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Flex Schedule
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Flex Schedule
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My company doesn't have an official Flex schedule policy which means some departments are able to have a flex schedule whereas other departments do not like my department (HR). What is the best way to
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Forums » Topic Forums » Work Views » Flex Schedule
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Flex Schedule
posted at 6/19/2007 10:01 AM EDT
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Posts: 12
First: 5/23/2007 Last: 11/24/2010 |
My company doesn't have an official Flex schedule policy which means some departments are able to have a flex schedule whereas other departments do not like my department (HR). What is the best way to present a request for consideration to see if this benefit can be implemented to the VP of HR. |
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Flex Schedule
posted at 6/20/2007 3:54 AM EDT
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Posts: 1783
First: 11/11/2003 Last: 5/13/2010 |
What do you mean by "flexible schedule?"
-Something other than the usual 9-5 (different start/end time, 4 10-hrs days/wk, etc) -Being able to vary one's schedule, as long as one is there during a specified "core period" There have been many articles written about flexible/nontraditional work schedules. I suggest you do a literature search, trying to find articles that feature companies in your industry and HR departments. These articles will give you information about the pros & cons of having flex schedules in place and ideas for presenting and implementation. Keep in mind that flex-time is not appropriate for all functions or for all positions. The fact that flex-time is being used in another department at your company is not something you can use as a justification for your request. |
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Flex Schedule
posted at 8/15/2007 7:04 AM EDT
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Posts: 2146
First: 2/15/2006 Last: 9/14/2011 |
I actually have a flex schedule of five 6 hour days a week. This works for the business needs of my company and my needs as a mom/wife. Would I love to work a 4 day week? Sure, but HR needs to be represented 5 days a week, so that is what I work.
The availability of flex schedules does depend quite a bit on the need for a body to be at the job a specified # of hours a week. Since I am the only one in the HR dept, that means my body needs to be here each day (except for planned vacations/rare sick days). So part of decision may also rest on how "deep" the HR dept is compared to other depts. But we have offered the accounting clerk/bookkeeper a 4 day week because it would work with her job description. So many times it is just balancing the job position with the need to have someone there. As you are aware flex work schedules allowed for some and not all can cause rifts/attitudes/etc....but sometimes different treatment has to happen...not every employee can be treated the same all of the time. And as long as the employer is not discriminating based upon a protected characteristic, it is not illegal. rr |
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Flex Schedule
posted at 8/21/2007 3:55 AM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: 8/21/2007 Last: 8/21/2007 |
Not only the employee but also the employer and customer can benifit from flex schedules. But why don't we introduce it? Because we think it's to complex. Today the greatest challenge in workforce optimization is balancing efficiency, customer service and employee satisfaction.
Workforce personnel planning is a complex process. Multiple, conflicting factors must be taken into consideration, including: legislation and regulatory issues, a wide variety of employee expertise and skills, employee preferences, work time directives, labor contracts, and service level agreements. All of these and more add to scheduling complexity. These days it is possible to solve those complex scheduling puzzles, including the revisions during the day. Have a look at Advanced Planning and Scheduling systems. Intelligent alghoritmnes make it possible to have improved employee satisfaction, higher operational performance and lower human resource expenses. |
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Flex Schedule
posted at 8/21/2007 4:53 AM EDT
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Posts: 2
First: 8/21/2007 Last: 11/29/2007 |
I would love to have a flexible schedule. It's just not possible where I work. First off I wear too many hats. The funny part is I could do most of my work from home. But because I handle HR also its one of the reasons I have to be present and accounted for daily.
