Sign up FREE. Talent is talent, and compensation shouldnt depend on where employees are unless their location is vital for the people theyre serving (say, in government) or required by licensing rules (say, in law). These frameworks should be communicated widely. Within agency-established flexible time zones or bands, an employee may vary arrival and departure times (i.e., starting and stopping work times) on a daily basis during the established flexible hours. However, if an employee has 8 or more hours available for work during daytime hours (i.e., between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.) within agency-established limits on when basic work requirement hours may be performed, he or she is not entitled to night pay because he or she voluntarily elects to work during hours for which night pay is normally required (i.e., between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.).Holidays A full-time employee who is relieved or prevented from working on a day designated as a Federal holiday is entitled to his or her rate of basic pay on that day for 8 hours. For example, an employee could accrue 3.0769 hours per pay period worked which would provide them with about 10 days of PTO for the year (this calculation assumes Is night pay authorized? If an employee is late, time can bemade up sometime during the workweek. In somecases, overtime costs can be reduced or eliminated through improved workplanning and scheduling while increasing hours of coverage or service. For example, the publishing output and productivity of talented STEM professional women decreased dramatically while women handled most of the childcare, eldercare, and schooling. You can tailor programs and policies to fit your employees needs. All persons hired temporarily to replace employees who are on leave of absence shall be so advised and shall be informed of the approximate date the regular employee is expected to return. The variation among them is notable. True flexibility aligns employers and employees to achieve mutual gain in meeting both performance and work-life needs: It is a means to compete in the market over the long term, and it gives employees a say and some choice in how flexibility is implemented on their teams and in their organizations. It is a privilege, not a right orbenefit, and an approved schedule may be discontinued or modified at any time. A manager has an opportunity to practice skills and enhancehis/her personal reputation as a good manager. Ultimately, all employees need to be supported in their personal lives. All rights reserved. Neither approach is sustainable over the long term. As a minimum requirement, an FWS must have at least 2 core hours on each of 2 workdays within a biweekly pay period. During the period of disability, an employee on approved maternity leave shall have access to unused sick leave accruals. Flextime requires planning. Companies talent pools may suffer. Yes, but not all nighttime hours will generate night pay. Flexible hours are the part of the workday when employees may (within limits or "bands") choose their time of arrival and departure (i.e., starting and stopping work time). Agencies may designate the number of core hours each week to meet their mission needs and are not required to have core hours on every workday. Flexibility for all workers is indeed possible. An example of a flexible work schedule would be working 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Those benefits are far less prevalent when individuals use flexibility for family or personal reasons. Failure to return to work upon termination of maternity or extended leave shall be regarded as a resignation. Night Pay Normally, night pay is payable for any regularly scheduled hours of work between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (see 5 U.S.C. As the exhibit A Flexibility Primer shows, various combinations of flexible arrangements may have bundling synergies. So, is hybrid the magic flexibility pill? How do they define flexibility? Reason: ____________________________________________________, Please file a copy of this document with the Human Resources Office, Requested Work Hours: _____________________, Supervisor Approval: ______________________________________________________. I need our work done.. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) covered (nonexempt) employees on FWS may not earn overtime pay as a result of suffered or permitted hours (under the FLSA) as hours of work. Flextime is a management tool and the primary consideration is alwaysbusiness need, and approval of an alternative work schedule is at the solediscretion of the appointing authority. Under one approach,work schedules can vary daily within the band without prior approval as long asthe full workweek is completed. We believe that women and those with health or family-care needs would be the most disadvantaged. An employee may also vary the length of the workday. Are theremeasurable outcomes to use? Establish criteria for approving requests. To do that, leaders must first assess their current culture. Another example comes from Nike, which cut pay for star athletes who went on maternity leave. Is holiday paid time off authorized? We know of an engine manufacturer that, even before Covid-19, regularly scheduled highly cross-trained floaters who could rotate jobs and shifts on teams and fill in wherever colleagues need help. Improved service and image. All your hourly workforce data in one place, from onboarding to scheduling. Expect some adjustments along the way. This policy promotes flexibility and innovation injob design and work hours. Please note to what extent your work depends on customersor