What Is Flexible Working?

What Is Flexible Working?

Flexible working refers to employment arrangements allowing employees to vary when, where, or how they work, departing from traditional 9-to-5 office schedules. It encompasses remote work, flexible hours, compressed workweeks, job sharing, and hybrid models—providing greater control over work patterns while maintaining productivity. Common types include remote/hybrid work, flextime with core hours, compressed workweeks, job sharing, and results-only work environments.

Key takeaways

• Pick models that fit the work: remote/hybrid, flextime, compressed weeks, and job sharing.
• Define core hours, communication norms, and tooling to coordinate.
• Train managers to measure outcomes, not hours.
• Iterate policies based on feedback and business needs.
• Iterate policies based on feedback and business needs.
• Related: Flextime and Job sharing.

Gallup research shows 54% of U.S. office workers would leave for flexible arrangements, and 37% would take a pay cut for flexibility.

Types of Flexible Working Arrangements

• Remote Work: Full-time or hybrid work-from-home arrangements eliminating commutes
• Flextime: Flexible start/end times around core hours (e.g., 10am–3pm core)
• Compressed Workweeks: Full-time hours in fewer days (4/10, 9/80, or 4-day weeks)
• Job Sharing: Two part-time employees split one full-time role
• Part-Time: Reduced hours with proportional compensation
• Annualized Hours: Hours worked annually rather than weekly
• Shift Flexibility: Employee control through shift bidding, self-scheduling, or swaps
• Results-Only (ROWE): Evaluation based on outcomes, not hours or location

Benefits of Flexible Working

For Employees: Improved work-life balance, reduced commute (250+ hours/$4,000+ saved annually), greater autonomy, better health, accessibility for parents/caregivers/disabilities.

For Employers: 25–30% lower turnover, 20–25% productivity gains, broader talent pool, reduced real estate costs, 20% lower absenteeism, improved engagement, enhanced diversity.

For Society: Reduces traffic, emissions, infrastructure strain; supports families, community engagement, health.

Legal Considerations

United States: No federal right for most employees. Exceptions: ADA (disability accommodation), Pregnancy Discrimination Act, FMLA, some state laws (California, NYC, Vermont require considering requests). UK/Europe: Statutory right to request after 26 weeks (UK); Work-Life Balance Directive (EU). Australia: Fair Work Act allows requests after 12 months for care, disability, age 55+, family violence. Best Practice: Consider requests fairly regardless of legal obligation.

Implementing Flexible Working Policies

1. Define Appropriate Flexibility: Match arrangements (remote, flextime, compressed weeks, job sharing) to roles—customer-facing may limit flextime; individual contributors suit remote; collaborative roles fit hybrid; shift-based need swap platforms.
2. Establish Clear Processes: Define eligibility, request procedures, decision criteria, appeals.
3. Set Core Hours: Define core hours (e.g., 10am–3pm) and responsiveness expectations.
4. Provide Tools: Remote needs laptops, VPN, collaboration software; shift flexibility needs platforms like ShiftFlow.
5. Train Managers: Outcome-based management, async communication, trust-building, avoiding proximity bias.
6. Performance Metrics: Measure results, not presence; define deliverables, deadlines, quality.
7. Communication Norms: Define sync vs. async, response times, off-hours boundaries.
8. Address Equity: Equal opportunities for remote employees; accommodate remote participants.
9. Monitor and Adjust: Track productivity, satisfaction, turnover; gather feedback; adjust regularly.

Common Challenges and Solutions

Communication gaps: Overlapping core hours, collaboration tools. Manager resistance: Training, outcome frameworks, accountability. Remote isolation: Video check-ins, virtual events, buddy systems. Role inequity: Different flexibility types per role. Productivity concerns: Focus on outcomes, clear expectations. Culture maintenance: All-hands meetings, in-person gatherings, recognition.

Measuring Success

Track productivity metrics, engagement surveys, retention rates, absenteeism, time-off requests, recruitment metrics, and business outcomes.

Flexible Working for Shift-Based Teams

Requires self-scheduling, peer shift swaps, varying shift lengths, advance publishing, and preference input. Platforms like ShiftFlow enable this.

The Future

Flexible working is now mainstream expectation. Trends: hybrid default, global talent, AI scheduling, VR collaboration, legal codification, competitive differentiator.

Conclusion

Flexible working rethinks how, when, and where work happens, recognizing diverse needs and productivity patterns create better outcomes.

Success requires clear policies, appropriate technology, trained managers, outcome-based accountability, and continuous adjustment. The investment pays dividends in retention, productivity, engagement, and talent access.

Balance employee autonomy with business needs—trust employees while ensuring service and collaboration. Organizations mastering flexibility thrive; those clinging to presenteeism struggle.

Try ShiftFlow’s workforce management tools to implement flexible schedules, coordinate core hours, and ensure coverage with employee roster planning.

Sources

• Telework.gov — Telework Guidance (U.S. OPM): https://www.telework.gov/
• CDC/NIOSH — Work Schedules & Shift Work: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/workschedules/