What is flexitime?
Flexitime is a scheme that lets you choose when you start and finish work, within certain limits agreed with your employer. For example, you might agree to
- Arrive at work between 7.30 and (flexitime) guarantee to be there from 10 am until noon (core time)
- Take your lunch break between noon and 2pm (flexible lunch hour)
- Guarantee to be there from 2 pm to 4 pm (core time)
- Leave between 4 pm and 7.30pm (flexitime)
The hours you work between these times are credited to you.
In effect, you set up a time bank with your employer. Most schemes allow you a credit or debit margin, often of about 10 hours. Say you work a 35-hour week, then, over four weeks, you will ‘owe’ your employer 140 hours. These four weeks are your ‘accounting period’: if you work more than 140 hours in four weeks then you will be in credit, and if you work fewer hours then you will owe time to your employer. If you go beyond your credit margin, into surplus, you may lose those extra hours; if you go beyond your debit margin, into debt, you might be disciplined or lose pay.
One of the best-liked features of flexitime is flexileave. You can turn your credit hours into time off. Depending on the scheme you are in, this might be two half days a month or one full day, or you may be able to add days to your holiday entitlement.
If you join a scheme, or you want to come to a flexitime arrangement with your employer, make sure that you have agreed a fair, accurate and efficient system for recording your working hours. Also, make sure that flexitime does not interfere with any legitimate overtime payments or with your entitlement to time off for dental or hospital appointments.
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