The flexitime model offers employees more flexibility in planning their working hours. The flexible working time model allows employees to organize their own working hours to a certain extent. This reduces stress, hectic and time pressure. At the same time, it increases employee satisfaction and productivity. Flexitime has many advantages for both employers and employees.
Advantages for employees
Employees are attaching more and more importance to a good work-life balance. Or to put it another way, work-life integration is becoming increasingly important. Employees want to be able to organize their working hours as independently as possible. Flexitime makes this possible.
This means that private and professional tasks and appointments can be better organized. For example, there is no need to take an extra day off if a personal appointment cannot be scheduled outside of fixed working hours. The appointment can be kept during flexitime and professional tasks can be completed before and after.
Above all, flexitime reduces time pressure. Traffic jams on the way to work are annoying, but you can hardly be late if there is no fixed start time. This freedom is generally very motivating and increases productivity. It is easier to motivate yourself in the morning, especially for natural late risers. Instead of jumping out of bed in a panic, they can turn over to the other side.
Disadvantages for employees
However, freedom also entails certain risks. Employees must adhere to their contractually agreed hours. If you work full-time, 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, it can be late if you have the wrong attitude. If you don’t start work until 12 noon, you won’t be finished until 8 pm at the earliest. A fixed routine can help you to keep to your working hours. This is why most companies with flexitime still have fixed working hours during the day when work must be done and the remaining hours can be freely scheduled.
With flexitime, it is often necessary for colleagues to coordinate well with each other so that work does not suffer under the time model. Especially for tasks that require several employees, agreements must be made as to who does what, when and where. Sensible sequences and schedules are helpful here. After all, certain tasks can often only be completed once previous tasks have been completed. If not all employees work at the same time, the process must be well planned. Flexitime therefore requires a lot of discipline and initiative from employees. This is not right for everyone.
Advantages for employers
Flexitime promotes a high level of employee loyalty. Greater trust and loyalty to the employer reduce fluctuation. This is good for the long-term planning and organization of internal processes in the company.
At the same time, the flexitime working model also increases the attractiveness for new applicants who also want to enjoy the freedom. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, this can be a decisive factor in finding qualified employees.
A major advantage of flexitime for employers is the spontaneity that the model allows. If something needs to be adjusted quickly for a new order or if seasonal bottlenecks arise, flexitime makes it easy to organize a new schedule. Available workers can be scheduled with the available hours without the need for idle time.
Disadvantages for employers
The risks for employers are rather low with flexitime. It is important that care is taken not to exceed the statutory working hours. As employees manage their own time, there is a risk of accumulating more overtime than the law allows. It is the employer’s duty to ensure that working hours are not exceeded.
Flexitime does not make sense for all areas or departments. This can lead to dissatisfaction in the departments that don’t get flexitime. It is difficult to separate the two without causing envy. It is therefore often better to do without flexitime in all departments and areas.
Conclusion
The advantages of flexitime are manifold. It offers many positive aspects for both employees and employers. However, certain things must always be taken into account when implementing flexitime to avoid displeasure or even legal problems. The personal responsibility of employees offers many freedoms. However, this should not be taken lightly. Employers are obliged to monitor the regulated working hours so that they are not exceeded. This is very easy if a modern time recording system such as timeCard is used.
