There are too many employers out there convinced that employees don't have a life outside of their office walls. Going above and beyond our jobs is what it takes to make an impression, but nothing goads me more than when a boss fails to recognize that butt-in-the-seat time isn't the most important aspect of managing employees — that attitude can provoke the undesired effect of reducing worker productivity and motivation.
3 Dog Agency, a Washington, DC-based public relations firm, says that flexibility is one of the ways they're able to attract the best candidates, and the company's president acknowledges that their policies actually increase productivity. This company and others are being flexible by accommodating workers' outside activities like pursuing graduate degrees, working second jobs, and doing charitable work.
Owners of companies that embrace flextime maintain that their practices make good business sense. Do you agree?
Development
Marionnaud
Forzieri
Absolutely! In the companies I worked for where the boss is always asking people to stay late without paying overtime, the employees goof off a lot in the course of the day and try to do as little as possible as a way to "get even".
I worked for another place that'd make up any overtime by letting you take that amount of time off later, and people there worked very hard most of the time, with only the occasional goofing off.
I'd imagine employee productivity would be even greater with full-on flextime.
1I used to work 4 10's and I loved it - it was the best schedule for getting everything at work done and all your personal things done too.
2Definitely. I think America is way too work-obsessed as it is. People in my company stay until midnight sometimes! It's psychotic. No job is ever that important that it prevents you from having an actual life. But the policy at my company is: you can go home whenever you want as long as you have your work done. That's because our president is only 28 years old.
3It definitely improves Quality of Life, which makes a company more desireable. But you get used to it after awhile. I don't think it improves productivity, even though it is very good for morale.
4OMG!! YES! I am waiting for everyone else to catch on.. This is definitely a big deal with people in their 20's and I can honestly say I would take a pay cut to have a job with more flexible hours..
And, as far is increasing productivity, I think it would actually.. If an employee feels like they are trusted and respected they are more driven to perform better..
5I completely agree.
Flextime ups moral. Good moral ups productivity and loyalty to a
company.
6i think that i would be much happier at my job if i had the option of flex time. i'm typically working 60+ hours a week and i don't get paid overtime, i'm on salary and it makes me resent where i'm working and what i'm doing. i always talk about going to grad school and i can't if i'm at the office until 10 every night...and there's no time for me to do much of anything while i'm here all the time and not getting compensated.
7I'm fortunate to have a job that's fairly flexible. I used to work 7:00-3:30 by choice, but now I've gone to 9-5 with the occasional overtime (maybe once every two weeks, and not for more than an hour at a time).
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