Flexible Work Week Benefits

For Employers

Flexible work weeks make it possible to:

• serve more customers - including those in other time zones - by extending business hours, which increases revenue generating opportunities.
• improve an organization's green image by reducing the number of commuters idling in stalled traffic during peak travel times.
• increase employee job satisfaction and productivity while reducing costs associated with employee turnover.

For Employees

Many employees view their commute as part of their work day. Allowing some flexibility in when employees start and end their work day reduces the amount of time they spend in traffic, which shortens their work day and improves their quality of life.

Flexible work weeks also give employees more quality time to spend with family and friends.

Types of Programs

Compressed Work Week

The two most common compressed work week schedules are:

• 40 work hours in four days, with the fifth day off, or
• 80 work hours in nine days, with the tenth day off.

Many companies offer compressed work week schedules year round. Others may offer the benefit on a limited basis, including:

• during slow periods in an organization's business cycle
• in conjunction with regional events that may increase area traffic congestion (e.g. political conventions, sporting events, the State Far)
• as part of commuter reward program to encourage green commuting choices

Flexible Work Day

Most employers that provide a flexible work day option to employees have a set of "core hours" in the middle of the day where every employee needs to be on site, and a set of "flex hours" at the beginning and end of each day. Employees can then choose to come into work early and leave early, or come in later and stay later to avoid traffic congestion and spend more time with their families and friends.

Employers whose business operations require structured staffing schedules typically allow employees to select from a menu of schedules on a rotating, quarterly basis and then require them to stick to that schedule throughout the quarter.

A typical menu might look like this:

Flex Hours	Core Hours	Flex Hours
6:30 am	10 am - 3 pm	3 pm
7 am		3:30 pm
7:30 am		4 pm
8 am		4:30 pm
8:30 am		5 pm
9 am		5:30 pm
9:30 am		6 pm
10 am		6:30 pm