Tracey Taylor
Aug 07, 2025
Reading Time: 18 Minutes
Flexible schedule time is an employment pattern where a worker can choose their own hours within specified workdays. Yet, companies embracing these Flexible schemes might be faced with a few stumbling blocks at the beginning.
To help them get started, we’ve compiled the necessary knowledge on the topic. So, go through this blog to learn what is Flex time, what are types of Flex time arrangements employers can opt for, its pros and cons, and best practices to adopt this schedule successfully for your employees.
The "Flex time" or "Flextime" plan permits the employees to decide when they work. Flexible work schedule workers are equally productive as those with more formal schedules.
However, they are free to choose their shift times. Even though workers are free to come and go to work at any time they choose, they need to be present at work during the core hours.
Core hours are a brief time in a working day when employees must be on site, irrespective of the times they follow for their schedules.
These hours may be used to work with or coordinate with departmental members and other departments. That's required because coordination with them during the general hours may not be possible, as people may like working at different times.
Thus, core hours are scheduled to discuss important issues, solve impediments and bottlenecks, review the work update, or make some important decisions. Through core hours, employees can work together at the same time for this.
We can presume that some set of employees prefer to have the time schedule from 10 AM to 7 PM. and another set needs the shift from 7 AM to 3 PM Where the majority of an employee's shifts coincide with each other, their employers define core times like 10 AM to 2 PM. Groups can work and collaborate with each other during this duration but have the autonomy to work by themselves in this fashion.
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Arrival Time
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Core Hours
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Departure Time
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7 am to 10 am
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10 am to 2 pm
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3 pm to 7 pm
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With the system of custom work schedules, employees now can decide when to begin and end a day's work. With this approach, workers have the autonomy to change work times according to personal or other obligations.
For instance, an employee may begin working at 8 AM, while another one may come in at 11 AM after completing other activities. Irrespective of the time one chooses to work, one needs to be available at some time and, in addition to that, have to complete the office's required weekly number of working hours.
Employees are free to conduct their work from anywhere except the office, even at home. The arrangement allows one to manage one's family or personal responsibilities without affecting one's productivity rate, thus enhancing one's work-life balance.
In other words, remote work options give you the freedom to get your work done from anywhere without necessarily being present.
Staff have the opportunity to work additional hours on busy working days through comp time. Staff can take a few hours less or call off a working day when the workload is minimal to offset those additional working hours. Workers prevent earning overtime pay by cutting back working hours on a low-key day.
Within employment sharing, half-time employees come in to augment their full-time colleagues by assuming alternative shifts. For example, a part-time employee may work from 8 AM to 12 PM.
while the other might cover 12 PM to 4 PM By scheduling the workload on two shifts using part-time workers, employers can efficiently fill up the required hours for full-time employees. Even so, such a schedule may not incorporate core hours as per usual, and workers must confer with one another to maintain a smooth and steady workflow.
In a Flexible workweek, the workers are required to work a specific number of hours in a week, though they can do them any way they wish. If, for instance, the employees are required to work 40 hours (about 3 days) a week, they may work 10 hours a day and have three days off. Essentially, the workers can opt for the number of days and hours they wish to work to meet the minimum per week. What Types of Jobs Can Use Flex Time?
Flexible time arrangement allows workers to set their own timetable. This can enable them to find a better work life balance without sacrificing work output.
Generally, Flex time schedules are best for jobs that need more creativity and output than for those demanding quantitative work. Furthermore, in customer facing professions like call centers, Flex time cannot be very efficient.
Fixed 9 to 5 schedule staff works on strict deadlines. Therefore, they cannot see a doctor, pick kids from school, or visit a bank during those hours. They have to schedule their days off from work or move their appointments to other days. This explains why regular work hours offer little work life balance.
Still, staff who are in Flexi time arrangements can take care of their errands or engagements and still perform their tasks without requiring time off. Let's say, for instance, an employee going to a bank has to leave during working hours. He could work from 7 am to 3 pm, then go to the bank after 3 PM as banks are typically closed on weekends and mostly open from 9 AM to 5 PM.
An employee can also use a one-hour break from the office to pick up their children from school; then they can work one more hour to make up for it. Flex time improves employee morale, gives them control over their time without missing work, and offers a better work life balance for this reason.
Having the freedom to balance their professional and personal obligations, control over their time, and the ability to work from home all serve to make employees less prone to time off.
An employee can see the doctor and begin work at 11 AM, hence removing the need to take time off, for instance if he or she has a 10 AM doctor's appointment.
The phrase 'Einstein Window' describes the time when people achieve their cognitive maximum. The Einstein Window usually lasts two to four hours, when people feel most productive and effortlessly accomplish every challenging job.
