Even as the holiday season is underway, many companies are already laying out their 2016 strategies. If hiring or retaining employees is on your list but having the budget to beat competitors is not exactly in the books, no need to worry. According to the findings of our 2016 SCALE Salary Guide, flexible hours is a non-monetary perk that many employees desire but not enough employers offer.
Whether it’s to pursue their passions, make time for self-enrichment, or to spend more time with their families, flexible work hours was ranked as highly desirable by 73% of surveyed employees. While many employees value it as equivalent to $100 a month in salary, only 37% of employers are offering this very appealing, cost-free perk. This could mean a distinct advantage for companies or departments who need to pinch their budgets but have lots of room for flexibility.
Here are three things to consider if you are thinking of introducing flexible scheduling within your company:
Determine whether your positions are appropriate. Does your team or company require that somebody to be there to respond to customers or to generally be available? If this is the case, additional coordination among the staff may be needed to successfully implement flextime. Project-based teams have more flexibility in when and how the projects are accomplished.
Establish schedules and processes. Flexible schedules still rely on coordination and collaboration to keep productivity at its peak. Make sure projects and assignments have specific deadlines so you are able to track and prove the job is being accomplished despite hours.
Ensure fairness and compliance. While the occasional, “I need to leave early to pick up my kids” can be handled with some informality and latitude, more broad scheduling adjustments may require working with your HR department or legal advisers to ensure fair and equal treatment and conformance with all local laws.
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