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Flexible working: options
There are many types of flexible working on offer. The different options are changing all the time as companies try to develop innovative ways to retain key staff
- Flexitime: involves employees working an agreed number of hours over a set period. Usually some core hours are agreed, with flexible start and finish times and the option of time off in lieu if more hours are worked.
- Compressed hours: working more hours in a shorter period, for instance working four long days instead of five shorter ones.
- Staggered hours: employees work fixed hours every day, but they can agree different start and finish times to suit their personal needs.
- Annualised or seasonal hours: employees work longer hours in busy periods and fewer hours at other times of the year/season.
- Shift work: typically covers a 24-hour period so staff work a shift pattern, such as two nights on, three days off, four days on. These patterns may vary from week to week.
- Part-time work: working reduced hours from the normal 9-5 day.
- Job sharing: two employees share the same job, with the work usually divided 50:50 so each employee works 2.5 days a week. Not all job shares are split evenly; eg some may work alternate weeks.
- Term-time only: employees work during school term-times only, and have the holidays off. Staff can be paid pro rata over the year or take the holidays as unpaid leave.
- Temporary reduced hours: reduced hours agreed on a temporary basis, for instance by mothers returning after maternity leave. The time period for reduced hours is usually agreed beforehand.
- Pre-retirement reduced hours: enables staff to reduce their hours gradually before retirement.
- Homeworking or teleworking: employees work from home because their job is suited to homeworking, or staff work flexibly and assess that some of their work can be done from home on specific occasions.