It’s a well-known fact that happy employees are more productive and less likely to look for a new job. Although some businesses deal with the public and need people available in the office to interact with them, other companies have the freedom to be more creative with their scheduling. If you have this freedom, using flexible schedules to keep your employees happy could be an amazing perk of the job you never considered.
What flexible employee schedules entail
Contrary to what the name implies, flexible employee schedules still mean employees show up at a specific time for work. Depending on what works best for your business, schedules might include:
- Employees taking off a Friday or Monday every two weeks and working longer hours the remaining days
- Employees working four 10-hour days each week
- Employees working four nine-hour days and getting one half-day.
The key to making this kind of schedule work for you and your staff is to create flexible employee schedules that still provide ample coverage during office hours, not turning your office into a ghost town every Friday.
Why flexible employee schedules are good for staff
Have you ever noticed that many of the businesses you have to visit for errands are either more crowded or closed on the weekends? So have your employees. Creating flexible employee schedules means your employees are able to get their outside errands done faster, without taking long lunches or burning vacation days just to schedule doctor appointments.
Why flexible employee schedules are good for you
Flexible employee schedules also provide additional time for your staff to catch up on their rest. As you know, rested employees typically get sick less often. This could lead to a decrease in the amount of unscheduled sick time each employee requests.
Another benefit of a happy, rested employee is that they often make fewer mistakes on the job than people who are overly tired. Not only does this mean employees can spend less time fixing mistakes, they may also be able to get through their existing work faster than usual. Imagine the possibilities for your business when everyone on staff is working to their highest potential.
Of course, flexible employee schedules may not be appropriate for every employee or job function. For instance, it’s not always practical for your payroll person to be out of the office on the day you cut payroll checks. As long as you and your employees realize there will be some trial and error involved at the beginning, changing the way your employees work could keep everyone happy.
