Examples Of Flexibility at Work
Examples of flexibility at work
Flexible working is well established in Scottish workplaces, and there are many different examples of flexibility at work beyond just hybrid working. But if you feel unsure about what flexibility could look like in your workplace, you’re not alone. To help, we’ve outlined 13 practical examples of flexibility at work so you can see which ones might suit you or your organisation.
Whether you’re looking for flexible working yourself, or you’re an employer exploring flexible work arrangements for your team, remember: successful flexible working gives people more choice and control over their working patterns, and it’s mutually beneficial – it works for the employer too.
We’ve divided our examples into three key areas where workplace flexibility can apply:
- Where you work
- How much you work
- When you work
This is by no means a finite list, and we encourage employers and managers to be open-minded about possible solutions.
Examples of flexibility at work: where you work
Home and remote working
Working from home, or remote working, means you complete at least some tasks away from your usual workplace – often from home, but it could also be a café or co-working space. Some arrangements are informal and agreed verbally, while regular remote work might be formalised in your contract.
Full-time remote working
If you work entirely from home and are rarely (or never) required to be in an office or onsite, you are a remote worker. Some companies actively encourage fully remote workers, while others prefer staff to spend regular time in the office – see hybrid working below.
Hybrid working
Hybrid working is the most common example of flexibility at work in Scotland. It combines regular office time with time working from home or remotely. Schedules vary – some workers have complete choice on when they work in the office while others must attend a set number of days. The best employers clearly explain when and why office attendance is needed. Read how Heather Melville-Hume uses hybrid working to help manage her health after a stroke.
Examples of flexibility at work: how much you work
Part time and reduced hours
This means working fewer than fulltime hours (typically less than 37.5 per week). You might work certain days or shorter hours across the week. Even small changes – like freeing up one afternoon – can make a big difference. For more inspiration, read Caroline Kelly and Doug Frame’s stories about their experiences working part time.
Shorter working week
Some employers reduce weekly hours while maintaining full pay. This could be a 4 day week, or a 9 day fortnight, or it might be smaller reductions in hours in lieu of pay increases. Read how staff at Melville Housing work 32 hours a week and get paid for 35, and why this makes business sense too.
Examples of flexibility at work: when you work
Flexible start and finish times
Small changes to your start and finish times can make a big difference if you need to fit in school runs, or you use public transport that doesn’t run very regularly. Many employers don’t mind if you shift your start and finish times slightly earlier or later in the day, so long as you are working during any ‘core’ hours and you complete all your contracted hours. For example, you might change your hours from 9am to 5pm, to 8am to 4pm, or to 9.15am to 5.15pm. Watch how Almond Engineering benefits from staff being able to flex their start and finish times.
Compressed hours
Compressing hours means working your usual hours over fewer, longer days (e.g. instead of working 9am-5pm Monday-Friday, you work 8am-5.45pm, Monday-Thursday). This can suit both desk-based and frontline roles. See how Complete Clarity Solicitors and Ceteris use compressed hours.
Term-time working
In term-time roles, staff work only during school terms and don’t work in school holidays. See how education charity SmartSTEMs uses term time roles to attract staff and keep down organisational costs.
Annualised hours
Staff work a set number of hours over the year, varying their workload depending on the season and in agreement with their employer. For example, you might work fewer hours during the school holidays, which helps parents cover childcare needs and is often when business needs are much quieter too. Read how NHS Dumfries and Galloway uses annualised hours and other forms of flexible working with its public health nursing team.
Input to rotas
Managing rotas is a tough job. But allowing people to mark up dates they can’t work, or share their preferences for shifts, can reduce staff absence and provide a better, more consistent, service for clients as a result. Some organisations, such as social care provider C-Change allow teams to create their own rotas, which is known as self-rostering.
Occasional ad-hoc amends
One-off changes, such as being able to take short periods of time off for a doctor’s appointment, or school event, and make up the time later or another day. Or if you need to work from home rather than your usual place of work because your child is sick, or you’re expecting a tradesperson. These are usually small changes that mean people don’t need to use up annual leave. For employers, these kinds of flexibility usually result in fewer sick days, and better morale too.
Easy shift swaps
Being able to swap shifts easily is another way of having more choice and control over when you work. Some employers have apps or online systems to enable shift-swapping and ensure all changes are recorded. Read how easy shift swapping is one of the types of flexibility social care support worker Janny Dickie benefits from.
Additional leave
If you’re an employer, you could consider how you use paid leave to improve wellbeing for workers, particularly if they’re in frontline roles that can’t be done from home. Check out how car dealer Arnold Clark offers on-site staff up to three hours off, fully paid, as many times as people like – so long as business needs allow. Or, read how Barrhead Housing Association has replaced TOIL with 12 days’ agile leave.