Flex Time
What is Flex Time?
One of the newest trends in business today is the concept of flex time, and anyone who works in human resources or recruiting should be aware of how it affects companies and employees. Flex time (sometimes spelled flextime) is basically a way of working that values achieving set goals more than actual time put in at the office. Work time is flexible, and employees can come into the office whenever they like, rather than being locked down in a 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday schedule. Many companies are beginning to incorporate whole or partial flextime scheduling practices, and flextime is also starting to impact the way companies calculate and pay overtime for employees. Here are some things that recruiters need to know about flextime and some of the ways these practices can impact recruiters.
Jobs Suited to Flextime
Some industries and job types are more suited to flex time schedules than others. In retail, for example, stores are only open during certain hours of the day, so employees are more limited in the times that they can come into work. Other types of jobs like information technology or creative jobs can be more suited to flextime because work can be done at any time of the day, as long as the work gets done. Many creative and technology companies have adopted flextime for their employees.
Flextime and Corporate Culture
The ways companies interact with their employees is a large part of a company’s culture . Companies that use flextime scheduling often have a corporate culture that is seen as more creative and open. Flex time scheduling can also lead to greater trust between an employer and workers because it shows that management trusts its employees to get the job done, even if they aren’t in the office during normal office hours.
When to Discuss Flextime
Recruiters who are aware of this new type of scheduling should discuss it with clients first to see if they offer flextime to their employees. If the company doesn’t offer it, recruiters can discuss it with clients and tell them that many companies that use flextime scheduling report higher employee satisfaction, performance and retention. Recruiters should also talk with candidates and ask whether flextime is a concern. Candidates who are concerned about work-life balance issues can often request flex time scheduling in order to pursue higher education, raise a family or work on artistic endeavors.
Negotiating Job Offers
Flextime can often come up in the recruiting world during job offer negotiations when employers and job candidates talk about schedules. Often, companies are more flexible with things like scheduling during job offer negotiations, and they will be surprisingly open to flextime if the recruiter can demonstrate the benefits to the company. Recruiters should also keep in mind that flextime is simply not possible in certain circumstances, and they shouldn’t push it if the client is opposed to the practice.