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Flexible work can benefit employees, employers, the economy, communities and the environment. It is about making changes to the hours people work (over a day, a week or over the year), the times and days they work or where they work. It is also about how careers are organised, how transitions in and out of work are managed, and how flexible working is managed in the workplace so that employees and businesses benefit. Many of the common types of flexible work are explained here.
Many employers are offering flexible working arrangements to attract and retain employees and to support them to continue to do other things in their lives that are important. Many New Zealanders have to balance work with other things in their lives such as caring for children or parents, studying, playing sport or working in the community.
In the current economic climate organisations are also looking at ways to become more efficient and better match the supply of goods and services with demand for them. Negotiating with employees to change their working arrangements can help do this. Hot desking and working from home are two options that may help employers to reduce office costs, while reducing working hours, sabbaticals and extended leave without pay may provide opportunities to better match supply with demand while keeping employees engaged with the business.
FLEXI TIME
Flexi hours – employees’ hours vary
Benefits
- Enables firms to adjust the level of activity in response to changes in demand for goods or services
- Improves efficiency if work schedules match employees’ most productive hours
- Gives employees more control over scheduling personal responsibilities during the workday
- Allows for commuting outside of peak rush hours
- Retains employees who need time off to care for dependents or to meet other responsibilities outside of paid work
- Expands labour pool by enabling people to work who have other responsibilities or calls on their time during normal working hours
- Brings broader range of knowledge, skills and experience
- Provides an option for employees who want to reduce their hours, but whose jobs cannot be done on a part time basis
Examples
- Flexi time / Adjusted hours – employees work for an agreed total number of ‘core hours’ and choose when their working day begins and ends.
- Core hours – hours (for example, 10am to 4pm) during which employees working flexitime must be at work.
- Staggered hours – different start and finish times for employees in the same workplace.
- Time in lieu / Time banking – any extra hours worked are compensated for by paid time off.
- Flexi breaks –stopping for breaks at times that suit the employee’s particular workload.
- Part time / Reduced hours / Job sharing / Job splitting – these options mean that employees work less than full time hours. To achieve this, the job is often redesigned and responsibilities split between a number of part time employees.
- As needed hours / On call / Casual – employees are on call and work hours as needed, either at home or in the workplace.
Flexi weeks – employees’ weekly work patterns vary
Benefits
- Enables firms to adjust activities in response to changes in demand for goods or services
- Improves productivity if some work can best be accomplished during quieter times of the day/week
- Allows for more days off
- Decreases the number of days employees commute
- Allows for commuting outside of peak rush hour
Examples
- Compressed week – weekly full time hours are worked over a shorter time period.
- Weekday/weekend swap – employees swap working on a weekday for working on a weekend day.
- Shift self-selection – employees contribute to development of shift work schedules and choose own shifts.
- Weeks on/weeks off – working one or several weeks and taking one or several weeks off.
Flexi year - employees’ yearly work patterns vary
Benefits
- Enables firms to adjust activities in response to changes in demand for goods or services
- Provides options for employees to take limited or extended time off from work to manage various family and personal responsibilities
Examples
- Term-time working – working during the school terms and taking paid or unpaid time off during school holidays.
- Annualised hours – an agreed number of hours worked on a yearly rather than a weekly basis.
- Buyable leave – employees exchange an agreed reduction in salary for extra periods of leave over a specified period.
FLEXI PLACE
Flexi location - employees work from locations other than their designated workplace
Benefits
- Offers alternative to relocation
- Expands labour pool geographically
- Reduces office space and associated costs
- Accommodates employees with disabilities
- Reduces or eliminates commuting
- Provides an environment with fewer workplace distractions
- Allows employees to work during their “personal best time”
Examples
- Tele-working / Tele-commuting / Home-working / Remote-working – all these options involve working from home or another location outside of the workplace on either a full or part time basis.
Flexi worksite - employees work from different locations within the workplace
Benefits
- Encourages collaboration across work-groups and project teams
- Reduces permanent office space and associated costs
Examples
- Hot desking – temporary use of a workstation.
FLEXI CAREER
Flexi career - employees move in and out of the workforce and structure their career around other interests or responsibilities
Benefits
- Expands labour pool
- Provides options for gradual return to work after parental or other leave
- Allows gradual entry into retirement
- Provides opportunities for cross-training and skill enhancement
Examples
- Career break / Sabbatical – extended periods of leave that are normally unpaid.
- Work transition – provides opportunities for employees to make changes in their work hours, location, or job responsibilities. For example, moving to a less demanding job when approaching retirement.
- Phased retirement – hours of work are progressively reduced until full retirement is reached at a specified date.
- Phased return / Gradual return – hours of work are progressively increased until a full complement of full or part time hours is reached at a specified date. Often used by parents returning from parental leave.
- Self managed work – employees work in their own way, often without direct supervision, towards an agreed goal.
- Job rotation / Role rotation – employees move between two or more jobs so they can cross-train and develop a wider variety of skills.
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This page was last updated on:
11-Sep-2009
and is current.
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