Family-friendly Flexible Work Schedules

Thursday June 4, 2009

Advantages for employers and employees exist when the employer allows employees to work flexible schedules.

Advantages of Flexible Work Schedules for Employees

With flexible work schedules, employees experience these benefits:

Flexibility to meet family needs, personal obligations, and life responsibilities conveniently.
Reduced consumption of employee commuting time and fuel costs.
Avoids traffic and the stresses of commuting during rush hours.
Increased feeling of personal control over schedule and work environment.
Reduces employee burnout due to overload.
Allows people to work when they accomplish most, feel freshest, and enjoy working. (eg. morning person vs. night person).
Depending on the flexible work schedule chosen, may decrease external childcare hours and costs.

Advantages of Flexible Work Schedules for Employers

With flexible work schedules, employers experience these benefits:

Increased employee morale, engagement, and commitment to the organization.
Reduced absenteeism and tardiness.
Increased ability to recruit outstanding employees.
Reduced turnover of valued staff.
Allows people to work when they accomplish most, feel freshest, and enjoy working. (eg. morning person vs. night person).
Extended hours of operation for departments such as customer service.
Develops image as an employer of choice with family friendly flexible work schedules.

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June 8, 2009 at 3:04 pm (1) TerryNeese says:: These are great reasons why employers should pursue flexibility in the workplace. It truely is a great option to both increase convenience and reduce spending. Unfortunately, it is difficult to make flexibility an option for full time hourly workers. The private sector is still not allowed to give their employees the option of having comp time in lieu of overtime pay, even though the government extended this option to its hourly employees in 1978. Whats wrong with that picture? Considering 63% of women are hourly workers, and they are the ones who need flexibility most because of family demands, we should be fighting for equal amounts of flexibility in the public and private sector. http://www.familyissues.ncpa.org