We only have 48 ee's but I usually am dealing with at least one every day for one issue or another. We are a manufacturer. We allow the plant ee's to have a flexible schedule as long as it works for plant production. But until I can get an assistant I'm going to be out of luck. |
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Flex Schedule
posted at 8/21/2007 5:49 AM EDT
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Posts: 14
First: 8/20/2007 Last: 9/28/2007 |
I think a good flex schedule has a core 8-hour day, and employees choose whether they'd like to come in early and finish early, or come in late and finish late. For example, someone who likes to get out of work early comes in at 7:30 and works until 4 (with a half hour for lunch). |
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Flex Schedule
posted at 8/21/2007 6:32 AM EDT
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Posts: 2
First: 8/21/2007 Last: 9/4/2007 |
Present a DEFINITIVE proposal in writing; and emphasize the benefit to the company in general and your department specifically.
Note that from a pure business pespective, there are only three possible benefits: 1. Increased revenus; 2. Reduced costs; 3. Mitigated risks. If you can't present a proposal that doesn't do one of those three things in a compelling way, then you won't succeed. Best of luck! |
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Flex Schedule
posted at 2/26/2008 5:10 AM EST
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Posts: 40
First: 6/28/2005 Last: 2/26/2008 |
Here are some facts from your statement, slightly rearranged: 1) your company does not have a flex policy; 2) nevertheless, some departments use flex schedules anyway; 3) you are in HR; 4) you see flextime as a benefit, and want to top up your department, so that you get the benefit also; 5) you are asking Workforce readers for tactical assistance in designing a pitch to your line executive, the VPHR.
Missing from your question is any serious business rationale, as other respondents have mentioned. For example: do you need service coverage from 7AM to 5PM? If so, you could have a 7AM-3:30 PM schedule, overlapping with a 9:30AM-5PM schedule. Customers could reach HR any time between 7 and 5, and your team could rotate the early departure (benefit) with the late start (benefit.) As head of HR at an S&P500 company for 20 years, we found that flextime could not be distributed identically among research scientists, manufacturing assemblers, building maintenance mechanics, and so on. Starting with the business needs, and backing into the benefit to the person working flextime is always the best way to analyze and propose flextime. It seems, since there is no policy, but just a practice, that your company isnt big on rules and policies, and tolerates a fair bit of improvisation out of local supervisors and managers. If that seems right to you, you might approach it this way: 1. Forget about the most-exotic flextime alternatives, like 4x10 weeks, three-day weeks, and so on. Start with a business problem that has a natural, rational link to a flextime solution. HR is a service department, and typically needs to be available during all the companys daytime business hours. 2. Come up with the most concrete business rationale you can. Think of some ugly problem that your customers complain about, that might be addressed by a conservative use of flextime. 3. Do your research to be absolutely sure that nothing in your proposal violates or fudges any FLSA or applicable state laws regarding pay for non-exempts. 4. Rather than box in your HRVP with a formal memo, meet briefly with her /him *after* you have a business rationale, and find out face to face if s/he is receptive. Then, ask if s/he wants to see a memo, or if you should simply implement as other departments have done. Our HR department had a guideline that we would not be the first to benefit from a given policy innovation, nor would we have the most extreme cases. HR is visible to all in the company, and if you have a practice of taking care of yourselves first and best, it will breed unnecessary resentment among the troops in other departments, who dont have their hands on the levers of power. Limit your self-interest, and you will build more respect for the HR function than if you are always looking for the trick deals for the HR people. Good luck! |
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Flex Schedule
posted at 3/30/2009 11:45 AM EDT
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Posts: 9
First: 3/30/2009 Last: 3/30/2009 |
In addition to submitting a well thought out business case with options for your VP to consider- try calling into companies' HR departments to see if they have something and how they do it. Ask how long the flex schedules have been in place and why they were started. Ask if the impact of incorporating has been calculated, and if so, has it shown in recruitment or retention. Including solid examples of existing, successful HR departments, will surely help your case. Also, as part of your case, think thru a pilot plan with all the details ironed out that is launchable ASAP with low impact on the business. BTW, we have the same "informal" flex options available and our HR department does offer flexibility in start and ending times. I have researched other companies as I am suggesting here to present a case to my management and you will be impressed by the options some companies give their employees!
Good Luck! |
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