Flexible working time models - a brief introduction

There is a wide range of flexible working time models. The models presented below show possible frameworks and are intended to provide ideas.
The actual implementation in the company always requires individual adaptation to the specific company and work structure. Solutions must be developed to fit in with the ideas and needs of the employees. The combination of individual models should also always be taken into consideration.

With flexible working models, a distinction can be made between the duration, location and distribution of working hours. The duration of working hours describes the number of hours worked. A reduction in weekly working hours can greatly help employees in care-intensive phases of life - with small children or relatives in need of care - to reconcile work and family life. Working time models in terms of duration include Part-time work, partial retirement and job sharing.

The working time situation describes the start and end of work, which can be agreed on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Family-friendliness with regard to the location of working hours means that the organization of working hours also takes regular, fixed family times into account, for example.

Duration and location result in the distribution of working hours over a certain period (week, month or year). The organization of working hours should not be based on a rigid daily pattern, but should be designed according to the needs of the employees and the company. An employee who can only work five hours on one day and then has to take on childcare duties may be able to work longer or at off-peak times on another day.

Working time models in terms of location and distribution include: Flexitime, functional time, annual working time, trust-based working time.

Some common working time models are presented below. In most cases, they have to be adapted to the specific framework conditions of a company and the needs of employees and employers.

Part-time work

Part-time is a very broad umbrella term for numerous flexible working solutions. Any employment relationship that is shorter than the company's standard working hours is referred to as part-time work. The spectrum ranges from employment relationships with very low time volumes of 10 to 15 hours per week to traditional half-time work and near-full-time part-time contracts with more than 30 hours per week. Part-time work is an individually agreed reduction in working hours without wage compensation. Depending on the company's requirements and the employee's wishes, the position and distribution of working hours can be arranged as desired.

To promote part-time work, the Act on Part-Time Work and Fixed-Term Employment Contracts (Teilzeit- und Befristungsgesetz - TzBfG) came into force on January 1, 2001. Every employee has the right to a reduction in working hours if the following conditions are met:

• the employment relationship has existed for more than six months,
• the company generally has more than 15 employees (trainees do not count),
• the employee has not applied for a reduction in working hours in the last two years.

The employee must announce the desired reduction in working hours with the intended scope and distribution of working hours at least three months before the start. The employer can only refuse this request if there are important operational reasons against it. These are given if the organization, workflow or safety in the company is significantly impaired by the reduction in working hours or if disproportionately high costs are incurred. The employer must give written notice of approval or rejection at least one month before the start of the reduction. If the deadline is not met, the working hours will be reduced at the desired time.

It is recommended to discuss the wishes and options for reducing working hours with employees at an early stage in order to find the solutions that best suit the company. The key questions on the development and implementation of flexible working time models provide support for planning part-time models.

Partial retirement

Partial retirement is defined as part-time work for employees who have reached the age of 55. The difference to other part-time work is that the reduced pay is topped up by the employer. The Federal Employment Agency promotes partial retirement. However, the prerequisite is that the partial retirement began before 01.01.2010. If the position that has become vacant due to partial retirement is filled by a new employee, the Federal Employment Agency will reimburse the top-up amounts and the additional pension insurance amounts paid by the employer for the employee in partial retirement.

All new partial retirement schemes are currently not subsidized by the state. The framework conditions are regulated by the German Partial Retirement Act (AltTZG).

Job sharing

Job sharing is partner part-time work. Two or more employees share one or more jobs as a team. They can determine the duration and location of their individual working hours themselves. As long as they agree among themselves, there are all possibilities for individual working time distribution within the working time framework applicable to full-time employees. An essential prerequisite for job sharing is that the "chemistry" between the partners is right so that the distribution of tasks and handovers run as smoothly as possible. Initially, there may be additional handover times, which can be reduced through good organization. The model offers the opportunity to attract highly qualified employees who wish to work part-time. For employees, it opens up the opportunity to take on challenging full-time projects on a part-time basis and to take responsibility for and manage them as part of a team.

Having several people in one place increases expertise and creativity, which is a major advantage of the model. There are always two or more contact persons for a project. In the event of illness or vacation, a second specialist is available and there is the option of "double capacity" in the event of an increased workload. If a job-sharing partner leaves the company, their expertise is retained.

The flexibility and time saved by the job-sharing model gives employees with children and care responsibilities greater scope for action. For managers, it can be an opportunity to reconcile responsible professional activities with family obligations and tasks.

Evening shifts and flexible part-time shifts

Evening shifts and flexible part-time shifts are used when it is not practical to extend a full shift. They are primarily used to extend operating hours, e.g. when operating hours are increased from 8 to 12 hours or opening hours are extended. Flexible part-time shifts are used to supplement periods of high workload or to bridge break times.

This model can provide a work opportunity for one parent if there is no childcare during the day.

Flexitime and variable working hours

With flexitime, employees determine their own daily working hours according to personal needs and operational requirements within flexitime periods. The model is suitable for full-time and part-time employment. Attendance is compulsory during core hours (e.g. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), which can also be omitted in newer models. In "variable working hours" or "qualified flexitime", the core time is replaced by arrangements and availability times (service times). Employee density can be controlled via different core times for individual employees. Flexitime is often combined with time accounts that have to be balanced quarterly or every six months, for example.

"Classic" flexitime with fixed core working hours:

"Qualified flexitime" with variable working hours:

The model makes it possible to adapt employee capacities to fluctuating workloads within a week or even a longer period of time. Service times can be extended by staggering core times.

For employees, flexibility in starting and finishing work often means less stress. For example, children can be dropped off and picked up from nursery more relaxed. Working hours can be better adapted to individual performance and private appointments, such as doctor's appointments, no longer have to be made during working hours.

