FLEXIBILITY OF WHEN AND WHERE WORK IS DONE

INFORMAL FLEX

Employees can change their work hours or location on an ad hoc basis, typically with manager notification. It doesn’t usually require written policy or guidelines.

Situational (or occasional) flex

Employees can make last minute schedule changes as their situation demands.

Employees can make up missed work time in lieu of earning an absence ‘occurrence’ or taking paid time off.

Attendance policies allow for legitimate reasons for absence.

Shift swapping

The ability to swap shifts, rotate overtime and shift assignments.

Voluntary Overtime

No mandatory, unpredictable overtime.

FORMAL FLEX

Formalized agreements, negotiated in advance and used on a regular, non-ad hoc basis.

Time

FULL-TIME FLEX
SCHEDULE

Restructured full-time options that generally do not affect salary, benefits or career advancement time frames.

FlexTime

A schedule that permits employees to choose their start and end times, often within limits set by management. This requires a standard number of hours during a five-day week, within a given time period and also may require core hours when all employees must be present or available.

FlexTime by month/year

The ability to shift hours across the month or year, e.g., summer hours, or working more hours at peak times in the month, with time off later.

Mid-day flex

Lunch hour or mid-day flex: longer lunch break with earlier start or later end time.

Annualized hours

Part time or compressed schedules that involve a given number of hours a year, rather a given number of hours a week.

Compressed
Work Schedule

Compressed work week: a full-time. schedule that enables employees to work fewer than five days a week, for example 4 10-hour days, 3 12-hour days or 9-80’s where 80 hours are worked over 2 weeks with every tenth day off. Can impact overtime, in certain states.

LESS-THEN FULL-TIME

Less than full-time work schedules.

Reduced Work Hours

Less than full-time schedules that can vary by day, week, or month temporarily or permanently. Impact on salary, benefits or career advancement time frames is typically prorated – proportionally to the reduction in hours. Should not penalize quality of assignments/job content, status, participation as part of the team, opportunities for advancement, etc. Includes both line and managerial postions.

Regular Part-time

Regular part-time: voluntary, less than full?time work that includes the same degree of job security, benefits and other privileges -- adjusted to reflect reduced hours.

Job Share

Job sharing: two part-time employees voluntarily share one full-time position with salary and benefits prorated.

Phased retirement

Gradual retirement by reducing full-time commitment over a set period of years, without negative impact on retirement benefits.

Phased Return from Leave

Working less than full-time after a leave with a proportionately reduced work load.

Work Sharing

Work sharing: a management and/or employee decision to share work as an alternative to layoffs.

Modified Duty

Modified duty policies that allow employees to maintain active status while reducing work assignments, so qualifying for tenure or other advancement or benefits continues.

Time Off

Leaves and sabbaticals

Authorized periods of time away from work, without loss of employment rights. Paid or unpaid leaves are usually extended for family, health care, education, or leisure time. Sabbaticals are usually paid and occur on a regular basis, in addition to vacation time.

Buying Additional Time Off

Employees can purchase additional time off, e.g., vacation days -- could be through a cafeteria plan.

Protected vacations

Vacations as uninterrupted, protected time.

Personal time policies

Allowing personal time taken in small increments during the work day.

PTO bank

Personal time off banks for combined vacation, personal and sick time, when employees are not required to justify the need for time away from work.

Extended family care leave

Extensions of family care and disability leaves to cover emergency care, child rearing, caring for an ailing family member, public service, etc., beyond those currently available under FMLA.

Paid family leave

Paid family leave.

Place

Telecommuting or FlexPlace

Work from home or other location on a regular (full or part time) basis or intermittently.

Remote or Virtual Work

Regular work from an off-site location, such as a remote or satellite office. Full or part-time, e.g., from Florida in the winter.

CAREER FLEXIBILITY

Flexible advancement

Standards for achieving advancement – e.g., partner or tenure -- are distinguished from the amount of time in which the standards are met.

Phased retirement

Phased retirement. Gradual retirement by reducing full-time commitment over a set period of years, without negative impact on retirement benefits.

Non-linear career paths

Multiple equally viable career paths that allow employees to take time out of employment and return to an advancement-track position.

FLEXIBLE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS

Freelance, contracted work, project work

Opportunities to work for the organization as a freelancer, contractor, partner, etc. and remain connected.

Entrepreneurial support

Entrepreneurial employment -- encouraging employees to start related businesses and create alternative sources of employment that are linked to the business.

Employment partners

Growth opportunities for employees within the network of suppliers, customers and venture partners.