Summer is in full swing, and now is as good a time as ever to take advantage of telework and/or a flexible workplace to improve work/life balance and increase employee satisfaction. Allie Velleca, Transportation Demand Management Project Manager with AECOM and Chair of the ACT Telework Council, joined ATP to share information on different kinds of flexible workplace models and how they improve employee retention.
Employees and Telework
Allie Velleca, our featured panelist, provided data and visuals which highlight the role of telework in today’s work environment. During the webinar, she showed us that employees wish to telework more often than current business work models generally allow these days. This is directly correlated with employee satisfaction and retention – as employees begin to feel that their wellbeing and work/life balance are being disregarded through the lack of flexible options, the greater their intent to leave becomes.
Flexible Solutions that Fit
Although telework is the most common and popular version of a flexible workplace arrangement, we discussed several other models in the webinar as well to be solutions for employers looking to improve employee satisfaction.
Flextime
A flextime schedule, also known as a staggered schedule, is a flexible workplace arrangement in which an employee works the same number of hours and days as a traditional 40-hour week, but they are able to shift their hours in order to avoid peak commuting hours or accommodate recurring life obligations, such as regular doctor appointments.
Compressed Work Schedule
A compressed work schedule is one in which an employee works more hours per day in order to lessen their days worked in a one-week or two-week period. The two most common examples of a compressed work schedule are the 4/10 model and 9/80 model.
In the 4/10 model, employees work ten hours in four days to get an extra day off per week.
The 9/80 model is different in that it spans a two-week period. This model has employees working 80 hours in nine days in order to get an extra day off every other week.
Seasonal Flexible Work Schedule
A seasonal flexible work schedule simply means implementing a flexible workplace arrangement – telework, flextime, or a compressed schedule – on a temporary basis. This is great for testing out a flexible workplace before full implementation. To learn more about these flexible workplaces, consider reviewing ATP’s Flexible Workplace Guide in addition to the webinar.
How ATP can Help
In addition to providing various resources and education opportunities, ATP can help your workplace to implement a Flexible Workplace Policy. Through assessing your business’ needs and providing tools to assess staff eligibility, ATP can help find the perfect flexible arrangement for you and your employees.
If you missed the webinar and want to learn more about flexible workplaces and why you should implement one, make sure to check out our recording at the link below.
Photo Credit: Sam Kittner/kittner.com for Arlington Transportation Partners