Implementation of Flex-Time at Company ABC


ABC (the “Company”) had been in existence for over 200 years.
The Company is a global organization with over 30,000 employees.
BUSINESS CASE







The Company needs to formalize a flextime policy. So far, some employees may be on a type of
informal flex-time arrangement. However, few employees have this benefit.
By formalizing a flex time policy, the company will increase employee retention and remain
competitive in the market.
The company has been very successful in implementing various strategies to provide employees
with work-life balance.
However, the company has a very conservative culture where flextime might create some
confusion among employees, primarily mid level managers. This may lead to resistance.
The division I worked for had about 70 employees the majority of which have been with the
company (and primarily in this division) 10 years in average.
Most of employees work long days and have a sense of pride for coming in early and staying late.
Employee interaction within the group is moderate, with staff meetings every other week.
MY ROLE


Financial Analyst at one of the Company’s divisions.
A beneficiary of the new flextime policy.
CHALLENGES







Earning and increasing level of commitment from mid-level management.
Breaking into old attitudes and believes. Many managers are uncomfortable or unable to
effectively manage a flextime workforce. They find it difficult or too time-consuming to keep track
of employees on flextime and coordinate schedules and workloads.
Some managers may also believe that, if they can’t see an employee at work, he/she must not be
working.
Managers need to implement measurable work standards related to time worked, which will add
additional responsibilities.
Employees who are unable to adopt flextime schedules may become dissatisfied.
Employee morale and workplace camaraderie may suffer from employees not regularly seeing
one another.
Company may be liable for instances in which workers are injured at home while performing
company business on a flextime schedule.
BENEFITS





Flextime improves employee morale and reduces costs. Flextime may allow employers to save
money on overhead, and employee to save commuting time and cost.
Flextime programs have proved to increase the efficiency and productivity of workers. A happy
worker is a productive worker.
Studies have shown that flextime can be credited with reduced absence, reduced stress, and
fewer employees dealing with personal errands during business hours.
Employees receive an added benefit without the company raising salaries. Flextime could be
seen as a high-value benefit which costs the employer virtually nothing.
Most importantly, flextime increases employee retention.

For businesses involving customer service, employers can provide a broader range of service
hours by having some employees start earlier and others work later.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Advocacy




Executive team understood the need to implement a flextime policy in order to remain
competitive.
Executive team was therefore committed to this change and supported the implementation of the
new policy.
Executives followed up with direct reports on the practical implementation and reinforced the
message on an ongoing basis. Each executive acted as change agent.
Company created a robust communication system to explain the new flextime policy and benefits
to all employees across the board. These communications stated clearly the why, how, who,
when, and what of the process.
o Why the company needs to implement the new policy?
o How it is going to be implemented?
o What steps need to be followed?
o Who should be involved?
o How are results going to measured?
o Which resources need to be provided?
Adoption







The adoption of the new policy was seen as a shared responsibility where every employee was a
stakeholder.
The company held recurrent meetings to discuss the new policy, shared information and aligned
employees, primarily mid-level managers.
The company implemented a formalized flextime policy (rather than an ad-hoc approach) to
prevent confusion among employees.
The new policy was added as an actual employee benefit
All employees were required to read and understand the policy, and sign acknowledgement on
the internal HR system.
Managers received initial formal training regarding the implementation of flextime.
Technology tools such access to video conferencing, same time, share-point, etc, were
implemented in order to facilitate communication.
Acceptance



Company created a log-in system for employees to request flextime approval. This allowed
company to monitor policy implementation and employees to commit to flextime conditions
(avoiding the ad-hoc approach).
The company also monitored implementation though various related questions in annual
employee satisfaction survey.
Employees were required to disclose conditions of work place periodically in order to ensure
employee safety.
Awareness


Managers received consultation services on an ongoing basis regarding the implementation of
flextime.
The message was continuously reinforced in weekly communications and quarterly town-hall
meeting.
THE RESULTS







Specifically, there was resistance at the beginning by mid-managers in my division. This
resistance faded over time as technology tools were made available to employees, facilitating
communication.
This process took over a year to formally take place. While speed was not necessarily the forte in
this process, the fact that change was implemented systematically, provided a successful
outcome.
For instance, in my division, employees were allowed to work from home once a week for the first
six month, and twice a week for the next six months. This allowed mid-level managers to start
feeling comfortable with the new policy, become fluent using IT tools, and putting in place the
right procedures to measure performance.
As technology was implemented and evolved, managers became increasingly comfortable,
realizing that flexibility and control are not mutually exclusive.
With telecommuting and teleconferencing, among other technologies, flextime and remote
workers were still stay connected to the team.
Employee convenience and morale increased resulting in higher employee retention.
The company is currently building a flex center to allow employees to share place, resulting in
significant overhead savings for the company.