Part 1: Traditional concepts
Full-time, part-time and flexitime models are familiar to most HR planners nowadays. But which other working time models are out there and for whom are they suitable?
This is exactly the focus of our upcoming 4-part blog series!
In the following articles, concepts such as function time, trust-based working time and many more will be explained in further detail and advantages as well as disadvantages will be compared. In addition, the most important fields of application and possible sources of error for each duty time model will be discussed. By combining and linking different rostering models, a fair and balanced schedule can be drawn up based on the respective industry and employee requirements. To start with, it is still important to briefly discuss the three most common working time solutions, even though the current trend has been moving away from traditionally defined full-time models towards new and innovative forms of work.
The traditional full-time model
In a traditional full-time model, employees are subject to fixed starting and ending hours of their shifts. While this model provides companies with a high degree of planning safety and accuracy, employees often only have limited rights of involvement in the planning process of duty schedules. Particularly during the prescribed working hours, in which attendance is mandatory, there is little to no flexibility for employees. The number of working hours in this model usually varies between 38.5 and 40 hours per week.
The part-time working scheme
In many companies, this employment model is already well established. It allows employees to spend less time at work, which results in a better work-life balance and an increase in flexibility. Given its adaptability to one’s individual needs, this model is particularly attractive for working parents or students. Nevertheless, the increased flexibility is accompanied by a loss of planning security and reduced employee availability for the company. In addition, more attention has to be paid to the efficient allocation of staff in order to maintain productivity, leading to an increased planning effort and increased complexity in duty scheduling.
How these issues may be eliminated and what flexitime might has to do with it, you will find out in our next blog!