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Flextime (or flexitime) is a variable work schedule, in contrast to traditional work arrangements requiring employees to work a standard 9am to 5pm day. Under flexitime, there is typically a "core time" period of the day when employees are expected to be at work (for example, between 10 am and 4pm), whilst the rest of the working day is "flexitime", in which employees can choose when they work, subject to achieving total daily, weekly or monthly hours in the region of what the employer expects, and subject to the necessary work being done.
Flexitime in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, flexitime working is now commonplace in both the private and public sectors. The practice is often found in administrative and back office functions of commercial organisations and local councils. There is no specific legislation dealing with flexitime.
Flextime in the United States
In the United States, flextime workers, like salaried workers exempted from overtime regulations, are given broad leeway in setting their own work schedule. Unlike exempted salaried workers, employers are still required to pay overtime to a flextime worker if they work more than 40 hours per week. In addition, the employer will usually require that a flextime employee works a minimum number of hours each week.
In recent years, the term "flextime" has acquired a more controversial definition when used to describe proposals to overhaul the nation's overtime regulations. Under one such proposal by the Bush administration made public on August 5, 2004, employers would not be required to pay non-exempt employees overtime for working more than 40 hours in a week so long as the employee works no more than 80 hours over a two week period. For example, a worker could be required to work 70 hours one week and receive no overtime compensation as long as they work 10 hours or less the following week. Such arrangements are opposed by labor organizations such as the AFL-CIO.
In certain industries such as information technology, flextime permits workers to vary their schedule for example such as working a four 10 hour days per week, put in enough hours Monday thru Thursday to leave early on Friday. Other workers come in early such as 5 or 6 am (0500 to 0600) and leave in the mid-afternoon or come in late and therefore leave late. The benefit is commuting time is outside of rush hour depending on geographic region.
In the U.S., flextime generally applies only to white collar workers. It is a part of the work/life balance discussion in many companies.
See also
- Fair Labor Standards Act (United States)
- Overtime
"Flextime plan"