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We’ve chosen to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of flexible working hours, work-life balance and employee engagement. In the corporate world, it’s still a hot issue, and it appears that practically everyone wants to use this approach.
And as of right now, traditional 9 to 5 jobs are a thing of the past! We are compelled to adjust and adapt since we live in a fast-paced world where everything changes so rapidly, regardless of whether it’s about how to communicate, interact with our friends and family, or how work.
When all of this is taken into account, it makes sense why new functioning models are always being presented to us. Even businesses are compelled to go outside of their comfort zones and create novel business models in order to grow their operations or retain their most prized employees.
Before you accept this job that is currently rocking it, or if you’re considering implementing it, we wanted to thoroughly examine it and provide you with all the knowledge you need. So, Are flexible work schedules any good? Are they effective? And who stands to gain the most from them? Keep Reading…
Flextime: What is it?
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Flextime (or flexitime) is a work schedule with flexible hours that allows workers to efficiently balance their personal and professional life by changing the start and finish timings of a workday. Depending on the position of the workers and the demands of the job, it may be a short- or long-term arrangement.
Flexitime does not have a set beginning or ending time, but it does have a set amount of daily working hours and core hours.
What are the normal business hours?
Core hours are the number of hours in a workday that all workers, regardless of how variable their schedules are, must be accessible. During regular working hours, employees may address problems and come to conclusions immediately.
Normally, a corporation determines core time based on the roles and locations of the personnel, projects, and operational requirements.
For instance, you may request that staff members be accessible from 10 to 11 am every day without fail to discuss the status of their tasks.
Let’s examine the various flextime configurations available.
Five Different Flextime Configurations
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To promote workplace flexibility and meet business needs, the following are a few well-liked flextime arrangements:
1. Remote Job
Employees that work remotely do so from their homes or any other place than the business’s physical office, such as a coffee shop or co-working space. This arrangement often allows workers the freedom to work at their own speed in addition to allowing them to select where to work.
A remote worker, for instance, may travel and work on the same day.
2. Sharing of jobs
In this flextime arrangement, two part-time workers cover for a full-time employee by working on a task in shifts. To achieve optimal output, these workers must cooperate and communicate with one another.
An information technology customer care representative may work from 8 am to 12 pm, and then another would take over at 1 pm and work until 5 pm.
3. Flexible Work Schedules
Employees have the freedom to choose their own work hours under this approach. This implies that no two workers may begin or terminate their shifts simultaneously.
For instance, one person may arrive at the workplace at 8 a.m., and another at 10 a.m.
Employees must, however, take into account the core hours and cover the minimal flexible work schedules.
4. A Flexible Workplace Week
Employees have a choice in how they wish to fulfill their weekly work hours thanks to the flexible work week. After completing the required number of hours of work each week, an employee is permitted to take a long weekend off under this flextime policy.
For instance, an employee may take a day off and enjoy a three-day weekend if they do all of their jobs in four days.
5. Added Time
Employees may put in additional effort on busy days under this arrangement without being compensated for it. On days with less work, they may take time off instead.
An accountant who puts in additional time during an audit, for instance, may be able to take a comp day and work less afterwards.
Will I Be Able To Sleep In With The Flexible Working System?
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The answer depends on you. There are some advantages and disadvantages of flexible working hours as well directly related to your health, sleep, productivity and work-life balance. For individuals who are now able to work from home, it is a pleasure, but it also presents certain difficulties.
We have some advice to help you sleep better, with an emphasis on a regular life for self-management:
- After you have established your optimum sleeping pattern, follow it. While it’s crucial to have some flexibility in determining your ideal sleep and waking periods, maintaining a routine is just as crucial.
- Spending too much time in bed might make the condition worse. Since they weren’t required to get up at a certain hour, we’ve observed instances when people’s sleep quality declined. Their sleep routine completely collapsed, and they were snoozing till noon and staying up all night. They found it difficult to get back on track because they didn’t have to go anyplace in the morning.
- Even if you don’t need to get up early for work, set an alarm to avoid sleeping in too late or spending too much time laying in bed. By waking up at a regular hour, you have a higher chance of falling asleep on time the next night.
