Are You Flexible
by Jessica Flora
Employers must consider many benefits when attempting to attract and retain the best employees. Flextime is an important example. Employees look for a job with a good work-life balance, and flextime can be a way to accommodate this request.
Flextime can have multiple definitions. It can mean that an employee’s schedule varies by 30 minutes or that the employee is allowed to work hours of his or her choosing. Either way, it is becoming more common in the workplace than ever before.
The Survey Says
According to AAIM Employers’ Association’s 2015-2016 Policies and Benefits Survey of 150 St. Louis and Central Illinois businesses, 26% of organizations allow flextime work schedules year round.
Issues to Consider
Be fair. When granting flextime to employees, ensure it is applied consistently across positions. If one accountant is allowed flextime, then all employees in the same or similar positions should be allowed flextime if it makes business sense.
Create a policy. It is important to have a policy in place to refer to. This will help communicate what flextime means to your company and which positions or departments are allowed flextime.
Consider business needs. Even if a company wants to be flexible for employees, the employer must still consider what is best for the business. Flextime doesn’t make sense for all positions or departments.
Jessica Flora, PHR (solutions.team@aaimea.org) is on the Research and Solutions Team for AAIM Employers’ Association, which helps Missouri and Illinois companies manage their people and processes.