Pros and cons of flexi time?

ironlady2022

At work we have an excel where you can input start and finish times and it auto deducts the 45min lunch. So you know how much you more you need to work. Though I do OT anyway. It's a great system overall and nobody can abuse it as its logged by a computer.

girl_withno_name

I used to work at a company with flexi-time and it was great, for all the reasons people have mentioned (there was also the option to work from home, which I used to take on Fridays if we weren't likely to be too busy, so that I could avoid the traffic)

I now work somewhere with what you might call "informal" flexi time - they're not too bothered about start/finish time, but noone's define the core working hours and although we should theoretically be able to working compressed hours, this isn't the case in practice. What actually happens is that people end up in at 8 and out at 6 (or later), with a culture that has people feeling bad if they only work their contracted hours and leave at 4

ajsexton

Currently my role has a flexi schedule where core is 9.30am-4pm

You need to work 7.5 hours per day (though there is a little flex in there)

Any time over accrues to every 3rd friday off, almost everyone works an extra 30-35 minutes or more every day and then the office is split into 3 groups and each friday approx 1/3 of them are off from using their flexi, its quite a nice approach. With a bit of notice and where it doesnt cause problems the day off can be shifted from the friday, Ive moved it in the past so I can go to hospital appointments, pick up the OHs car from the garage (whilst she took mine to her work)

Theres more rules to it than that, regarding max time accural earliest start and latest finish etc but nothing completely off the wall

Mara69

I work for my local authority and have flexi time. Our core hours are 10am - 4pm and everyone can take a 2 hour lunch break, assuming they have the flexi available and the department is adequately staffed, allowing for other people’s lunch breaks. People rarely take 2 hours though; it is generally saved for team lunches and so on.

I absolutely love flexi and it is one of the main perks of my job. I generally start work about 8am, take a 30 minute lunch break (this is the minimum and is compulsory) and finish between 4and 5pm. I therefore build up enough flexi to have one day off a month. Plus, it is nice and quiet in the morning; no phones ringing and few staff.

We generally find that there is always enough people in to cover the core hours without needing to resort to a rota. Some are early birds and some night owls. It tends to balance itself out. Flexi is managed by team managers; we log our times in and out on our personal flexi sheet (an Excel spread sheet) that is checked by managers at the end of the month. We are allowed to carry 10 hours over a month, any more than that and they get lost. We find there is little evidence of people not working when they come in early or stay late – generally people come in to get their work done!

As has already been said, it is brilliant for avoiding rush hour, making doctor and dentist appointments or even leaving early to go to the cinema after work.

For me, the pros of flexi are many and the cons non existent.

sammyjammy

HurdyGurdy wrote: »

Oh - just thought of one MAJOR benefit for me. I get in at around 8.15 at the moment (for an 8.45 start) and the car park is pretty full by then. I am sure if I get in earlier, I will have an easier time parking. Woo hoo

If your workplace is anything like mine people will just start getting in earlier and earlier to get a parking place!

sammyjammy

Bigmoney2 wrote: »

Management that see people leaving early but forget they were in early, and conversly think people staying late are putting in more hours even though they started later.

This really bugs me, in my old job I got in at 6.15am (I know!) and would leave at 4.15pmish, I work a 4 day week so have to average 9.25hrs a day. The looks I used to get from people who strolled in at 10.30am!

notanewuser

Evilm wrote: »

Another Bad: If you are the sort of person one of my family is it encourages you to drift in later and later and therefore end up finishing later in the day too. Can be a hard habit to break!

.

It's not necessarily a bad habit though! I used to get much much more done after 5pm when everybody else had bu99ered off. 5pm-7pm were my golden hours.

SueC_2

HurdyGurdy wrote: »

I do wonder how they will police it though. What is to stop someone turning up at 7am and sitting doing personal stuff on the internet for an hour, or reading a book, or doing the crossword!

I worked somewhere that offered flexitime, even to those in customer-facing roles, where the front doors weren't unlocked till 9am.

So, you had customer service assistants arriving for work at 8am and sitting behind closed doors for an hour, then swanning off at 4pm when there were still customers to serve. And all completely legit and above board, with the complete approval of the organisation.

I'm afraid I didn't last there very long - I just couldn't accept that level of managerial 'logic'!

HurdyGurdy

Well, we are four weeks into our trial of flexi time, and so far it has been BRILLIANT!

We have had a couple of hiccups, e.g. we are split into two sections, three people on each. On one day one of the three was on annual leave, and the other two both decided to make the most of flexi time and come in late. So there was no cover (on the busiest, and most pressurised section!) until 9.30. With hindsight, we realised that (a) we should have agreed that whoever was in would at least have a look at the work that had come in overnight for that section and (b) make sure we each, as far as possible, ensure that the others on our section know what our flexi plans are.

But that is what a trial period is about, right? Seeing where the problem areas could be, and finding a workable solution.

We have one person on Core Hours each week, with the rest of work more or less free to work whatever hours we want to - and it is working out *really* well.

One colleague has been getting it at about 8.10am and leaving at about 4.50pm. I have been getting in at 8am, taking 30 mins lunch and finishing at 5.30pm and have accumulated enough time for a day off this week, and almost enough for another day off in the next couple of weeks. Another colleague really struggles to get up in the mornings, so they usually do 9.30 starts and finish later than the rest.

I don't know if we are being "big brother-ed" regarding checking on what work we are doing when we are in, but as I get in and get down to work as soon as I arrive, I'm not bothered. Everyone else can look after their own tails and consciences

MoneySavingUser

Sounds good!

I'm jealous of all the people in the topic getting days off - as any time over 37.5 hours that we do gets lost