Flexible schedules: Meaning, history, types, and our top tips

In many industries and roles, a 9-to-5 schedule is no longer a must. Workers want to strike a better balance between their work and personal life – and flexible schedules are one of the best ways to help them do just that. 

Plus, the one-size-fits-all model of 9 to 5 simply doesn't suit everyone's working styles. Some people like starting early, some people like working late into the evening. So, allowing them to tailor their hours to their own working style and preferences can actually improve the team’s productivity and help you achieve more.

In this article, we'll talk about the meaning of a flexible work schedule, how you can implement it, and what benefits you can expect to see. We'll also give you our practical tips on how to tackle potential challenges and give your team (and your company) the best chances of success when managing a flexible schedule.

Schedule flexibility 101: The meaning of a flexible work schedule

A flexible schedule is a work arrangement that gives employees control over when they start and finish their workdays.

This usually doesn't mean they have full freedom over when to work; workers still have to take part in calls and client meetings, cover core hours, meet all due dates, and complete their to-dos on time. They can, however, change their working hours within the limits defined in the company's flextime policy.

And, given that 90% of workers value flexibility, it's one of the most impactful benefits you can offer without compromising productivity or the quality of work.

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The evolution of work schedules

Work schedules have come a long way since the days of the Industrial Revolution. Back then, a typical workday consisted of long hours of manual labor in factories, with little regard for work-life balance.

Then, with the growing prevalence of office work in the 20th century, workdays became shorter, but not really flexible (yet): The 9-to-5 work schedule became the norm, with employees expected to clock in and out at the same time every day.

In the 70s and 80s, companies slowly started recognizing the importance of employee well-being and work-life balance, and flexible hours became accessible, albeit only to a select few. That is, until the era of personal computers and mobile phones, which made schedule flexibility a reality for many office workers – and until Covid-19 completely changed the way we think about productivity and work.

Today, flextime, remote work, hybrid work, compressed workweeks, and job sharing are becoming more and more common – and have opened up exciting possibilities for employees and businesses.

Additionally, technology has enabled the rise of gig economy platforms like Fiverr and Upwork where freelancers can take on short- or long-term projects on their own terms and choose when and where they work.

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What types of flextime arrangements can you offer?

Now that we know what flex schedules are and how they made their way into the way we think about work today, let's see what kinds of flexible work options you can offer to your team.

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Flextime

Let your team pick their own start and end times within a set range. It helps employees match their work hours with their personal schedules and peak productivity.

Flextime can easily be combined with time zone flexibility: Thanks to video calls and instant messaging, it's now super easy for teams in different time zones to work together smoothly. 'Follow-the-sun' schedules are also becoming more popular, where teams in different parts of the world pass tasks to each other as they finish their workdays.

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Staggered hours

This is very similar to the first arrangement, but is usually implemented team-wide, on a more fixed schedule, where different team members have the same start and finish times.

Staggered hours can help you extend your business hours without overworking anyone and is ideal for customer support teams.

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Compressed workweeks

There are two ways to do compressed workweeks:

• Offer the same number of hours but spread over fewer days, like four 10-hour days. This way, team members can get an extra day off each week.
• Reduce the number of hours employees work (for example, by a half or full day), without reducing their pay.

Efficiency might suffer if employees are often working for 10 hours or more, and the risk of burnout is higher. So, in the long run, you might consider the second option.

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Asynchronous work

This is a more radical type of flextime, where you give your people complete freedom to decide when to work, without covering any specific core hours. There are a few things you need to consider:

• Will employees need to communicate their planned schedule every week or month, or will they have full freedom to change it?
• Will you track their time spent working on different projects or will you only focus on results?
• What would be the legal implications of this type of flex time?

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Job sharing

Have two or more people share the responsibilities of one full-time role. This enables you to retain part-time workers while ensuring full coverage of the job.

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Part-time work

Part-time jobs are nothing new, but weren't common for office roles. This flexibility can help you attract people who cannot commit to a full-time role, like caretakers or students.

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Annualized hours

You could have employees work a set number of hours over the year rather than per week. This enables your team to handle busy periods and slower times better. Check local labor laws to see if and how you can do that.

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Phased retirement

Gradually reduce hours for employees nearing retirement to make the transition smoother for everyone. Obviously, you need to do this in a way that respects your employees' wishes.

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Results-only work environment (ROWE)

Focus on the results of team members rather than the hours they work.

This method gives employees full control over their schedules and boosts employee happiness but might not be suitable for all roles.

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Remote or hybrid work

Those two work models are related to location freedom rather than flex schedules, but  you can combine them with any other flextime arrangement.

