Flexible working hours - from model to implementation
More and more employees want flexible working hours. Whether it's time to quit early on some days, spend one day a week in the home office, or just have enough time to work freely, new working hours models are definitely on the rise. But why are companies still defending themselves despite the great approval of their employees? Why do we have the urge today, more than ever, to divide his time freely?
The fact is: digitalization has also changed the way people work. A mail is preferred to a letter, meetings and training sessions are held via Skype or a webinar, and the good old telephone system has already been replaced by modern smartphones in many offices. No wonder that with this change, the needs and desires of the employees change and the typical 8-hour office job is an obsolete model.
Why do employees want flexible schedules?
Among other things, this is due to the fact that in many areas there would be no need to be present in the office anymore. Finally, Internet searches can also be done from home. Precisely because of this, many employees long for flexible working time options or a home office option. Annoying and commute for hours would fall away, which of course means a relief of employees.
But workers are no longer just about not spending office hours on their office anymore. Rather, the trend is now in the direction of personal freedom and the right to make decisions themselves. Today's employees want to have a say in when and where they work and do not adhere to strict guidelines. In this context, the often discussed work-life balance also plays a role. Especially parents often want more time with their children and still have to fight in many companies to put an end to an hour earlier. Such a model is already in use in many companies, but in the majority of companies, being in the office is still a top priority and is still part of the daily work routine.
Why is the trend of flexible working hours not pursued?
As beautiful as the idea of a flexible workplace is, one must also realize that there are also jobs in which simply presence is essential, such as a job at the reception. The model is therefore not suitable for every industry and every occupation and not for every employee.
Also, a free division of working hours brings not only benefits. It can happen that there is no clear separation of job and private life anymore and in the home office you can call between hanging up the laundry and sorting the socks, sometimes just with the customer. The risk that the professional overreaches, thus increases.
What can one do to master the narrow degree anyway?
There are now plenty of opportunities for flexibility in Hauf. Working time accounts, flextime, work based on trust are just a few examples. But the best model does not work if it is not done properly. So much depends on the design. If a time frame is specified, such as during flextime, the design usually works very well. On the other hand, if bonuses are paid to achieve certain goals or there is no working time limit, the risk of overtime is particularly high. Therefore, a daily working time norm is still important, even with all freedoms.
Here, above all, the superiors have to take into account and at best control the working hours. Above all, executives must pay more attention to the fact that the employees do not exploit themselves.
Conclusion: New working time models are welcome, but to a certain extent and with some conditions. Because only then does such an option pay off and, above all, it is effective in the long term.
