As a small business owner, you need to make sure you have the team you need to keep your business moving forward. For many businesses, that translates to having a strict work schedule for their employees—think 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday.
But as the workplace continues to change and evolve, many employees are looking for more flexibility in their workday, workweek, and overall work experience. And in order to stay competitive and attract top talent, many employers are starting to embrace more workplace flexibility—and offer flextime work schedules to their employees.
But what, exactly, is flextime? As an employer, what are the pluses and minuses? And if you decide to start offering flexible work arrangements to your employees, how can you ensure that flexible working doesn’t disrupt your business?
What Is Flextime?
Flextime is a blanket term for work policies that give your employees flexibility in how and when they work.
There are a few different types of flextime work schedules, including:
- Flexible daily hours. Instead of being required to be in the office (or, in the case of telecommuting, signed in and working) for a specific block of time each day, employees have the freedom to choose how and when they work—as long as they complete the number of hours they’re assigned and get their work done.
- Flexible work weeks. Instead of working eight hours per day, five days per week, employees can work 10 hours per day, four days per week—or work nine hours per day and take off for a half-day on Fridays.
- Job sharing. Instead of hiring one full-time employee, employers may consider hiring two part-time employees—and have them split the responsibilities and hours of the full-time role.
- Flexible locations. Instead of requiring an employee to work in a specific location, employees have the flexibility to choose where they work—whether that’s working at home, coming into the office, or some combination of two.
- Seasonal flexibility. Some businesses require exempt employees to put in more hours in certain seasons than others; for example, accounting firms may need their employees to work longer hours leading up to tax season, while a software company may need their employees to put in significantly more hours in the months leading up to a new product launch. In those situations, employers may allow exempt employees to work fewer hours during slower seasons to make up for that extra time (and keep their employees from burning out).
From an Employer Perspective, What are the Pluses and Minuses of Offering a Flexible Work Schedule?
Like anything, there are benefits and setbacks to offering flextime to your employees. And before you decide whether flexible work schedules are the right fit for your company, it’s important to understand those benefits and setbacks—and how they’re going to impact your business.
So, what are some of the pluses and minuses of flextime?
Pluses
- Flextime can boost employee morale. When your employees have a say in how and when they work, that freedom can deliver a serious boost to morale, which can make them feel happier at work and lead to all sorts of benefits, including lower absenteeism, higher employee retention, higher productivity, higher job satisfaction, and better work overall.
- Flextime can help your employees achieve better work-life balance. When your employees are locked into a certain schedule, it can make it hard to balance work and their personal lives. But flexible work hours give them more control over their schedule—and can make it easier to balance work and their personal lives and avoid burnout. For example, employees may choose to work remotely to avoid rush hour traffic—or may choose to work later in the day, when they can more easily arrange for childcare.
- Flexible hours can help your business attract—and retain—top talent. Many employees are looking for flexibility at work—and if you can offer that flexibility, it will make it easier to attract top talent and keep your highest performing employees.
Minuses
- Flextime can cause communication bottlenecks. When you have employees with different start and end times that are working different work hours, different days, and at different locations, it can cause delays in communication—which can, in turn, cause delays in getting things done.
- Flextime may not work for all employees. Depending on where your business is located, overtime laws may prevent you from offering certain flexible work arrangements to non-exempt employees; for example, if your business operates in a state where any number of hours above eight per workday is considered overtime, a four-day workweek—where employees work 10 hours per day—wouldn’t work for non-exempt employees (unless you were willing to pay overtime).
How to Make Flextime Arrangements Work for Your Business
If you decide that flextime is a good fit for your business, you want to make sure that the transition to more workplace flexibility works for you and your employees.
But how, exactly, do you do that? Let’s take a look at a few tips to make the flextime rollout as seamless and simple as possible:
- Implement clear communication policies…As mentioned, when employees work different schedules, it can create communication hold-ups that can negatively impact your business. If you decide to move forward with flexible working options, make sure you have protocols in place to ensure communication runs smoothly. For example, if you have employees on different shifts, working from 9am to 5pm or from 3pm to 11pm, you might schedule a team meeting from 4pm to 5pm so that employees from each shift can share what they’re working on and get any information or insight they need from other team members to move forward on their projects.
- ...and staffing policies. In order for your business to run smoothly, chances are, you need a certain amount of coverage during certain hours. To ensure that you have the coverage you need—and all your employees don’t choose to work during off hours—you’ll also want to have clear staffing policies in place. For example, employees may only work the 3pm to 10pm shift if two or more co-workers are working from 9am to 5pm on any given day.
- Keep track of employee hours. Knowing when and what hours your employees are working is always important, but it’s especially important when you’re offering flexible work options—and need to evaluate whether those flex work options are working for your company. Make sure your employees are continuing to track their time and submit timesheets; that way, you can more easily evaluate the success of your flextime work policy. For example, if you notice a spike or dip in productivity for a certain week, you can refer to your employee timesheets for that workweek—and see if that productivity spike or dip correlates to flex work hours. You can seamlessly keep track of your employees’ flextime schedules—including start times, end times, and total hours worked—with Hourly’s time tracking platform, which automates the time tracking process—and makes managing flextime easier, more streamlined, and less time consuming.
- Create a flextime work policy. In order for flexible work arrangements to work—for you and your employees—everyone needs to be on the same page. Have your human resources draft up a flextime work policy—and make sure every employee reviews and signs that policy before you implement it across your organization.
What to Include in Your Flexible Working Policy
As mentioned, having a clear flextime policy is a must if you want flexible working to work at your company. But what, exactly, should you include in that policy?
