Flextime is an adjustable work arrangement that focuses on the total work hours done in a week, rather than a fixed 9 to 5 schedule. This could mean compressed workweeks and adjustable start and end times. It’s a growing trend, and many companies are discovering the benefits of this new work arrangement. Is this something you could apply to your team or organization? Let’s find out!
Flextime has many proven benefits for employees, such as better work-life balance, higher morale, and greater loyalty to the company. Working on your own schedule also makes for increased engagement and productivity. Imagine being able to attend your kids’ baseball game while still being able to finish off all of your tasks. Sounds great, right?
Unfortunately, flextime isn’t going to be right for everybody. Before you go and raise your team’s hopes, you have to ask yourself a few hard questions:
Do you have management support?
Shifting work schedules around is a big decision to make, one that might be above your area of authority. While flextime may sound like an excellent idea for your team, management might not feel the same way. When you make your case to your superiors, be sure to ask them what obstacles they see to implementing flextime, and make suggestions on how to overcome them.
Can you track people’s hours?
Having a varied schedule may work all right for you, but what about HR? Attendance still needs to be tracked if the employee is going to be paid the right wages. If the company doesn′t have a system in place to reliably track people’s comings and goings, then flex time is going to be more of a headache than anything else.
Are you able to manage your team remotely?
Some flextime arrangements allow team members to work from home or from different locations. But if you’re unable to properly manage these people from afar and track their tasks, they might be better off working in the office with the rest of the team. Thankfully, there are many web-based project management tools that you can use to keep the team coordinated.
Is your work dependent on other people’s schedules?
Just because you’re able to work on a different schedule, doesn′t mean that others will be able to as well. If the people who need your deliverables are working on a fixed schedule, then your flex time might cause an inconvenience, or even affect their performance. Guaranteed response times or delivery schedules are a good workaround for this problem.
What other challenges or requirements do you need to overcome to make flextime a reality for your team?
Photo by Moose Photos from Pexels
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