Flextime: What Is It and Should Your Company Use It?

Work/life balance is vital for your employees’ health, happiness, and well-being. And, as many employers are discovering, it’s essential for their productivity as well. That’s why increasingly more managers are offering flextime instead of the strict 9-to-5 workday.

In this article, the productivity experts at Sling show you all the benefits of this unique work schedule.

What is Flextime?

Flextime is a flexible schedule in which workers can alter workday start and finish times. Employees are still required to work a set number of hours per day (e.g., eight) or per week (e.g., 40), but they are allowed to choose when — within agreed-upon limits — they will clock in and when they will clock out.

How Flextime Works

It’s those "agreed-upon limits" that make flextime unique as a work scheduling practice. If you implement flextime in your business, you might set the following restrictions on when your employees can work:

• May start work no earlier than 5 a.m.
• May finish work no later than 9 p.m.

With the above example, an employee could begin work at 5 a.m., work eight hours, and finish at 1 p.m. Or their workday could start at 1 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.

This is fine if employees work autonomously. But if they work together as part of a team, you could run into some problems. That’s why flextime usually incorporates core time. Core time is set hours when all employees must be present. It’s during this span of time that meetings and collaboration occur between employees working different flexible schedules.

Example of Flextime

For example, if you used the flextime limits listed above (not earlier than 5 a.m. and not later than 9 p.m.), your core time might be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Here’s a hypothetical team schedule — including a one-hour lunch break — built around this core time:

• Sarah: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Chuck: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Ellie: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Anna: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Diane: 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Morgan: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

As you can see, all seven team members start and end at different times, but they’re all present between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (the core time).

Benefits of Flextime for Employees

• Allows for easier childcare
• Allows for continuing education
• Allows employees to avoid rush hour
• Improves mental health
• Reduces conflict between coworkers

Benefits of Flextime for Businesses

• Boosts morale
• Promotes collaboration
• Lowers absenteeism and tardiness
• Facilitates recruiting
• Reduces costs

How to Set Up Your Flextime Schedule

• Talk to your employees first
• Set core time limits
• Write instructions and guidelines
• Allow your employees to schedule their own flextime

Make Scheduling Flextime Simple with Sling

When you offer the option of flextime to your employees, you give them a bit of freedom within a very structured system. Ditching the 9-5 — or at least being flexible about when hours are worked — helps your team members feel more in control of their own schedules.

We’re not advocating cutting employee hours down to part-time. Rather, we suggest trying new ways to accumulate 40 hours each week. Here are a few examples of flexible schedules that might work in your business:

• Four 10-hour days
• Rotating shifts
• 9-hour shifts Monday through Thursday and a 4-hour shift on Friday
• 80 hours in 9 days and then the 10th day off
• 6.5-hour shifts 6 days a week

Flextime is a wonderful incentive for your employees, but it is also a nightmare to schedule. That doesn’t mean you have to chuck the idea completely. Instead, incorporate a cloud-based employee management app, like Sling, to give you and your employees the ability and freedom to create the schedule that works for your business.

Employees can access Sling anytime from their phones, mobile devices, or desktop computers. They can request time off, find their own substitutes, tweak their schedules to fit their needs, and so much more.

The power and flexibility that Sling offers make flextime a very real option for businesses large and small. For more free resources to help you manage your business better, organize and schedule your team, and track and calculate labor costs, visit GetSling.com today.