Flexitime policy template
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Our Flexitime Policy Template outlines the guidelines and procedures for flexible working hours, promoting work-life balance and productivity while maintaining operational efficiency and meeting business needs.
This policy has three parts: an 'overview' that explains what it's about, 'scope' which details who it applies to, and 'general principles' that list the main rules it follows.
Why this policy is necessary
A flexitime policy is a work arrangement where employees are given flexibility in choosing their work hours. Under this policy, employees are typically required to work a certain number of hours per week or month, but they are given the freedom to determine the specific times when they will be working.
For example, instead of the traditional 9-5 workday, an employee on a flexitime policy may choose to work from 7 am to 3 pm or from 11 am to 7 pm. In some cases, employees may also be able to accumulate extra hours worked and use them to take time off at a later date.
Flexitime policies are often seen as a way to improve work-life balance, reduce employee stress, and increase job satisfaction. However, they may not be suitable for all types of jobs or industries, particularly those that require a high degree of coordination or that have strict customer service or operational requirements.
Compliance notes
Here are some key pieces of UK employment legislation relevant to implementing a flexitime policy:
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The Working Time Regulations 1998: This legislation sets out the maximum number of hours that an employee can work in a week, as well as requirements for rest breaks and annual leave entitlements. Employers implementing a flexitime policy must ensure that employees are not working more than the maximum number of hours allowed by law.
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The Equality Act 2010: This act prohibits discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics such as age, disability, gender, race, and religion. Employers implementing a flexitime policy must ensure that the policy is applied fairly and does not disadvantage any particular group of employees.
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The Employment Rights Act 1996: This legislation requires employers to provide employees with a written statement of their employment terms and conditions, which should include information about working hours and any flexitime arrangements.
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The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: This act places a duty on employers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees while at work. Employers implementing a flexitime policy must ensure that the policy does not compromise employee safety or wellbeing.
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The Flexible Working Regulations 2014: This legislation gives eligible employees the right to request flexible working arrangements, including flexitime. Employers must consider these requests in a reasonable manner and provide a written response within three months.
Specifications
10 mins
881 words, 3 pages A4
1 July 2024
Flexitime
Overview
[Company] recognises the commitment and hard work of all staff and understands that individuals may, at some time in their working lives, find it difficult to maintain a balance between their professional and personal commitments.
[Company] also understands that the promotion of flexible working patterns can reduce unauthorised absences from work and employee stress, and in turn promote a good work-life balance and improve performance and productivity.
One way for [Company] to do this is to offer flexitime, whereby employees work their total number of contractual hours, but are permitted flexibility as to when they begin and end a day or shift.
Scope
This policy is applicable to all empoyees of [Company].
General Principles
When flexitime can operate
[All employees are entitled to benefit from [Company]'s flexitime scheme. This means that employees can generally work flexitime, as long as they abide by the restrictions set out below.
However, flexitime should not interfere with [Company]'s needs or the employee's job duties and line managers can override flexitime arrangements to meet the needs of the business.]
[OR
[Company] will consider requests to work flexitime from [all employees/employees in [details, for example particular departments or types of job]]. [Employees should refer to [Company]'s policy on non-statutory requests for flexible working, which sets out how requests can be made.]]
Requests from part-time employees to work flexitime will be considered on the same basis as requests from full-time employees.
How flexitime works
Each employee who is covered by a flexitime arrangement can vary his/her hours around the core working periods. The hours banked can be used at a later date to take time off, such as a day's holiday or simply a late start or early finish to the day.
The employee can work extra hours and use these later to take time off work. The employee can, if he/she wishes, accrue a surplus of hours to take later, up to a maximum of [14] hours within the [monthly/quarterly] flexitime period.
[Employees are not allowed to take time off that has not been accrued. In other words, an employee is not allowed to use flexitime to work less than [seven] hours in a day when he/she has not worked the time in advance to accrue this time off.]
[OR
Employees are allowed to build up a maximum "deficit" of [seven] hours' time off that they have not accrued. In other words, an employee is not allowed to take more than [seven] hours off that he/she has not worked in advance to accrue this time off.]
The flexible period is one [month/quarter]. Employees cannot carry over surplus hours from one flexitime period to the next. Any surplus hours worked in any one flexitime period will be lost if they are not taken as time off within that [monthly/quarterly] flexitime period.
Employees who are taking time off using accrued hours that result in their not working the core hours of [9.30am] to [11.30am] and [2pm to 3.30pm] in any one day are required to get their line manager's consent. For example, if an employee is taking a full day off after accruing [seven] surplus hours, he/she must ask the line manager before taking the time off.
Hours of work
The core working periods, during which employees must normally be at work, are [9.30am] to [11.30am] and [2pm to 3.30pm]. [The flexitime arrangements apply only [from Monday to Friday]. Employees cannot work hours under the flexitime scheme on [Saturdays and Sundays].]
The earliest that an employee can start work is [7.30am] and the latest that he/she can start work is [9.30am]. The earliest that an employee can finish work is [3.30pm] and the latest that he/she can finish work is [8pm].
Employees must take a minimum of [30 minutes] for lunch. You may take your lunch break between the hours of [11.30am and 2pm].
Record of flexitime hours worked
Employees doing flexitime are required to record their start and finish times, lunch breaks and total hours of work [on a [weekly/monthly] flexitime record/in the computerised system].
The employee's line manager will review and approve the employee's hours at the end of each [week/month], confirming how much time off an employee has accrued.
Working time limits
An employee working extra hours on a particular day as part of the flexitime scheme must not work more than [10] hours during the day and must take at least a [30-minute] lunch break over and above this.
The employer has to comply with working time limits and ensure that workers who do flexitime do not exceed reasonable working hours. [Company] is committed to ensuring that workers' working patterns do not compromise their health.
[For more details on working time limits, employees should refer to [Company]'s policy on working hours.]
Monitoring of flexitime
The employee's line manager will monitor the employee's flexitime to ensure that:
- it does not result in overtiredness or underperformance;
- it continues to fit into [Company]'s business needs;
- it does not place too much extra burden on his/her colleagues; and
- the employee is not abusing the flexitime arrangement.
[Company] reserves the right to review and, if necessary, require the employee to change his/her working patterns.
Disciplinary action
Any abuse of this policy will be a disciplinary offence that can result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
This policy [does not] form[s] part of your terms and conditions of employment.
Version: [1.0]
Issue date: [date]
Author: [name, job title]
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