Flexible work schedules
Sally
117 Posts
We've allowed employees to work flexible work schedule for a number of years. We are an arts organization and my research of other arts organizations in our city shows that we are not unique in making that option available to our employees.
How many of you in your business allow employees to work a flexible schedule? And if you would tell me what type of business you are with when you respond, that will help me as well.
Thanks!
How many of you in your business allow employees to work a flexible schedule? And if you would tell me what type of business you are with when you respond, that will help me as well.
Thanks!
Comments
We do allow flex schedules in many areas. . .some are just not condusive. They do have to be pre-approved and consistent for the most part. I tend to be real flexible as long as I have notice which is why I am sitting here by myself this pm having allowed one to flex for a Dr.'s apt thereby saving sick time and another to be field trip mom. I get a quiet afternoon and happy employees at no cost.
You may recall I work for a municipality down the road
My organization is a non-profit retreat center and we have allowed flexible schedules primarily for individuals with child care issues. I think that can be a good way to keep a valued team member who simply is unable to work normal hours. I myself benefit from a flexible work schedule that allows me to be home three days a week by mid afternoon.
I think the major challenge to flexible schedules is determining what to allow and how to maintain accountability for productivity. Any request for a flexible schedule is reviewed and approved by our executive director. Oddly enough, he asked me today if I would like to work one day a week from home. I declined but I appreciated the offer.
I think there should be clear rationale for approving a flexible schedule. Maybe your rationale is that it fits your culture as an arts organization to encourage work/life balance.
The other suggestion is to regularly evaluate these arrangments to see if they are still necessary and effective. I wouldnt approve a long term flexible schedule.
There are some costs involved too. My laptop is fitted with software that allows me to access my office pc from home. I can update our website, Access database, or change our policy manual. I can even print to our network printer. This technology is fairly commonplace now.
But again, I am wondering why you are asking about this. My guess is that you are not comfortable with your arrangment for some reason. Is that the case?
In February our Executive Director of 7 years was terminated and our board chair is currently also our interim ED. The issue of flexible schedules came to a head when on two separate mornings within about a week, the person he wanted to ask questions of was not here at 9:15. From his background (he has been retired about 10 years from the manufacturing business) this was a case of us being too lax--which was one of the contributing factors to the ED's termination.
So I spent the better part of my day surveying other organizations, researching the benefits to flexible schedules (so I had something in black & white), and producing the schedules for everyone on our administrative staff so that I could prove this is a more common practice than he thinks, and that we do have each department covered between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Part of our reason for being flexible is that we are a performing arts organization so many on our staff are here until 10 or 11 at night when we have events. So we tend to be flexible just from the standpoint that if someone is working tonight's concert and wanted to come in a little later this morning or tomorrow morning, we have been fine with that.
And we of course have been flexible about working parents with drop off or pick up from school, and being flexible on that note.
Thanks for your input, Paul. I wanted to be able to prove it is not just arts organizations that do this.