Flextime

Flextime, also spelled flex-time or flexitime (BE), is a flexible hours schedule that allows workers to alter their workday and adjust their start and finish times.[1] In contrast to traditional[2] work arrangements that require employees to work a standard 9a.m. to 5p.m. day, Flextime typically involves a "core" period of the day during which employees are required to be at work (e.g., between 11a.m. and 3p.m.), and a "bandwidth" period within which all required hours must be worked (e.g., between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.).[3] The working day outside of the core period is "flexible time", in which employees can choose when they work, subject to achieving total daily, weekly or monthly hours within the bandwidth period set by employers,[3] and subject to the necessary work being done. The total working time required of employees on an approved Flextime schedule is much the same as those who work under traditional work schedule regimes.[3]

A flextime policy allows staff to determine when they will work, while a flexplace policy allows staff to determine where they will work. Advantages include allowing employees to coordinate their work hours with public transport schedules, with the schedules of their children, and with daily traffic patterns to avoid high congestion times such as rush hour. Some claim that flexible working will change the nature of the way we work.[4] The idea of flextime was invented by Christel Kammerer and Wilhelm Haller.[5][6]

From practitioners' viewpoint

The industrial perspective of flexible working emphasizes the practical definition of flexibility. Employees being allowed to work from many different places as long as their level of production is maintained, if not increased.[7] Moreover, research reports[8] gave quantitative interpretation backed by statistical evidence showing the changing attitude of organizations in different countries (especially the UK) toward flexible working. An estimate of 50% of the companies in the UK started to consider flexible working as a common practice and 73% of the managers in the survey showed an ultimate support to it. On the other hand, employees showed great preference to flexible working to the point that 40% of workers in the UK choose it over their salary.[9] Also, greater focus was put[10][11] to explain the increased demand for such arrangements by both stakeholders by which it was clarified by their advantages of contributing to the high quality of output results while creating the "perfect" working conditions for workers.

Empirical evidence

Flexible working was academically introduced in 1970 and since then this topic continues to be the interest of many research papers.

For four decades, academic papers have contributed to the increased knowledge and interest in flexible working. A descriptive background of the evolution of the concept of flexibility as well as highlighting the main factors contributed to its growth were the main focus of academic studies.[15] Also, they deliver evidence of the significant amount and the ongoing increase in the use of flexible working in many countries.[16]

Studies examining access to flextime have shown that it is the high skilled/educated workers in higher occupational jobs, and supervisory roles that are most likely to have access.[16][17] Unlike what many assume, women do not have better access to flextime arrangements, and female-dominated workplaces have worse access to flextime compared to workplaces where there are more men or an equal number of men and women.[18]

Advantages and criticisms

Flexible working is a pattern of working arrangements that enable employees to decide the time, duration, and location of their work.[25] Flexible working patterns have gained the interest of both academics and industrial practitioners for some time,[26] with implementation into law in certain countries as far back as 1930, but also in recent years. Existing literature highlights the fundamental importance of flexible working to both academics and organizations as a means of establishing a good work–life balance for employees. Work–life balance for employees is theorized to increase employee efficiency, which in turns leads to increase in productivity of the organization.[27][28] This would also be suggested from research on the decreasing returns of working hours.[29]

Academic literature has identified benefits of flexible working patterns to employees including life satisfaction, better wellbeing, a good work–life balance,

Recording working

There are many different methods used for recording working time ranging from sophisticated software (computer programs) to handwritten time sheets. Most of these methods are associated with the payment of wages in return for hours worked. As a result, they often do not address a fundamental difference of most flexible working systems – namely the intention of flexible working to allow an employee to "trade hours" with their employer in return for a fixed wage.[35]

By region

European Commission

In 2017, the European Commission proposed a directive on work–life balance which includes the extension of the right to request flexible working arrangements (reduced working hours, flexible working hours and flexibility in place of work) to all working parents of children up to 12 and careers with dependent relatives. It also includes non-legislative measures, ensuring protection against discrimination and dismissal for parents (including pregnant women and workers coming back from a leave) and careers, the directive also encourages a gender-balanced use of family-related leaves and flexible working arrangements.[36] The proposal was approved as Directive (EU) 2019/1158.[37]

