Flexible Scheduling Wanted by Hybrid Workers

A recent WorldatWork survey found 76% of job applicants stated a flexible work arrangement was the factor most likely to influence job selection.  In addition, 65% said working remotely was somewhat important to them in job selection.  As a result, companies are now offering options to work from either home or office in a hybrid model to fit this growing need.  However, tracking hourly workers on a hybrid model has its challenges.

As states remove mask mandates over the next couple of months, many companies and employees wonder whether employees need to go back to the office.  A 2021 Gallup Poll states 67% of employees in white-collar jobs reported working from home.  More importantly, 91% of workers in the U.S. working at least some of their hours remotely are hoping their ability to work at home continues after the pandemic.

With the tight labor market, employers do not want to lose valuable employees by making them come back to the office.  Nearly half of employees working exclusively from home (49%) say losing the option of working from home would make them ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to look for employment with another organization.

Redefining Hybrid

Organizations that can reimagine how work gets done will have a decided advantage.

Remote workers have now established new work habits to keep them productive.  However, they continue to report a disconnection to their co-workers.  This lack of connection is why workers are willing to return to the office.

The real question is who determines when and how often an employee goes back to the office.  In a TINYpulse survey, 64% of remote workers are willing to come into the office 2-3 days a week.  However, they want to choose which days they want to go to the office.

According to a recent LinkedIn survey, when employees are satisfied with their companies’ time and location flexibility, they are 2.6 times more likely to be happy working at their company and 2.1 times more likely to recommend that others work at their employer.  Flexible scheduling equates to being an Employer of Choice.

Employees have shown over the past year they can be trusted to get the job done during the hours of their choosing.  Because of this, more employers are allowing workers to set their own schedules.

Tracking a Flexible/Hybrid Workforce

The biggest challenge when tracking hourly workers in a flexible model is overtime.  To monitor a flexible schedule, the manager specifies the number of hours an employee is scheduled for each day of the week.  Then, as the employee works, a report indicates the hours currently worked and designed hours remaining in the workweek.  This system provides a leading indicator to determine if an hourly employee may go into overtime.  If there is a potential for overtime, the manager can modify the employee’s flexible schedule before the end of the workweek. 

Another challenge is how an hourly employee clocks in and out for the day.  In a hybrid environment, hourly workers need to log their hours from any location, either through a computer terminal or mobile device.  If there are security issues, the system should restrict access to their time and attendance through an IP restriction, only allowing access at work or their home office. 

Finally, a flexible schedule should allow employees to split their time for the day or week.  As long as there is proper coverage, an employee should be able to schedule a 40-hour workweek in various options, like five 8-hour days, four 10-hour days, four 9-hour days with a 4-hour day, etc.  Another advantage of a flexible schedule is offering longer lunch breaks for those who need to pick up a child from school or other activity.  Again, this option works as long as the employee works the correct hours for the day and complies with state and federal employment rules regarding breaks and lunches.

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