Despite an organization's best intentions and nondiscriminatory business motivations, however, some groups of employees may reap more of the benefits of flexible work arrangements than others, simply because their circumstances make such options more attractive to them.
As with all other employment practices, clear policies, consistent decision-making and careful documentation are needed to fend off possible discrimination charges.
Employers must be mindful of both federal and state wage and hour laws in implementing flextime. For example, if nonexempt employees are allowed flextime, it is especially important to track their actual work hours to ensure compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act FLSA.
Mechanical and computerized time clocks are valuable tools in this regard. State wage and hour laws may pose challenges to the use of flexible work arrangements, such as daily overtime requirements.
See Managing Workplace Flexibility in California. See Are employees working a compressed workweek and paid bi-weekly entitled to overtime in the week they work over 40 hours? Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ERISA , the "1,hour rule" makes employees who have completed 1, hours of service in a period of 12 consecutive months eligible to participate in any company retirement or profit-sharing plan that is offered to other employees.
For plan years beginning after Dec. Eligible employees will have completed at least hours of service each year for three consecutive years and are age 21 or older. Years of service prior to do not have to be counted; however, employers may choose to have more generous eligibility rules. Eligibility for most benefits for example, vacation, sick leave, medical insurance, retirement benefits, life insurance and most disability plans is at the employer's discretion under federal law, but may be mandated by state law.
Employers should verify their compliance with any applicable benefits mandates, ensure that their policies clearly state the eligibility requirements for particular benefits and administer their policies consistently. See Are we legally required to offer benefits to part-time employees?
When an organization allows persons to work from their home offices exclusively or in addition to working from corporate facilities, a number of additional legal issues can arise. Flexible Work Hours Agreement. Telecommuting Policy and Procedure. Temporary Telecommuting Policy. Short-Term Telecommuting Agreement. Flexible Schedule Policy. Flexible Work Schedule Policy. Flexible Schedule Compressed Workweek Policy. Summer Flextime Policy.
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Opportunities Flexible work arrangements offer numerous benefits to both employers and employees. Such benefits include: Assisting in recruiting efforts.
Enhancing worker morale. Managing employee attendance and reducing absenteeism. Improving retention of good workers. Boosting productivity. Minimizing harmful impact on global ecology. Certain flexible work arrangements can contribute to sustainability efforts by reducing carbon emissions and workplace "footprints" in terms of creation of new office buildings. Allowing for business continuity during emergency circumstances such as a weather disaster or pandemic. Leadership identified the following benefits when making the business case for the policy: Travel.
Conferencing technology like Skype would reduce travel expenses. Upgrading technology would help the company stay competitive and build Unilever's brand as a best place to work. Costs would be offset by other savings. Real estate. Cubicles and offices would be converted to communal facilities, thereby reducing space requirements by 30 percent. Sites would be converted gradually as leases expired. Onsite fitness facilities would increase employee satisfaction, help reduce illness and cut insurance costs.
Satisfaction ratings would rise, and recruitment would become easier. Reducing travel, office energy costs and paperwork would decrease the environmental footprint.
Retention and engagement. Flexibility would enhance the employer value proposition, improving retention and supporting diversity. Focusing on the unique needs of specific groups of workers without creating a second class of workers and without engaging in unlawful disparate treatment or disparate impact discrimination.
Flextime includes:. Flextime does not reduce the total number of hours worked in a given week. Core hours are usually required when all employees must be at the worksite. Successful flextime arrangements serve the needs both of individual employees and their unit or department. The focus is on job performance and meeting business demands, including extended hours of operation.
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By continuing, you agree to Monster's privacy policy , terms of use and use of cookies. Search Career Advice. Advice Workplace Work-Life Balance. Put your biceps away. Flex time has its own strengths that can improve your work-life balance. Daniel Bortz, Monster contributor. A flex schedule can help you achieve work-life balance. In the most flexible settings, employees come and go as they please.
However, for operational purposes, most workplaces set organizational core hours — designated periods of time when employees are required to be at work. The main advantages for employers are: higher productivity, reduced absenteeism and tardiness, and a more attractive working place for keeping and attracting top talents.
Flexitime also presents some challenges for employers, such as less supervision during certain time periods, and understaffing at times. Following these practices should keep most of the potential flexitime problems at bay:. Employers in most countries are required by law to track how many hours their employees work in a given period. Online clocking systems mobile and web time clocks are an important tool for monitoring work hours, especially for employees on flexible arrangements.
Easy to clock-in and out. Timesheets always up-to-date. Manage and approve absences. Learn more Cancel anytime - no credit card required.
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