other staff, requires the presence of a supervisor, how productivity can bemeasured, the impact on co-workers, and the impact on customer service. Credit hours are hours that an employee elects to work, with supervisory approval, in excess of the employees basic work requirement under an FWS. Basis for Request: describe how your job is suitable for flextime and theimpact on the business needs of your work unit, such as your workload,responsiveness to customers, impact on co-workers, staff coverage, etc. Is night pay authorized? One pharmaceutical company offered employees workweeks of four 10-hour days with job security in return for a no-overtime-payment agreement. Credit Hours Agency FWS policies may allow employees to earn credit hours. Flexi-Leave Can be taken in blocks of not less than half a day. 6122(a)(2).) More quiet time can be created to tackle workrequiring concentration. See below for examples of potential types of FWS. Some examples are the Australian governments tips for working out of the office, Salesforces guidelines prior to a leave of absence, and Tettras onboarding tips for remote workers. Only the employee with an identified, documentedperformance problem should not be offered this option. Hint: Try a pilot or trial run to test one or more options for a few monthsand address issues as they come up. It is a two-way effort, and hence the employees are required to reach the workplace on time. As part of the limitations that an agency establishes for an FWS, an agency may bar employees from performing work on a holiday without approval. I dont want that to be the reason we cant produce. With this approach, employers benefit by retaining a globally diverse, sustainable workforce. Work schedules with flexible days can work in several different ways, such as: Altered start and finish hours. Note: The agency bars employees covered by the maxiflex work schedule from performing work on a holiday without approval. Workers at German start-up Mambu, for example, get Fridays off during the summer months. Less use of paid leave. Employees working at least 30 hours per week can earn $180 monthly contributions toward their student loans, with a cap of $15,000. he maxiflex schedule is comprised of core hours on each Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (excluding a 30-minute unpaid lunch break) and flexible time bands allowing employees to start their workday as early as 6:00 a.m. and complete their workday as late as 6:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday. For example, an employee could work four days a week and ten hours each day to fill out a 40-hour workweek. This type of time-off policy is seen often in organizations that do not follow a standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday and that are Flex time meaning refers to flexible time, that is a schedule without a fixed start or end time for an employee's workday. WebWorking Hours Policy Sample. A locked padlock An employee must (1) account for missed core hours (if permitted) with leave, credit hours, or compensatory time off or (2) with agency approval, work the core hours at another time (within the same workday) or on another day within the pay period. Flexible hours are the part of the workday when employees may (within limits or "bands") choose their time of arrival and departure. Use AI to guide staffing levels based on sales, foot traffic, and more. A compressed work schedule is a fixed schedule that has no flexibility. The employee may remain on the job as long as health permits. Read the best practices on how to run your workforce. Most organizations approach it in one of two ways: as an ad hoc work-life accommodation available upon request, or as giving people permission to get their work done on their own schedule as long as theyre available to answer emails or put out fires 24/7. The core hours are 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm on each Thursday. Migrating, piloting, and evaluating departments one at a time, the company shifted its culture toward more-flexible working by systematically accumulating data confirming its approach while fine-tuning for each work unit. Name: __________________________________ Date:______________, Class title: _______________________________, Division: _____________Work unit/section: ____________________. A full-time employees basic work requirement must be completed by working on 5 workdays per week, 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, and 80 hours per biweekly pay period. Examples of abuse include inaccurate time sheets or a continuingdecrease in productivity that indicates an employee is not working duringflexible hours. FWS can enable employees to select and alter What actions can I take to ensure strong collaboration and working relationships? Employers can use this option to accommodate thechanging workforce and business needs. Work-life flexibility has long been gender-siloed, seen as a womens issue, with women bearing the brunt of its effects on career and pay across occupations. At the other extreme, flexibility will be implemented without structures or norms, resulting in a program that is disorganized, scattershot, and reactive to work requirements. Core hours are the designated periods of the day when all employees must be working. Competitive edge. Another example is the idea of flexible working hours (also called flexitime or flexi time), which further offers employees more freedom and power over when they do their work. Build schedules, optimize staffing levels, and manage labor costs. Yet boundaryless work can hurt employers in the long run, even if they dont realize it. The employee should beprepared