Flexitime is a working time model that makes regular working hours very flexible. This allows employees to better organize their time. This makes it easier to keep appointments and combine family and career. However, certain requirements must be met for flexitime to work in the company.
The prerequisites for implementing a flexitime model
As already mentioned, flexitime allows employees to more or less choose their own working hours. Working hours can be freely arranged on a daily basis. Employers may decide to start earlier and leave earlier one day and start later and leave later on another day. Or to work less one day and more on another.
The employer determines a time frame in which the working hours must fall. There is therefore a time at which work may begin at the earliest and a time at which work must end at the latest.
Employees must comply with the basic regulations of labor law and the Working Hours Act (ArbZG). This is the prerequisite for flexitime to work. This includes the following regulations:
- Labor law and the Working Hours Act must be observed. This means that a shift may not last longer than 10 hours and no more than 48 hours may be worked per week.
- The contractual working hours must be reached. It is possible to agree otherwise with the employer. Without a corresponding agreement, however, the contractually agreed working hours always apply.
- If employers specify core working hours, these must be adhered to. The remaining working time can then be freely arranged.
- Employees are responsible for meeting their business deadlines and completing tasks on time.
The variants of flexitime
Flexitime is available in different variants, with sometimes more and sometimes less freedom. At its core, however, flexitime always remains flexible. The most important variants are as follows:
Simple flexitime
Simple flexitime is easy to implement. This is basically the model that we have already described here. A time frame is specified and employees must complete their working hours within this framework.
One possibility, for example, would be to set a time frame from 6 am to 6 pm. Employees then organize their working time within these 12 hours.
Flexitime with core working hours
This variant is the most widespread. In addition to the specified time frame, a core working time is also defined. During these core working hours, all employees must be on site – or working from home.
This could be the period from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for example. The core working hours should be somewhere in the middle of the time frame, otherwise flexitime makes little sense.
Flexitime with functional time
A similar model to flexitime with core working hours is flexitime with functional time. The difference lies in the fact that functional time specifies the work to be completed during a certain period of time.
An example of this would be if an employee has to be present at reception from 10 am to 3 pm. Employees can usually decide among themselves who takes on this function and at what time, thus remaining flexible.
Flexitime with annual working hours
With flexitime with annual working hours, it is important to keep an eye on the hours worked. The hours worked are collected in a working time account. At the end of the year, the hours specified in the employment contract for the year must be reached.
The model with annual working hours gives employees a great deal of freedom in organizing their working hours. The only important thing at the end of the year is that the working hours are reached. Employees are free to decide how this is done.
However, this model only works in companies that operate in sectors that allow for such free organization. In production, for example, it is difficult when everything suddenly comes to a standstill because everyone is staying at home.
Flexitime with lifetime working hours
A rather rare form of flexitime is the combination with a lifetime working time model. A working time account is created for the annual working time. The hours worked are accumulated on it.
The aim here is generally to achieve an earlier retirement because the necessary working hours are achieved before retirement age. It is also possible to extend parental leave by accumulating hours in the working time account.
The advantage of this model is the long-term loyalty of employees to their own company. In the event of a change of employer, the accumulated working time is forfeited.
Conclusion
Flexitime is a popular working time model that is flexible and adaptable. However, it cannot be used in its different variants in every company or every sector.
Compliance with legal regulations by employees is important for a functioning flexitime model. This also includes recording working hours, which can be done with a modern system such as the timecard in order to take advantage of flexitime.