Since some workers find themselves especially effective in the morning hours, others might have this top time in the evening; everybody could have their own Einstein Window. Employees with Flexi time schedules can work when they feel most effective, therefore finishing their work fast.
In this way, Flex time helps to boost productivity since workers can work during their most effective hours and produce the most ideal results for the company.
Research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that allowing staff members to alter their schedule could reduce job stress by 20% and increase job satisfaction by 62%.
Flex time employees have lower burnout and less tiredness. That's because they can run errands and office work at their own pace and take breaks as they wish.
Furthermore, working in Flexible time agreements allows them also time to follow their pastimes or interests. This approach may greatly lower the risk of burnout or stress. For instance, one employee may go for an early yoga class and then log in at will without having to hurry to be on time for the office.
Employees may leave and go from the office at will using Flex time. They therefore have the option to miss their rush hour drive.
Employees may work a shift starting from 9 AM 12 PM, for instance, since 10 AM to 11 AM is peak traffic hour. Doing so enables them to skip the top hours and conserve travel time and gasoline.
With Flexible work hours, employees can easily free time to study something new, take classes, or attend workshops.
For example, a remote staff member with the freedom to work at their own speed might take some classes that would allow them to advance in their career or better their abilities. Employees may go to college yet work at any time.
Giving workers some freedom in their work helps bosses keep skilled labor. Employees in the Flex time arrangement have more work life balance. They work best when they are least busy, can skip long commutes, and meet their own obligations quite simply. Thanks to the freedom they enjoy, therefore, employees working such schedules will hardly consider quitting employment.
Flexible schedules, such those provided by remote job agreements, enable businesses to cut the great prices related to daily operations.
Assume, for instance, that companies choose a remote working society. Then they can nearly erase the overhead costs related to physical office spaces including rent, utilities, Wi-Fi, infrastructure, maintenance, and electricity. Equally, companies choosing job sharing arrangements can save money on rent by using less office space.
This timetable is most advantageous for parents with small children since they may get ready for school, drop them off, and cook for them without fearing if they will be able to arrive at their office on time.
Flexi time agreements let workers give more priority to their general wellbeing and health. Having the freedom to make a custom work schedule lets them allocate their time so as to balance their mental and physical health.
They can, for instance, adjust their work hours to free up some time for hobbies including going to the gym, taking a yoga class, or running in the morning or evening.
Furthermore, using Flex time schedules, employers can efficiently restrict their staff count by means of remote or comp time schedules. Such an organization can enable them to lower the probability of transmitting among staff members infectious viruses like viral flu and COVID19.
Employees on Flex time schedules select to work at their own pace, hence they might encounter less of their coworkers. For staff who enjoy collaborating with their coworkers, this work schedule can be demoralizing.
Therefore, people might sometimes feel alone who appreciate working as part of the group and have strong relationships with their colleagues. Furthermore, owing to differences in the work schedule, staff could interact with different individuals each day. Their productivity might suffer since they might not be able to relate with every other office colleague.
Managers might find it difficult to track their overtime hours when workers usually work several times daily.
A set work timetable allows managers to clearly see which personnel are qualified for overtime payment since they work late or beyond standard hours. Still, the variable schedules of every staff member could be confusing. Furthermore, failing to give overtime pay can result in compliance problems for businesses.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not cover Flexible schedules, such as Flex time work arrangements. It treats them as mutual accommodations that occur between employers and employees.
Under Flex time scheduling arrangements, the workers select the timetable that suits them best, and it may change every day. But it is difficult to keep an eye on whether or not each worker attains the minimum work hours.
For instance, in a fixed work schedule, employees report and depart the office at the same time, thereby ensuring they meet their needed work hours. But it is not the same with a Flex time schedule.
Customer or client job positions primarily need the same work schedule for the employees. Therefore, Flex time cannot be a suitable arrangement for all types of jobs.
On the contrary, companies that involve creative and productive work where the output can be analyzed based on its quality rather than quantity might consider that kind of schedule feasible to try.
There are several tasks that are interdependent and rely on one another. When employees who are working in teams get held up on a task, they can seek help from other colleagues. Therefore, such employees might need to wait for their team members to report to work so they can fix the bottleneck, which is sometimes against productivity.
Employers can also worsen this scenario if they don't provide any fundamental work hours.
Individuals working odd shifts, for example, 5 pm to 1 am, might experience fewer employee attendance and work in a nearly vacant office.
It's possible that they won't have seasoned employees within the office to assist them during those work periods. This might make it hard to work on some projects. Additionally, if an office has hardly any employees in any shift, it can become challenging to help in case some workplace accidents happen.
The very first thing in implementing Flexi time in your work environment is ascertaining the kind of work arrangement that is likely to fit well.