- Also, resist the urge to sleep in on the weekends. The sudden return to your normal weekday routine will cause you to encounter a condition known as social jet lag. It’s as if you’ve taken a Sunday night flight from Los Angeles to New York.
- Try Alarmy. It’s a fantastic free app or you can call it a smart alarm clock. You can set a lot of smart alarm options to wake up at a set time without pressing the snooze button. It also has a lot of calming sleep sounds to help you sleep better and wake up according to your schedule.
Simple 5 Minute Morning Meditation and its Miraculous Advantages
Advantages of Flexible Working Hours
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1. A flexible schedule fosters staff loyalty
It may not be simple to maintain an excellent employee inside the organization, let’s face it. That is why so many businesses now provide perks like an unrestricted vacation policy (also known as a PTO policy), chill-out spaces, complimentary meals, etc.
Your employees will understand that you appreciate their independence and that you put your faith in their judgements on how they will complete their jobs if you give them the option of flexible work schedules. Overall, doing so demonstrates your belief in them, which uplifts and motivates them to work more.
2. The Flexibility To Do Some Errands Is a Plus
One of the numerous benefits of embracing flexible work is that it allows you to fulfill the personal and family duties. Anybody who has a flexible schedule would probably agree that it’s much simpler to do certain daily chores and duties without having to ask their employer for permission to take a day off or make up a sick day.
3. Cheaper Rates
Both the employer and the workers benefit from this. For the businesses, it means they are saving up the money from the office space and office supplies, and for the workers, it means they may save the money they would have spent on commuting to and from work, lunch breaks (particularly for those who are not bringing homemade meals), and so on.
4. You’re Able To Focus More Clearly
Did you know that workers’ focus levels considerably rise when their schedules are flexible? We are all aware that it may sometimes be too distracting to concentrate in a crowded workplace when several people are talking at once, making it hard to hear your own thoughts. But, with flexible work schedules, workers are allowed to put in their best effort and work when it is most convenient for them.
Disadvantages of Flexible Working Hours
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1. Ambiguous Limits
And with this one, you must exercise caution! You might easily fall into the trap of working nonstop if there are no clear guidelines about working hours. If your employer, for instance, gives you the go-ahead to attend your child’s baseball game, he may not feel bad about contacting you at 9.30 p.m.
2. Not Everyone Will Like It
Some folks don’t mind working remotely since they prefer spending time at home. On the other side, some people could find it challenging to work when their coworkers don’t adhere to the same core hours.
Working from home may give your friends and neighbours the idea that you aren’t genuinely employed, and they may be offended if you refuse to babysit their children or allow a repairman inside their home since you are at home all day.
3. Out Of Sight And Out Of Mind
Working with flexible work schedules sometimes results in an employee being passed over for a potential promotion. If your firm has “mixed” work arrangements, where certain workers are required to work only from the office while others have the option of flexible hours, management may miss these individuals’ contributions to the company’s success and fail to recognize them.
Work-Life Balance and Employee Engagement
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It’s time to reframe your perspective and approach.
Work-life balance and employee engagement are crucial if you want to remain long-term highly engaged, in and maintain a healthy sleep and life schedule. You must have the freedom to step away from work and engage to your overall sense of balance. People must intentionally create a full life outside of work for their own long-term health and wellness.
Employers are also accountable for work-life balance and employee engagement. The organizational structure may improve or hinder both, for instance, in how information is communicated, how interruptions are handled, and whether the digital workplace is a factory for disruptions or a place for focused, organized work.
To prevent workers from feeling the need to constantly take work home or sneak into the office at 6 a.m., it’s crucial to create an organizational setting where individuals can complete their job during working hours. The majority of businesses, however, actively work to prevent this from happening.
Final Words
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Flexible working does not always refer to a person working just from home. Those who can work from any place, including their homes, coffee shops, and even during their commutes, have flexible work schedules. So people say that it’s helpful for work-life balance and employee engagement.
Anyway, it’s important to look at the advantages and disadvantages of flexible working hours if you want to start working on flexible hours. It’s not right for everyone. It’s always a good idea to evaluate it carefully if you’re thinking of incorporating it into the culture of your business. And before accepting a new job that provides a flexible schedule, you should consider that will meet your requirements.
We listed the advantages and disadvantages of flexible working hours, maintaining work-life balance and employee engagagement; the choice is yours.
