How Innovative N.C. Employers are Implementing Flexible Scheduling Options

August 28, 2012

Marty Minchin,

Working hours and conditions have come a long way from the standard 8 a.m.-5 p.m. day behind a desk. Innovative employers are implementing everything from self-scheduling work programs to on-site fitness centers, making it possible for employees to better integrate their work and personal lives.

The result? Oftentimes healthier, happier employees who are less stressed out and who feel more in control of their lives. At work, they are more productive and focused.

According to a national study commissioned by Workplace Options, a Raleigh-based company that provides employee effectiveness services, many employees are reporting they have more flexible working arrangements and better work-life benefits than they did at their first jobs.

Regardless of their work environment, employees have to manage their personal lives. If their job isn’t flexible, employees often are forced to sort out personal matters such as appointments, vacation planning or emergency child care while on the job.

Dean Debman, Workplace Options CEO, said workplaces have undergone an “incredible revolution” in the past 30 years as employers have looked for ways to make employees’ lives better and increase their work efficiency.

“You may be at work, but how present are you really,” says Debman. “Are you really there and focused on your job, or are you distracted and thinking about something else?”

Flexible scheduling allows employees to better take care of their personal lives. This can mean letting an employee take a long lunch, complete a workweek in four 10-hour days or occasionally work from home.

Flexible hours open up time for employees to do things rigid work schedules don’t, such as attending a child’s school play or scheduling a midmorning dentist appointment.

Research finds that flex time also motivates employees to better health practices. A study conducted by the University of Minnesota, for example, found that many employees who were given more flexibility with their schedules got more sleep, were more likely to visit doctors when they were sick and reported less emotional distress.

Novant Health, a company based in Winston-Salem with a workforce of 25,000, offers a slate of programs that encourage employees to stay healthy and focused, whether they are at work or at home. One of the most significant changes the company has implemented in the past few years is allowing employees to self-schedule their time electronically.

Employees can choose shifts, trade shifts and offer shifts to other employees if they can’t work. They also can select set schedules for weekend or weekday working hours.

“It is a huge employee pleaser,” says Ninette McKinney, vice president of human resources shared services for Novant Health. “If you give the employee more empowerment over when they work, then you have an employee who is better able to integrate work and life.”

When employees are well-rested, unstressed and feel as if they have control over their lives, they are more likely to be focused and productive at work. Debman says that employers can implement easy changes that could have a big impact on employees’ lives.

“They can listen to their employees and hear what their employees’ needs and concerns are,” he says. “All they have to do (many times) is slightly change a work schedule or on some days let them come in early or stay late.”

One downside of flextime is that it can easily be whittled away.

If an employee doesn’t have a good handle on how to manage time and choices, a flexible schedule won’t be as helpful, said Bob DeMers, founder and principal of Coaching Works in Huntersville.

“They really need to sit down and identify important goals,” he says. “What is it they want to accomplish with this extra time?”

He encourages clients to look at big and small priorities and choices while figuring out how to manage their time.

“I really need to sit down and say, ‘What is it that’s going to make the choices and managing the time most meaningful and impactful now that I have Fridays available?’” DeMers says. “It does take some time and thought and intention.”

DeMers suggests that people first take some time to formulate a vision for their life and work. If someone isn’t clear about the “big things,” the little things are going to take over, he says.

He likens the situation to a hole dug in the sand near the ocean. If the hole remains empty, it will soon fill with sand and water. Setting aside time to plan can keep errand-running and other life logistics from becoming haphazard.

“Appointments, shopping trips, picking up kids – line all of the ducks up in a row from a logistical perspective,” says DeMers. “Not only does it save gas, but it frees up time for more important pursuits.”

“If you’re not intentional about the changes you want to make on that extra day, things will change again, just not the way you would like the most.”

Marty Minchin is a mother of two and freelance writer in Charlotte.

Making the Most of Flex Time

1. Plan out your free time.
Make lists of what you need to do, including errands and phone calls, so that you won’t be scrambling during work or after hours to get things done.

2. Consolidate errands into minimal trips.
Map out where you need to go so that you can best conserve time and gas. Avoid rush hour whenever possible to reduce stress.

3. Condense your workweek.
Talk to your boss about working four 10-hour days or four and a half 9-hour days to free up at least half a weekday for errands and appointments you can’t make on the weekends. With more employers becoming open to flexible working schedules and occasional work from home, your boss is likely to work with your needs.

4. Make free time purposeful.
Carve out time for yourself. Want to get in shape? Make time for the gym. Yearning to get more involved in the community? Find a volunteer opening during a long lunch hour.

5. Take advantage of your employers’ wellness benefits.
You may be surprised at what your company offers, whether it’s free financial counseling or a weekly farmers market in the parking lot.