to discuss the details of the request and participate in resolving anyissues. Additional information on work schedules can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/work-schedules/. The leaders role is to make performance expectations clear and resources to support flexibility and performance consistent across people and teams. Finally, we know that women especially working mothers and caregivers have historically been the primary seekers of accommodation and have faced pay and career discrimination as a result. What does true flexibility look like? If the Employer has filled the position permanently, pursuant to the above, the employee on leave of absence, upon returning to the job during the six (6) month health leave period, will be offered the first open position for which the employee is qualified. (After a backlash, the company adjusted that policy to avoid penalizing mothers.). Schedule, engage, and pay your staff in one system with Workforce.com. An agency may choose to not establish flexible time bands on certain days, such as Sundays and holidays. The pandemic has led many employees to rethink the importance of work in their lives and to change their relationship to it. Howwill processes be used to document hours worked and results achieved? 6124.) It should be submitted well inadvance of the desired start date for the new schedule. In what ways can any negative impact be mitigated? Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Examine the work culture, nature of business, and operational needs for thework unit to determine if flextime is feasible, e.g., level of trust, level ofmanagement support, nature of services and jobs, amount of face timerequired as opposed to results, other flexible practices already in place. Studies show that teleworking professionals who are conscientious and highly identified with their jobs are motivated to work long hours, especially in the absence of commutes and watercooler chitchat. Here is a range of typical responses: I accommodate employee needs for time to go to the gym during lunch or take a class by allowing a special arrangement with respect to the work schedule. See the Handbook on Alternative Work Schedules for more information at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/reference-materials/handbooks/alternative-work-schedules/. This was especially true during the pandemic. Expanded Flexible Hours under COVID-19: Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Agencies may designate the number of core hours each week to meet their mission needs and are not required to have core hours on every workday. Most organizations approach it in one of two ways: as an If an agency allows an employee to complete basic work requirement hours by working on Sunday, the employee generally would be entitled to Sunday premium pay - a 25-percent premium for up to 8 hours in a daily tour that includes Sunday hours. Any employee is eligible; however, not every job lends itself to flextime. An example of a flexitime working policy would be: Flexitime arrival: 7am 10 am; Flexible lunch hours: 12am 2pm; Flexible leave: 4pm 6pm; Core hours (must be in Variable Day Employees may vary starting and stopping (or arrival and departure) times on a daily basis during the established flexible hours along with the length of the workday. Agencies may expand the types of FWS that are available to employees as different types of schedules provide different degrees of flexibility. As a result, most companies approach the task superficially. How might my clients experience be affected by my flexibility? As Federal agencies develop reconstitution plans and return to regular operations, managers seeking to adapt work arrangements to the COVID-19 environment may use flexible work schedules (FWS) to maintain the productivity, health and safety of the workforce (e.g. This schedule is being used to ensure that the agency maintains continuity of operations and successfully maintains its mission. In an atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation,managers can become more effective through improved relations, greater employeeparticipation in the management of the unit, increased productivity and qualityof service, etc. A variation is staggered work hours whereemployees begin and end at individually based, fixed times that do not changedaily but may periodically change on specific dates. It also facilitated communication across time zones and increased employee productivity and engagement. Variable Week Employees may vary starting and stopping (or arrival and departure) times on a daily basis during the established flexible hours. WebFor example, a common flexible work policy is to let employees . Leave time itself, in all cases, will not be regarded as active service insofar as determining the seven (7) year sabbatical leave eligibility requirement. ____Request is approved and effective on: ______________________, Division Director (or delegated authority)_________________________. A maxiflex work schedule can be used to address a wide range of COVID-19 work situations. The message to employees was clear: You are rewarded for showing up even when the official policy says youre not supposed to. Some employees may need to start late or end their day early to pick up kids from school or assist an elderly relative. An employee may request an extended leave without pay beyond the period of disability to allow for post-natal child care, etc. The maxiflex schedule will include core hours on Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and flexible time bands will be available from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday. (Division Director or