowadays, so if most of your employees prefer working from home, consider renting a smaller workspace. And remember about sick leaves! Remote workers tend to take them less often.
If you still stick to the traditional fixed working schedules but have already recognized the beauty of the flexible schedule, we’re here for you to figure out what steps should be taken to convert the routine.
Flexible hours have to be officially declared in your company’s policy. They include all the terms (reasons, the types, conditions, the procedure of applying, etc.). Every member of your team has to be introduced to them.
Depending on the business, you may set core hours for all employees to be available and responsive. It will bring you more peace and security so that the whole working process doesn’t fall apart at the most inopportune time. Moreover, a little discipline won’t hurt.
You still allow open communication regarding your workers’ personal schedules; however, everybody has to realize that monthly hours requirements have to be met anyway. Otherwise, they will have to deal will certain implications.
Flexible working hours or working remotely don’t equal a “day off” or”lazy day”; it’s the same working routine. Remote employees may also have regular hours to be present at the workplace if they physically have this opportunity. If not, it may also be regular hours for meeting online, which will contribute positively to team bonding and overall morale.
Some employers choose to utilize particular time trackers to observe the number of hours worked by remote employees. However, many talented specialists see it as a red flag when looking for a job. Meanwhile, others expect their employees to be reachable and responsive when needed. And, of course, performance is the primary indicator of how workable flexible hours are for your business.
We believe that the better way to make flexible schedules work is to develop a trust system with your team. The management is ready to meet them halfway and give them the freedom to set their personal schedules; however, there must be a reason. Suggest taking a flextime schedule on a trial basis to check if it makes sense for them. Try to reach transparency in communication with your employees, so that nobody has to deal with unpleasant surprises at the end of the day.
To conclude, flexible working schedules and remote days definitely have loads of advantages to offer. Among those, there is a better work-life balance, improved productivity due to reduced traveling time, higher job satisfaction and lower employee turnovers, and even greater cost efficiency. On the flip side, introducing flexible hours requires special preparation. It’s crucial to solidify the terms on which employees will be able to resort to this option to keep the working process organized and effective.
