Our recent Employment Engagement survey was sent out to gauge happiness levels and satisfaction within the Impact team and the results were hugely positive. However, when asked “what would make your life more enjoyable” the overwhelming response was the ability to take more control of their own time; leading to greater happiness and increased productivity.
The conclusion was to introduce Flexi-Time.
Standard work schedules are too restrictive for some, so offering flexible hours can be a very handy solution and in this case, us ‘Impactees’ absolutely love it! This is usually introduced because some hate rush hour, others are early birds, and others are night owls that need to be lifted from the bed but don’t mind staying later. Flexi-hours give people some freedom to choose their work hours and improves their work-life balance. It works pretty simply. So an Impact typical day is from 9am to 6pm, flexi-time early birds might swoop in at 8 am in the morning, flying off at 5 pm. Night owls could watch Jeremy Kyle in the morning and show up 10 am then finish up at 7 pm.
The huge benefit for companies is the employer advantages by attracting and retaining solid talent. The only ‘flexi-frustrations’ are that some small businesses might need all hands on deck all day. Forgetting the one negative, the main positives are:
• Increased employee engagement and commitment to the organisation.
• Increased feeling of personal control over schedule and work environment.
• Allows people to work when they accomplish most, feel freshest, and enjoy working. (E.g. morning person vs. night person).
Any employee could benefit from flexi-time in practice, some people value it highly. Staff who can’t avoid personal duties during work hours are prime contenders. Parents could depart before home time to pick up and tend to their children. Eldercare duties might require similar arrangements.
Like any sizeable change in procedure, there will always be those that take time to adjust. So it doesn’t hurt to begin with a trial. This means to agree to specific work schedules, set clear performance expectations and test things for a month or two. Overall it has been a real success for everyone here at Impact, so if you are an employer or employee reading this, then we highly recommend becoming flexi.