United Kingdom

Haller founded a company in the UK in 1971 and registered the trademark "Flextime", the mark remains the property of the company's successor HFX Ltd. In the Spring of 2003, 17.7% of men and 26.7% of women were employed with flextime arrangements in the United Kingdom,[38]

External links

References

Bonnie Sue Gariety, Sherrill Shaffer. Wage Differentials Associated with Flextime Monthly Labor Review, 2001^
ADS Chapter 479 Hours of Duty retrieved 2014-11-06^
John D. Owen. Flexitime: Some Problems and Solutions ILR Review, January 1977^

United States

In Florida, flextime workers, like salaried workers, are exempted from insurance regulations, and are given broad leeway in setting their own work schedule. Unlike exempted salaried workers, employers are still required to pay overtime to a flextime worker if they work more than 40 hours per week.

In recent years, the term "flextime" has acquired a more controversial definition when used to describe proposals to overhaul the nation's overtime regulations. Under one such proposal by the Bush administration made public on 5 August 2004, employers would not be required to pay non-exempt employees' overtime for working more than 40 hours in a week so long as the employee works no more than 80 hours over a two-week period. For example, a worker could be required to work 70 hours one week and receive no overtime compensation as long as they work 10 hours or less the following week. Such arrangements are opposed by trade unions such as the AFL–CIO.

In certain industries and disciplines, such as information technology, flextime permits workers to vary their schedule. For example, they may opt to work four 10-hour days per week, taking Monday or Friday off. Another flextime schedule is to work nine-hour days Monday through Thursday, an eight-hour day on Friday, taking every other Friday off, called the "9/80 work schedule".[43] Some agencies of the United States government allow employees to work such a schedule, and designate it as an alternative work schedule (AWS).[44] Workers may arrange to coordinate their days off so that their responsibilities are adequately covered.

Other workers may opt simply to come in early, such as 5 or 6a.m., and leave in the mid-afternoon, or come in late and therefore leave late. One benefit of such a schedule is that commuting times occur outside of the congested rush hour traffic within a given geographic region. Flextime arrangements also help parents: one parent works 10a.m. – 6p.m. and is in charge of the children before school / daycare, while the other parent works 7a.m. – 3p.m. and is in charge of the children after school / daycare. This allows parents time to commute.[45] Flextime is also beneficial to workers pursuing an education.

Germany: Flexible working time accounts

Flexible working time accounts are also known as deposited working-time accounts or work bank account systems. It is derived from the German Federal Labor Government's reform program, which was passed by the German Federal Government on 21 August 2002. Then Federal Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, announced that the program would invite the former Director of Human Resources Management of Volkswagen, Peter Hartz, chaired the Labour Market Reform Committee. This program's goal is to make the rigidity of the labor system more flexible and to change the old social welfare policy, in order to lighten heavy financial burden.[46]

The concept of flexible working time accounts is to establish labor-self accounts, and laborers can save their working hours, just like saving money, into their own accounts. The working hours in their accounts are their assets, so that employers and workers on both sides can increase or decrease the work required by each other without affecting salaries or welfare. While achieving the purpose of flexible labor, the account-system may be short-term, long or permanent for the convention.[46] A flexible working time account system has the following four characteristics:

1) Flexible working time accounts shall be calculated for a period of at least one year.

2) The calculation of a long-term account system is usually based on time and money. Occasionally, things may be passed on from other laborers' accounts. The situation is only applicable to short-term working time.

3) When using long-term working time accounts, there are two features that can be used for classification:

4) Optional long-term accounts are mostly used in the period that laborers are still holding a post in their own company. Laborers can withdraw from accounts after negotiating with employers, usually due to laborers' personal needs.

5) Age-related long-term accounts can be used late into a laborer's career, when they prepare for early retirement, semi-retirement, or conventional retirement.

6) Unlike the short-term account system, there is the lowest-limit standard of withdrawing hours. However, standards are set in accordance with the differing demands of laborers.