Flexible Work Arrangements

The traditional 9-5 office job is disappearing. 

More employees are looking for flexible, remote, and hybrid work options that fit their schedules. Flexible work arrangements help employers meet their employees' needs, leading to a more satisfied workforce and becoming a major attractor to new hires. 

Discover more about flexible work arrangements, how they work, and why more people are making the switch. 

What Are Flexible Work Arrangements? 

Flexible work arrangements are contracts between employers and employees that allow employees to decide when and where they work. 

Flexible work arrangements allow employees to work remotely from home or create a hybrid work schedule for both remote and in-person office hours. Arrangements also allow employees to work when it fits their schedule. Some arrangements specifically outline when employees can work—including mandatory work hours, expectations for meetings, and deadline parameters. 

What Are Examples of Flexible Work Arrangements? 

There are a wide variety of flexible work arrangements. Here are some of the key features: 

Hybrid and/or Remote Work - These options are when employees can do some or all of their work outside of the office. 

Flex Time - This scenario allows employees to vary their work hours. Some arrangements have mandatory office hours where all employees are expected to be accessible, but other companies are fully flexible. 

Banking of Hours - A form of flexible time, banking hours is a way for an employee's hours to be reduced during one pay period to be increased in another. Their annual total of hours worked remains the same, but it is not equally distributed to a 40-hour work week every week. 

Job Sharing - Job sharing allows two or more employees to share the responsibilities and requirements of a single position. For example, rather than hiring a single full-time employee, the position is filled by two part-time employees, giving each employee more flexibility in their schedule while still ensuring the needs of the full-time position are covered. 

Compressed Work Week - Rather than working five eight-hour shifts every week, compressed work weeks allow employees to work longer each day for additional days off. For example, working four 10-hour shifts to have a three-day weekend. 

Gradual Retirement - Gradual retirement allows a smooth transition for veteran employees to gradually reduce their workload and phase out of their position, rather than making an abrupt switch from full-time to retirement. This gradual process can be used to train their replacement and help the organization shift to the new structure. 

More and more companies are starting to offer flexible work arrangements. Some of the largest and most notable companies include DuckDuckGo, which has no core hours, and Dell, which has been promoting and innovating workplace flexibility for years. 

How Can You Implement Flexible Work Arrangements? 

Because there are so many options available in flexible work arrangements, organizations must first determine which options they are comfortable offering their employees. This process should also include the boundaries and limitations of flexible work. 

Common boundaries include limiting or defining how work will be done, expectations around deadlines, and mandatory meetings. These boundaries are important because they establish how you will manage the flexible work arrangement and the expectations around the contract.

By providing a thought-out list of flexible work options, employees can have all the information they need to make an informed choice of which options they want to take advantage of. 

What Are the Benefits of Flexible Work Arrangements? 

More people are switching to flexible and remote work due to the benefits it provides both the employer and employees. Flexible work arrangements make it possible to:

Improve employee retention

Increase employee productivity and engagement

Extend service hours

Save on office space, equipment, and supplies

Improve work-life balance

Enhance health and wellbeing of employees

Improve Your Flexible Work Arrangement with Davinci

Davinci helps you get the most from your flexible work arrangements by providing flexible virtual offices, remote workplace solutions, and virtual meeting spaces. 

Contact us today to get a customized quote and to learn how Davinci can help you. 

About Coco Quillen

Coco is the Vice President of Operations at Davinci Meeting Rooms. She manages the strategic development and operational implementation of services for Davinci. She works closely with all teams to ensure customers are well taken care of. Google