Flexible Working Hours - The Concept - Flex Cycle

Flexible Working Hours are one component of a set of wider options referred to as Flexible Working Arrangements.

Flexible Working Arrangements encompass flexibility of working location such as home working hot desking etc.

Just then looking at the concept of Flexible Working Hours, as well as fixed times of arrival & departure  being  replaced by a working day which is split into two types of time, a further important "component" in the “Flex concept” is the Accounting Period (or Flex Cycle).

The Accounting Period, had typically over the years been based on either 4 weeks or a Calendar month. However, in recent times it is becoming quite usual where certain staff and management can agree the duration of an Accounting Period (or Flex Cycle), so as to suit individual circumstances.

So, for instance, one employee might have a six weeks Accounting Period, while another could have an eight weeks Accounting Period. This is particularly prevalent where employees agree a job sharing rota – but which isalso based on a flexitime arrangement. So therefore, instead of a four week or calendar monthly Flex Cycle, he/she might opt for aneight week cycle Flex Cycle, but working only half of the hours, and with their "counterpart colleague" working the other half of the hours in that cycle. The Accounting Period leads to the other connection and important elements of the “Flex concept” – which are :- The “Carry Forward Allowance" and The "Flex Day".

The “Carry Forward Allowance"

The "Carry Forward Allowance" is the amount of excess hours that can be built up in one Accounting Period and which can be carried forward to the next period. Once this "Carry Forward Allowance" has been built up, some organisations allow the excess hours to only be used to allow employee flexibility of daily arrival and departure times during the following month.