While every company policy will differ based on your organization’s needs, some elements you may want to incorporate into your flexible time work policy include:
- Outline of the flex options offered... Your flextime policy should clearly outline the different types of flextime options offered (for example, four-day workweeks or flexibility in scheduling your daily work hours).
- ...and how employees can leverage those flex options. Your flextime work policy should also clearly outline any relevant procedures employees need to know about when leveraging their flextime options. For example, do they have to request to work flex hours ahead of time—or can they choose their own hours every day? Can they work remotely whenever they want—or do they need to get approval from a supervisor? The clearer you are about how employees can use their flextime, the fewer issues there will be when you officially roll out your policy across the organization.
- Conditions that must be met for flextime eligibility. You want to make sure that your employees are staying productive and engaged when working a flexible work schedule. Your flextime work policy should clearly outline what conditions need to be met for employees to qualify for and maintain their flextime privileges.
Make Flextime Schedules Work for Your Business
Implementing flextime options at your company can be a great way to attract and retain top talent—and ensure that your employees have the flexibility they need to balance their work and personal lives. And now that you know how to effectively roll out a flextime policy, you’re armed with the information you need to ensure that flextime not only works for your employees—but also works for your business.
1. Introducing Yourself
Your introductory email needs to pack a lot of information into a small package. Try something like this:
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Hello Jane,
My name is John Doe and I work for ABC Agency, where we provide business insurance policies to many of Dallas' rockstar small businesses.
Congratulations on your new business, Jane's Bakery. Are you wondering if you have all the insurance you need? Or if your policies will really cover you in a pinch?
At ABC Agency, we pride ourselves on providing robust, comprehensive coverage options to companies like yours with flexible, pay-as-you-go plans.
Are you available this week to talk more about how we can help? I can help you find the most affordable rates and the best policies out there.
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Cheers,
John Doe
2. Presenting a Quote
Once you've met with your potential client, a quick reply with their quote will get the ball rolling.
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Hi Jane,
Thanks so much for meeting with me this morning. I loved touring Jane's Bakery–I can still smell those delicious chocolate chip cookies baking! You have a great location, and I'm sure you're going to do great on Front St.
After reviewing my notes, I've pulled together an insurance quote for you (attached). I recommend a business owner's policy. A BOP includes several insurance products in one: liability, property insurance, and business interruption insurance. It offers robust coverage at a competitive price.
I'll call you in a few days to see what you think about this insurance plan. In the meantime, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me or call me at [phone number].
Again, thank you for your time today. I look forward to working with you in the future.
Cheers,
John Doe
3. Thanks for Purchasing a Policy
Gratitude is important! It's never a bad idea to thank your clients for their business.
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Hi Jane,
Thank you for choosing a business owner's policy with ABC Agency. We know it's so important to get the right coverage for your business, and we are honoured you've placed your trust in us.
We're excited to work closely with you, and our no. 1 goal is to make sure you're business is always protected.
Do you have any questions? We are here to help. Reach out whenever something comes to mind.
Thank you again for choosing ABC Agency to insure Jane's Bakery.
Cheers,
John Doe
4. Welcome Email
A welcome email helps clients feel like you're there to help–and can softly pitch other insurance products you offer.
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Dear Jane,
Welcome to the ABC family! We are thrilled to have you as a new customer and can't wait to meet all of your insurance needs.
As an independent insurance agency, we work with multiple insurance providers to find the best coverage options for all our customers. If you need any other type of insurance–like [include additional offerings unique to your agency, like life insurance, health insurance, home insurance or anything else]–we can help you too.
Do you want to discuss any of these policies?
Cheers,
John Doe
5. Introducing a New Product
A happy client may want to expand their business with you.
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Hello Jane,
I hope all is well with you and Jane's Bakery. I stopped in yesterday for a blueberry muffin and coffee, and they were delicious. I loved the hint of cinnamon in the muffin! Was that your idea?
I wanted you to be the first to know we are now offering commercial vehicle insurance to our policyholders. Auto insurance for your catering vans is super important since your personal car insurance won't cover them.
We're offering this insurance coverage solely to our current business clients at the moment and have some very competitive rates.
Would you like me to work up a quote for you?
As always, thanks so much for being a part of the ABC family.
Cheers,
John Doe
6. Asking For Referrals
Once your relationship is established and comfortable, let your clients help you grow.
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Hi Jane,
You've been a valuable member of the ABC family for two years now, and we so appreciate your business–not to mention the muffins you supply for our monthly meetings!
Because you are a valued policyholder, I wanted to ask a quick favour. I know you are active in the local Chamber of Commerce, and I'm hoping you might know some colleagues who would benefit from working with our insurance company.
Referrals are one of the most effective ways to connect with our community since people really trust their friends, family and colleagues. Is there anyone you'd recommend I speak with?
Remember that in addition to business insurance products, we offer everything from life insurance policies to pet insurance.
As a thank you for your help, we will send you an Amazon gift card of $100 when your referrals buy insurance from us.
Thanks so much for your help!
Cheers,
John Doe
7. Policy Renewal
If your client needs to renew their policy with you, send an email like this:
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Hi Jane,
I hope you're doing well! What a year it's been—from being listed as one of the top 5 bakeries in Dallas to being an official vendor for the city—you have so much to be proud of.
Just a heads up that your business owner's policy is up for renewal soon and will expire on June 15, 2023.
If you're still happy with the coverage, we can easily renew it for you.
Do you have some time to chat this week?
Looking forward to serving you again!
Cheers,
John Doe