Working Life > Working Hours > Flexitime

Flexitime: Flexible Organisation of Working Time

Definition, Explanation

Flexitime makes working hours flexible. For this purpose, a flexitime regulation is created in a company agreement between the management and the employee organisation. In companies having no employee organisation, the employer stipulates it. The employee is given the authority over his/her working hours and can organise his working hours within a fixed frame. Flexitime makes overtime pay superfluous in the end. Flexitime can align the company's needs with the free time requests of employees. Depending on the working-time accounts agreed upon within the company, sabbaticals or semi-retirement can be realised. Principally, two models exist:

Simple flexitime:

In this case, a frame for the daily working hours is defined, thus the earliest possible begin and latest possible finish. In addition, the employer stipulates a core period in which all employees are obliged to be present.

Qualified or variable flexitime or flexitime without core period:

In this case, the employee can determine when he begins and ends work and the duration. All he/she has to do is make sure he/she adheres to the stipulated amount of working hours per week, month or annum. The transferring of the right to determine when he/she works to the employee leads to him/her having to consider company issues when planning his/her working hours. The monthly income is paid out according to the actual amount of work done. Even in the case of taking time off for more than one month, the employment is within the scope of national insurance.

Flexitime is not always possible at work, like working on an assembly line or working shifts. Youths can only make use of the advantages of flexitime to a certain extent due to the maximum of 8 working hours a day and the stipulated break regulations. Even pregnant women are limited concerning working hours flexibility due to maternity protection.

Working hours are monitored and proven using a flexitime account. This account is part of the personnel file. The working hours are stored by either writing them down or using an attendance recorder.

Informative and training events outlying the core working hours are not permitted. However, the employer can determine so-called service periods even in the case of flexitime. In this case, the rendering of a defined service quality is the critical factor. In order to fulfil this, this has to be agreed upon among the colleagues. The rendering of performance is not dependent on compulsory attendance; it can also be achieved by means of telework.

Tips, Checklist

• The employee organisation has the right of co determination when it comes to the introduction, alteration and design of flexitime. He can demand a monitoring of the flexitime accounts in order to supervise the adherence to agreed regulations regarding flexitime
• Ensure your working hours are stored properly
• Use your flexitime account for bridging days, i.e. days between public holidays and the weekend
• Co-ordinate with your colleagues to make sure the minimum team composition is given in your department and make sure the can stand in for each other
• Adhere to statutory regulations of a maximum of 8 working hours in the case of youths, pregnant women and the severely disabled and 10 hours in all other cases
• There is no claim for late shift work due to a larger span of flexitime
• Breaks can be defined in the form of
  • a fixed break time within the core working time, taking into consideration that a break must be taken after 6 hours of work at the latest
  • a break plan
  • combining the break with the personal point of starting work, especially in the case of qualified flexitime
• Severe illness or death of a close relative or caring for a sick child does not lead to leave of absence. Due to the possibilities flexitime offers, claims paid for that come from such situations lapse
• The claim for the continuation of income in the case of sick leave continues. The time of being off sick accordingly reduces the amount of working hours
• Decide between holiday and leave from your flexitime account. Being sick during holiday leave is taken into consideration in your flexitime account in contrast to taking time off
• If you take part in a strike within the scope of flexitime, the employer has the right to reduce your income. If the strike takes place outside flexitime or by taking tome off, taking part in the strike has no effect on your income. This is to be regulated in the company agreement
• A negative balance of your working hours account has no effect on national insurance in the case of dismissal without notice or on death of the employee. The national insurance contribution is aligned to the amount of income. A positive balance on the other hand is paid out and is liable for national insurance contributions
• Wage tax must be paid for on payment of income
• A working hours account with a large plus underlies insolvency insurance. However, there is no concrete hedging tool available

Last update: 01/18/2010