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The key elements of a flexible schedule

A flexible schedule is has a few key components that make it so appealing to employees:

1. The ability to choose when to work, within reasonable limits. This empowers employees to match work hours with their peak productivity times and work when they're at their best.
2. An emphasis on outcomes rather than time spent on work. Flexible schedules help you focus on tasks, goals, and deadlines rather than the strict number of hours worked. If your goal is efficiency, that's exactly how you promote it: by giving your people freedom to do their jobs in the way that works best for them.
3. Better work-life integration, as team members get to engage in activities that make them feel happy and fulfilled without sacrificing work commitments and taking time off.
4. Open communication and collaboration, which are key for making sure everyone is on the same page. Use regular check-ins, virtual meetings, and different communication platforms to make sure the team stays connected.

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What are the benefits of flexible schedules?

We've already covered the benefits of flextime in detail, but here's a quick recap:

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Increased productivity and efficiency

When employees have control over their work schedule, they're able to align different tasks with their own productivity patterns.

As Laura Mae Martin, Google's Executive Productivity Advisor, has pointed out in her book "Uptime", not every task requires the same level of concentration; often, adjusting our schedules to fit our natural patterns helps us move faster, stay focused, and be more efficient.

Faster turnaround times and higher-quality work, do we need to say more?

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Improved work-life balance

Not everybody thrives with flexible work hours: Some people prefer the predictability and structure of a 9-to-5 job. However, even for them, a flexible schedule helps integrate their personal and professional lives without compromising either.

It allows parents to attend their children's school activities, gym goers to hit the gym during non-peak hours, runners to go for a midday run, pet owners to go to the vet during working hours, and so forth. In short, you're showing your employees that they don't need to sacrifice their personal responsibilities or career goals – they can have both.

A flexible schedule enables your employees to take better care of themselves and others and feel fulfilled at their jobs. Which helps you keep them around for longer and boost employee happiness.

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Reduced stress and burnout

While compressed workweeks might not be for everyone – some might clearly not like working longer hours to take a day off – other forms of flexibility and freedom are something that the vast majority of workers love.

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And, indeed, when you place a healthy work-life balance front and center and create a supportive hybrid environment, this helps reduce stress and burnout among employees.

How to implement a flexible schedule in your workplace: Officely's top 5 tips

Convinced that a flexible schedule can help you build a more positive workplace culture but don't know where to start? In this section, we'll provide you with our top tips on how to get started.

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1. Evaluate your needs

Every workplace has its unique dynamics and needs, which you'll need to assess before you start making changes.

Consider the following:

• Customer support needs
• Employee preferences
• Key meetings everyone needs to attend
• Teams' responsibilities

This will help you decide whether you need everyone to be present during fixed core hours or if some roles allow for total freedom. (But make sure you propose work arrangements that are fair to everyone!)

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2. Set clear expectations and boundaries

Creating a flexible work environment goes hand in hand with setting clear goals and limits for your team. What you need is a clear flextime policy where you define the rules, and managers who implement them fairly and impartially.

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3. Use the right tech

Implement tools for time tracking, desk booking, communication, and project management to ensure everyone stays connected, even when working different hours and at different locations.

If you've made the switch to a hybrid work model, you need to make sure employees still have an incentive to come to the office, rather than just always work from home. Officely shows employees when's the best time to come to the office, enables them to book desks or meeting rooms, and helps you organize social events. 

The app enables your team members to see who’s working and where they are working from, whether that be the office, at home or at a beach on the other side of the world.

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4. Set regular check-ins

Flexible work options will likely mean that you get to meet employees face to face less often. To counter this, schedule regular meetings with them to chat about their workload, progress, and any challenges they might be facing. To build trust, make sure you act on the feedback you receive.

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5. Consider the legal aspects of flexible work and flex schedules

Standard flexible hours, where employees come in and leave earlier or later, probably don't require updating contracts.

However, if you're offering asynchronous work, compressed workweeks, job sharing, or phased retirement, you definitely need to consult with HR and make sure all legal or logistical concerns are taken care of.

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Flexible work arrangements are a great way to give your people more freedom without compromising results or quality

There are many types of flexible schedules you can try out. Even if fully asynchronous work is impractical or impossible for your business, flexible working hours most likely aren't. And, while not all positions are ROWE-friendly (ROWE is short for results-only work environment), some might be, and it might be well worth it to give this option a try.

In all cases, you'll need the right tech to make sure everyone's in sync and on the same page, like project management and communication tools. And, if you're trialing a hybrid work environment, you'll also need the right desk booking software to optimize office space and make sure everyone can book a spot and work comfortably when they come in.

Book a free demo to see how Officely can help you keep track of office attendance and enable employees to book desks with a single click, directly from Slack or MS Teams.

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