designee completes this section. Consider the appropriateness of flextime for the jobholder, e.g., performancerecord, level of independence, demonstrated self-discipline and motivation,desire or ability to work longer days. Then they can assess which true flexibility principles should be further embraced. Original to human resources office forpersonnel file. Name of the Company believes in providing healthy working hours to the employees. Employee signature: _________________________________, Appointing authority signature: ______________________________ Date:_________, Declined. Under the expanded maxiflex schedule, the employee can change his or her work schedule to 11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, completing an 8-hour workday without the need to take leave or other time off. In one of our studies, a lawyer who was working reduced hours won an Employee of the Year award by discovering a way to save the firm a great deal of money. As an example, heres a brief checklist that draws from the employee assistance program at LifeWorks (formerly Morneau Shepell) and can serve as a starting point for any companys flexible work arrangements: Manager checklists like this one are becoming widespread. A Guide to Implementing the 4-Day Workweek, Remote Work Isnt a Perk to Toss into the Mix. 6124.) #2. The agency cancels core hours that fall on a holiday. 6123(a) and 5 CFR 550.114(b).) This approach is understood as a supervisors one-off response to an employees request for more flexibility in a schedule, place of work, time off, or workload to support personal or family needs. Compressed workweek a flexible schedule where a full workweek is completedin fewer than five days by increasing the number of hours worked per day. Agencies may limit the number of hours an employee may work on a daily basis. Flextime comes with several options The most common form of flextime is a fixed schedule where the employee worksthe same set hours each day but it varies from the regular core business hoursof the office, e.g., 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in an office that is normally openfrom 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Other flextime options include the following. Better organization of work. In interviews at an oil company headquartered in the EU, we found that employees in one of its Asian offices preferred a 3 PM to 12 AM workday. Time is scheduledmore effectively. It takes planning and adjustment to set up flextime initially. Also, the manager mayexclude an employee whose presence is critical during standard work hours, e.g.,assembly line operations or small offices where no alternate coverage isavailable. (See 5 U.S.C. How will the proposed schedule affect the ability of you and your work unitto get the job done? No. Consider all aspects and potential impacts on the workunit. Maxiflex Employees may vary starting and stopping (or arrival and departure) times on a daily basis during the established flexible hours. The key is working 80 hours over a two-week period. organization in the United States. But these rationales oversimplify the challenge in making flexibility core to an organizations strategy and operations. When a holiday occurs, a full-time employee on a flexible work schedule (including a maxiflex schedule) is entitled to 8 hours of pay on a holiday when the employee does not work. secure websites. Check out how other businesses found success using Workforce.com. Increasing flexibility for frontline workers can help a company better support diversity and inclusion, because immigrants, people of color, and working mothers are heavily represented in service industries. Such request should be submitted to the appropriate department head at least six (6) weeks prior to the start of the expected disability period, unless the doctor certifies the existence of extenuating circumstances. An employee, teleworking full-time due to COVID-19, participates in the maxiflex work schedule. Instead they should facilitate conversations with workers to unpack all the ways in which people interpret flexibility from where one works to the construction of ones work schedule. Varying the number of hours worked per workday or administrative workweek, while not exceeding agency-established limits on the number of basic work requirement hours that may be worked on a day or in a week, does not generate credit hours. Flexitour Employees select starting and stopping (or arrival and departure) times subject to agency approval. One manager reported being unable to get time off to attend a nieces wedding, even though he was supposed to walk her down the aisle in place of her late father. The last shows that flexible scheduling is a critical (yet unsolved) competitive issue for many organizations. Other firms are offering employees special leave days to celebrate a religious holiday or spend a day volunteering. Typically, in the message, you'd state the reason behind your request and specify the dates that you want to take off. Research shows that if leaders believe that employees are telecommuting to increase productivity, such as by working long hours to meet job demands, then career benefits are likely to ensue. Top leaders can also recognize and reward supervisors who encourage their teams to get the work done without burning out. Thats not a good thing. One way to address this issue is to bake client expectations into flexible work plans for example, by staffing key accounts with several employees who can tag-team and then presenting that as a benefit to clients. By increasing awareness and use,the state can maximize the benefits from these creative, flexible arrangements. Some arrangements