Flexitime is a type of flexible schedule that allows workers to decide the start and end times of their working day. Instead of a traditional schedule, this type of flexible schedule involves not only flexible start and end times, but also a convergence period or “core” where all the team shares time and/or work space during the week or day.
Flexitime would be, for instance, having the chance to arrive between 8 and 10 in the morning and being able to leave anytime between 4 and 7 in the evening. Moreover, lunchtime hours can also be flexible, for example, in a time frame ranging from 11 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon.
The idea of flexitime was created by the Consultant Christel Kammerer with the purpose of improving people’s work-life balance.
According to the European Commission,
“Flexible working provides greater access to a more balanced work life and improves workplace equality between men and women, giving both more flexibility over their time”
What is the Outlook for flexitime in Spain and Latin America?
Spain is one of the countries in the European Union with the least flexibility on work schedules according to data from the OCDE (Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development).
According to a study from ARHOE (National Commission for the Rationalisation of Spanish Work Schedules), 88% of companies in Spain set the work schedule of their employees. In the north of Europe, Finland is the country which scores most highly on flexibility, with only 44,8% of employers defining their workers’ schedules
According to data from a study named “Teleworking in Latin America”, flexible working in Latin America is not widespread yet. However, the countries leading the way on this are Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, while the countries still lagging behind are Costa Rica, Colombia and Chile.
Advantages of flexitime
Flexitime inspires employee creativity because it creates a relaxing, comfortable and trusting environment, thereby improving workers’ overall working experience.
With this type of schedule, the link between the company and the workers is based on responsibility. The company understands the individuality of each person and the workers take responsibility for the accomplishment of their personal work objectives.
The advantages for the employees are mainly:
- Better work environment
- Greater personal satisfaction
- Increased motivation
- Reduced stress and fatigue
- Self-management of time and improved work balance
For the company, offering flexitime is a way of attracting new talent and retaining key staff, as well as increasing employee motivation and productivity.
These are the main advantages:
- Decreased absenteeism
- Increased productivity
- Lower staff turnover
- Attract more talent
- Improve the reputation and prestige of the company
- Improve client satisfaction and consequently the satisfaction of the team
How to implement flexitime in your company
In order to be able to implement flexitime, firstly, the company needs to trust that its workers can act responsibly, and then, the worker needs to be capable of taking on this responsibility to accomplish the given tasks and objectives within a specific time period. On a more practical level, it is important to take the following action:
- Use a computer system which allows all the team to have access to the information from anywhere
- Set up a work plan with clear objectives and deadlines
- Get regular updates
- Offer specific feedback on work carried out
Do you want to have flexible working hours? Join our pool of talent and we will connect you to companies who are committed to flexitime.
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