Flexible Working Hours
What are flexible working hours? A flexible work schedule is an alternative to the traditional 9-to-5, 40-hour work week. Companies can adopt or enhance policies that enable employees to flex their working hours—for example, through compressed workweeks, alternative work schedules, and job sharing. A recent survey of more than 1,500 U.S. workers found that a…
What are flexible working hours?
A flexible work schedule is an alternative to the traditional 9-to-5, 40-hour work week. Companies can adopt or enhance policies that enable employees to flex their working hours—for example, through compressed workweeks, alternative work schedules, and job sharing.
A recent survey of more than 1,500 U.S. workers found that a majority now view workplace flexibility as a fundamental aspect of competitive compensation. This means flexible work schedules have the potential to significantly impact a company’s capacity to attract and retain talent. The good news is that companies are increasingly embracing workplace flexibility as a strategic advantage.
The Numbers
Nearly One-Third
Of large US
companies are
exploring new work
schedule shifts such as four-day or four and-a-half-day workweeks.
Nearly 2 in 3
Workers prioritize workplace
flexibility options (such as location and hours) among non-salary elements, surpassing any other
component of total rewards, including competitive bonuses,
paid time off, retirement plans, and
healthcare options.
52%
Of BLNA women in the technical workforce believe
that flexible working hours have a significant impact
on their decision to join, remain at, or advance within their companies.
Policy in Practice
Meet Laura, a software developer at a tech company that recently implemented alternative work schedules. As a parent to a young child, Laura previously struggled to balance her work and personal life. With the new policy, she can now tailor her schedule to fit her child’s needs and continue producing quality work. She starts her workday earlier than most of her colleagues so she can drop her child off at school. Then, she completes her work tasks during her most productive hours and logs off in the early afternoon. Later in the day, she takes a break to pick up her kid from school and spend quality time together before checking her emails later in the evening once her child is asleep.
Laura’s productivity has soared since the company introduced flexible hours, allowing her to manage her time effectively. She sets a great example for her more junior colleagues, inspiring them to find work hours that suit them best—driving her team to contribute their best to the company’s success.
Policy Pairings
If you’re looking to supercharge your flexible working hours strategy, consider also implementing the recommended cornerstones:
- Expanded mental health benefits
- Flexible work
- Offer paid sick leave benefits
6 Design Questions
1
How can we use quantitative and qualitative data to identify how pain points differ for each group?
Utilize both quantitative and qualitative data through surveys, interviews, and performance metrics to understand the unique challenges faced when employees are exploring alternative work schedules.
2
How can we offer employees multiple relevant options?
Meet diverse employee preferences and circumstances through flexible start and end times, compressed workweeks, or remote work arrangements, allowing employees to choose what works best for them.
3
Have we ensured that all options are accessible and easy to use?
Provide user-friendly tools or platforms for scheduling and managing work hours to coordinate across teams, easy ways to communicate working hours and preferences and ensuring that employees receive adequate support and training in tools.
4
How are we communicating frequently and clearly about this practice?
Use company-wide channels like newsletters, town halls, employee resource groups, and training team leads to develop and communicate norms during project kickoff sessions and check-ins; provide training sessions for managers on implementing and supporting flexible working hours for their teams.
5
How are we promoting a culture that encourages adoption?
Highlight success stories of employees who have benefited from flexible schedules, teams who manage flexible working hours well, providing support for managers to effectively implement and support flexible arrangements.
6
How are we continuously measuring impact and iterating as needed?
Use quantitative metrics, such as productivity levels and employee satisfaction scores, and qualitative feedback, like group and individual conversations across the company to assess the effectiveness of flexible working hours and identify areas for improvement.