may not work at first and will need to be adjusted. Official websites use .gov The maxiflex schedule will have core hours each Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (excluding a 30-minute unpaid lunch break) and flexible time bands starting at 6:00 a.m. and running until 10:00 p.m. available Monday through Friday. A full-time employee under a maxiflex schedule must have a basic work requirement of 80 hours in a biweekly pay period. According to the EEOC, if an employee with a disability requires additional unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation, an employer must modify its "no-fault" leave policy to provide the employee with additional leave. Core hours are the designated period of the day when all employees must be present for work. Without clear and adequate communication, there is a possibility thatflextime may come to be viewed as an entitlement. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, Classifying Federal Wage System Positions, Frequently Asked Questions for Hybrid Work Environment, Federal Workforce Priorities Report (FWPR), Federal Labor-Management Information System, Recruitment, Relocation & Retention Incentives, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/work-schedules/fact-sheets/alternative-flexible-work-schedules/, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/reference-materials/handbooks/alternative-work-schedules/, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/work-schedules/fact-sheets/credit-hours-under-a-flexible-work-schedule/, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/covid-19/opm-fact-sheet-the-use-of-flexible-work-schedules-in-response-to-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/, https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/work-schedules/. The company gradually expanded its flexibility by experimenting with summer hours: A secretary could partner with a peer to cover each others Friday workload, enabling them to take every other Friday off. In reality, expanding flexible work arrangements entails more than sharing online tool kits, surveying workers preferences, purchasing self-scheduling software, or hiring consultants to become more phygital (physical plus digital). An agency may choose to not establish flexible time bands on certain days, such as Sundays and holidays, thus limiting the designated days on which an employee may complete his or her basic work requirement. No cost option. For an FWS employee, agencies generally must pay night pay for those hours that must be worked between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. to complete an 8-hour daily tour of duty. Thats because the majority of these arrangements wont effectively empower employees to align job and nonwork demands by controlling when and where they work. Netflix and Deloitte, meanwhile, have introduced unlimited leave policies, though critics say this can cause friction in the workplace and actually deter people from taking time off. The employee may also request to discontinue an approved flextimeschedule at any time. As organizations tentatively plan how to get work done amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus, both leaders and employees are touting the benefits of flexibility. Some ideas includeperformance, seniority, draw lots, or rotation. Flexible Hours: Monday through Friday: 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. 5545(a) and 5 CFR 550.121-550.122). What potential challenges, including potential additional costs, could yourchanged requested schedule raise with: How do you suggest overcoming any challenges with these groups? Develop a plan. A full-time employee must have 40 basic work requirement hours each week. Be as quantitative as possible. A maxiflex work schedule is a type of flexible work schedule (FWS) that, when combined with telework, provides the most flexibility to employees who need to address the dual demands of work and caregiving, as well as other personal responsibilities in response to COVID-19. Lower operational costs When all employees follow a traditional work schedule, organisations may accommodate their entire teams working in one place at the same time. Flex Time Meaning. An agency may establish limitations on when basic work requirement hours may be performede.g., the days of the week on which an employee may perform such hours and limits on the number of such hours on a given day. An official website of the United States government. Flexible Hours the hours an employee chooses to work. Under the maxiflex schedule, this particular employee elects to work from 12:00 noon to 8:30 p.m. each day to complete an 8-hour tour of duty (after taking into account a 30-minute unpaid meal break from 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.). It can increase the pool of qualified job applicantswho otherwise might not be available or willing to consider state jobs. The third expresses frustration about the barriers to flexibility. An employee participates in an agencys maxiflex work schedule and typically begins the workday at 7:00 a.m., working an 8-hour day (plus a 30-minute unpaid lunch break), and ending the workday at 3:30 p.m. This variation reflects the fact that the word flexibility is vague; its implementation can differ from organization to organization, department to department, and even within teams. During a snowstorm, senior directors and managers could work from home, but secretaries were forced to drive on a busy (and icy) freeway to get to the office. Expectations about where and when one should work may shift without warning, as work seeps into off-hours and employees struggle to live predictable nonwork lives.