Let's say that your company is experiencing a flood of business at the peak time, but not much work exists during the lean season, and you can use a comp Flex time work arrangement. Need a larger staff but limited office space? You can consider a work-from-home arrangement or even experiment with a job-sharing work schedule.
To be able to better determine which one can meet the needs, you'll have to begin by knowing what your organization needs. You'll also have to evaluate the workload issues, team dynamics, business nature, as well as stakeholder and employee preferences.
You’ll also need to consult the HR team and vendors to better understand which approach can ensure a better work-life balance without hampering the business operations.
Once you’ve decided on the type of Flex time work schedule you’ll implement, communicate this to employees and help them with queries and doubts.
Make sure to elucidate the following points:
Ensure that you lay out the non-negotiable rules that they must abide by, regardless of what kind of Flex time schedule they're on, including:
Tip: Listen actively to your employee's suggestions, respond to their questions, and provide clear directions to familiarize them with the schedule.
It is a good idea to write down all the rules and regulations in an employee handbook so that there is no scope for confusion and conflicts. Ensure that you include all the necessary information, guidelines and negotiable/non-negotiable counterparts in that section, including:
Also, include the policy in the joining material so that new joiners can familiarize themselves with the Flex time arrangement and know how it operates.
Because of the absence of face-to-face communication, coordination and cooperation may prove to be difficult. This may lead to constant misunderstandings and miscommunication. Therefore, employers should determine strict core hours daily when all employees must remain available for critical discussions.
The duration of the core hour may range from 2 to 4 hours, depending on the requirements of your business operations. Schedule the core hours such that both early shift workers and late shift workers are present during the core time.
For example, let us assume that all the workers clock in and out at varying times but are available for the most part between 11 pm and 2 pm each day. Therefore, you may consider having your core hours within this period.
Make sure that you notify all the workers of the core hours range. They must be present during this period, no matter what time they prefer to work.
In case you're not keen on rolling out the schedule across the entire company, you can opt to do a test run first. You can apply this work setup to a small group of employees for one or two months and see how it turns out.
After the trial phase, request the participants to provide their input, feedback, and state the challenges they encountered. Record the suggestions and realize what challenges can occur if it's rolled out company-wide and how these can be addressed.
After you are confident about the effectiveness and success of this work arrangement, you can roll it out for all staff.
Since the work hours of each member of the team can be different, monitoring work progress can become challenging.
Although managers can utilize the core hours to receive work updates and know the project progress, establishing a clear timeline, delivery date, and deadline can assist employees in staying on track. Managers can provide a time frame within which the completion of a specific task or project is possible so that even if they are unable to have a daily stand-up call, they are able to ensure the timely delivery of the work.
There is a very high likelihood that most of the employees would prefer to work during certain hours on most days.
Let's say a lot of employees would prefer to work from 9 am to 5 pm. If you have ample office space, then this will not be a problem. But if you don't have much office space, then this is not possible.
Especially if you arbitrarily assign some employees to other shifts, employees might perceive this as favoritism and preferential treatment.
Pro Tip: Employers can find it difficult in shift scheduling if numerous employees' express interest in grabbing the same shift. Since taking a random choice can create disputes.
So, how do we solve this? Try the shift bidding method to deal with such situations; see this blog to learn more:
Under Flexi time schemes, workers work during different times, and their working locations also vary. Therefore, to confirm whether workers are working minimum required hours during the day and meeting the criteria of weekly working hours, managers have to monitor each worker's work hours and schedule. Monitoring each worker working variable time's work hours can, however, become labor-intensive.
To make this process more efficient, employers can utilize effective time-tracking tools such as Replicon to compute employee working hours regardless of location and work timetable.
Accurate tracking of time assists in reviewing whether employees are achieving designated hours or not. In addition, employers can also guarantee correct overtime computation, payroll processing, and billing clients.
Flexi time work arrangements are gradually becoming popular as these enable employees to choose their own schedules without sacrificing work quality. Indeed, the Flex time schedule has numerous advantages, such as enhanced employee satisfaction, enhanced work-life balance, enhanced productivity, and decreased absenteeism.
Employers can adopt the appropriate Flexi time work arrangement that suits their business requirements and yet gives employees the Flexibility to work. But applying such schedules can create issues like coordination problems, monitoring employees' work hours, computing overtime hours, etc.
As an alternative, managers can use any effective time-tracking system that can handle the heavy lifting of monitoring employees' work hours, schedules, and overtime hours regardless of the time they decide to work.
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I’m Tracey Taylor, a Content Strategist with over 4 years of experience in B2B and SaaS marketing. I’ve worked with companies like StreamlineREI and StaffViz to drive lead generation and business growth. Outside of work, I explore nature, read books, and play games to stay physically and mentally sharp.
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