Function time

Within the functional time model, times are defined during which individual areas of the company must be operational. Functional time is a variant of flexitime without mandatory core working hours. The teams and working groups responsible for the relevant areas regulate working and attendance times autonomously in order to ensure functionality. The model is therefore also referred to as a "time-autonomous working group". The extent of the employees' authority to organize working hours can vary considerably. The spectrum ranges from the simple regulation of individual attendance (group agreement to meet specified attendance requirements) to the determination of daily working hours, weekly shift planning, vacation arrangements and the distribution of working hours throughout the year.

Well-functioning teams are an important prerequisite for the successful implementation of this model. If this is guaranteed, the working groups can be given a high degree of time autonomy and responsibility. This is highly valued by skilled workers and increases motivation and productivity.

Four-day week

The four-day week is a model that can be implemented on a full-time or part-time basis. It is attractive for employees with long commutes, but also for specialists and managers who want to combine family responsibilities with full-time employment. The model can be designed with a fixed or "rolling" day off or completely flexibly as part of a staff deployment plan. The 4-day week is often combined with alternating teleworking, e.g. working 2 days at home and 2 days at the company. The model became particularly well known through its introduction at VW, where working hours were collectively reduced to four days (with 28.8 hours per week) as part of a company collective agreement.

Rolling weekly work

A rolling day off means that operating hours and individual working hours can be decoupled. Jobs can be filled on five days despite a 4-day week. The rolling work week primarily serves to distribute working time fairly, including Saturdays. Example: The first leisure group has Monday off, the second on Tuesday, the third on Wednesday, the fourth on Thursday, the fifth on Friday and then again on Monday, so that each group has a long weekend every four weeks.

Modular working time

The operating time (day, week, month or year) is divided into blocks of time (modules), which the employees divide up as they wish in accordance with the company's staffing requirements. Modular working time is possible on a full-time or part-time basis. In addition to the extension of working hours, modular working time is particularly suitable for staffing areas in line with demand that should not be staffed equally at all times of the day and week. The fair distribution of unattractive time modules must be taken into account.

Annual working time

The annual working time model (on a full-time or part-time basis) makes it possible to adapt employee capacity to the workload over the course of the year. A fixed working time budget is distributed over a particularly long period - one year. The introduction of annual working hours is worthwhile in companies with high fluctuations in workload.

When workloads are high, employees are deployed more and full-time, which can be offset by part-time work or time off at a time when workloads are lower. Employees can then devote more time to family duties during vacation periods, for example, and continue to receive the same salary.

The planning basis for the introduction is the operational analysis of the workload and the wishes of the employees. Part of the working time is determined by the current workload. However, there is leeway for employees for activities that do not have to be completed immediately and through the possibility of swapping with one another.

The advantages of annual working hours are

• flexible adaptation to the workload (peaks and troughs),
• sufficient skilled workers with a high workload, which makes it possible to reduce overtime,
• a more even workload for employees, which increases employee productivity,
• Reduced fluctuation, as skilled workers can be retained for longer, even when orders fluctuate.

Annual working hours mean more agreements and coordination so that employees can plan ahead and the time budget can be adhered to. As with other flexible working models, it is necessary to actively manage time accounts. This means, for example, that accumulated plus hours are reduced during periods of low demand. Traffic light accounts offer one way of controlling this (see Excursus: Working time accounts as a control element of flexible working models).

The key questions on the development and implementation of flexible working time models can be used to check whether the annual working time model suits your company or individual departments.

Trust-based working hours

Trust-based working time means that there is no (official) time recording and employees manage their contractually agreed working hours independently. The aim of introducing trust-based working hours is to develop a culture of trust with "entrepreneurial employees". Work should be results-oriented and not time-oriented. Employees enjoy complete time sovereignty within the scope of their defined areas of responsibility and work targets. It is important to agree realistic targets and to review these regularly in order to avoid overloads.

The introduction of trust-based working hours can lead to greater efficiency and productivity and thus save costs, as employees have little interest in "sitting out" working hours. A culture of trust within the company is a good basis for self-determined work organization. Flexibility in terms of working hours enables employees to achieve a good work-life balance. At the same time, absenteeism is reduced.

The working time model also harbors risks: without fixed working hours, the boundary between work and private life can quickly become blurred. In order to avoid overwork and self-exploitation, work targets and their achievability should be regularly reviewed. Parallel to the introduction of trust-based working hours, employees can be trained in self-management and arrangements can be made for overload situations. Efforts should be made to ensure that employees do not work more than 10 hours a day.

Trust-based working hours continue to be based on agreed weekly working hours. According to Section 16 (2) of the Working Hours Act, even in the case of trust-based working hours there is an obligation to keep records of working hours that exceed the working day of 8 hours. However, the employer is free to transfer this obligation to the employee. Since in practice many employees record their working hours personally due to transparency, the obligation to record longer working hours is fulfilled.

In the following document you will find tips on trust-based working hours.

Sabbatical

A sabbatical is a temporary career break for an employee. By forgoing salary or building up plus hours, the employee earns the right to a block of time off with continued payment of salary. This block of time off can last several months or even a year. For example, if an employee takes a three-month sabbatical within a year, their salary is reduced to 75% for the entire year.

Short-term sabbaticals allow employees with children or relatives in need of care to accompany phases of intensive care, e.g. when starting school or after operations. Longer sabbaticals are often used for stays abroad or to complete a part-time or extra-occupational qualification (e.g. master craftsman's examination, academic doctorate).

Taking time out increases the creativity and motivation of employees and can help to prevent signs of overwork and burnout. There should be clear rules for notice periods and agreements on favorable times for a sabbatical.