How Does a Flex Time Policy Affect Employee Absences?
Flexible work schedules can help a business retain employees.
1 What Is Flextime in HR Terms?
2 Overtime Management Techniques
3 What Is the Importance of Scheduling Staff?
4 Workplace Punctuality Policy
Flex time is a nontraditional or flexible scheduling system that allows employees to work hours different from a standard 9-to-5 workday. A company may implement any type of flexible work schedule that is beneficial to both the business and its staff. The idea behind flex time scheduling is that it gives staffers a greater work-life balance and decreases absenteeism. Most flex time schedules still encompass a 40-hour workweek.
Every staffer has a different internal clock as well as different commitments outside the workplace. Flexible scheduling can help decrease absenteeism because staffers are less likely to call in sick, arrive late or leave early to meet other obligations, such as dropping off or picking up children from school or working a second job. Additionally, an employee who has a hard time getting up in the morning may benefit from a flex time schedule that allows him to have a later start time, as his internal clock is better suited to later sleeping hours.
Flex scheduling is often conducted on an employee-by-employee basis. For example, a flexible work schedule might include a compressed workweek, such as four 10-hour days, or a combination of days worked in the office and telecommuting from home. Flex scheduling also can incorporate a start time that is earlier or later than normal, such as working from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. instead of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In some instances, employees may be able to set their own hours, provided they meet certain productivity criteria or otherwise log a total of 40 hours during the workweek.
Flex Time Management
Supervisors still manage employee absenteeism the same way they would with a traditional schedule. Most employees on a flex time schedule still have prescribed work hours they are expected to be present for. Managing flex time staffers can present a challenge for supervisors who work differing schedules, in which case, employees may be required to document their work time, clock in and clock out, or check in with an upper-level staffer to ensure work hours are being met as agreed upon.
Potential Problems
Offering flex time schedules can present some problems for business, such as over-staffing or under-staffing shifts, lack of supervision or oversight for non-traditional work hours, or lack of oversight for employees who telecommute or work from home on a part-time basis. In this case, measures should be put in place to chart employee productivity. This might include daily check-ins or detailed project planning that is regularly evaluated. If performance objectives are not being met, it could be a sign of increased absenteeism when staffers are supposed to be self-supervising.
The University of Texas: Flextime Guidelines: Overview
UC San Diego: Alternative Work Schedules Task Force Report
McQuerrey, Lisa. "How Does a Flex Time Policy Affect Employee Absences?" Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/flex-time-policy-affect-employee-absences-71414.html. Accessed 18 July 2019.
McQuerrey, Lisa. (n.d.). How Does a Flex Time Policy Affect Employee Absences? Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/flex-time-policy-affect-employee-absences-71414.html
McQuerrey, Lisa. "How Does a Flex Time Policy Affect Employee Absences?" accessed July 18, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/flex-time-policy-affect-employee-absences-71414.html
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Examples of How a Manager Would Handle a Stressful Situation