Workplace Flexibility (Workplace programs, policies and practices)

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Annualized hours
Compressed work weeks
Flextime
Telework

Annualized hours

Definition:

Flexible working time arrangements can also be provided in the form of "annualized" hours. These essentially allow employees to choose, within certain boundaries, their days and hours of work, with the proviso that they work a specified number of hours in a year. This can also be calculated over a shorter averaging period, be it on a monthly, biweekly, or other basis. Such arrangements combine elements of flextime and compressed work weeks and can have the added advantage of reducing recourse to overtime.

Considerations:

Employers may also benefit from such arrangements if they can be used to meet seasonal variations and peak hours.
Moreover, output and product quality can be improved if employees work during their most productive periods of the day.
One potential disadvantage of annualized hours for supervisors is the difficulty in monitoring and co-ordinating the work of employees.

Examples of collective agreements clauses

Compressed work weeks

Definition:

A compressed work week is an arrangement whereby employees work longer shifts in exchange for a reduction in the number of working days in their work cycle (i.e. on a weekly or biweekly basis).

Considerations:

This can be beneficial for employees in terms of additional days off work (e.g. longer weekends allowing "mini-vacations") and reduced commuting time, whereas employers can extend their daily operating hours, with less need to resort to overtime.
Compressed work week arrangements may be particularly useful for employees who wish to reduce the number of days per week spent at work, but who can not financially afford to decrease their working hours.
Compressed work week provisions are not necessarily designed as a means of balancing work and family responsibilities. In some cases, they may be initiated by an employer solely in order to improve operational efficiency and to maximize production.

Examples of collective agreements clauses

Flextime

Definition:

Flextime is an arrangement whereby employees can vary the scheduling of their working hours within specified guidelines. Essentially, it allows employees, on an individual or collective basis, to determine (or be involved in determining) the start and end times of their working day.. It is the result of an agreement between the employee and the manager and usually takes the form of a pre-arranged alternative schedule.

Considerations:

Employees have some discretion that allow them to plan their workday around their personal lives. They can manage their work hours more efficiently by introducing, in agreement with the manager, a work schedule that is in the best interest of both the employee and the organization.
This practice has been credited with reductions in tardiness and absenteeism, increases in employee morale and deemed an incentive for recruitment and retention.
An employer may introduce flextime in order to maintain or increase work efficiency and improve services offered to the public.
This practice may be inappropriate in some industries or workplaces where the nature of the work requires that employees be present at given times for instance in the case of assembly line work.

Examples of collective agreements clauses

Telework

Definition:

Telework, also referred to as telecommuting, is an arrangement whereby an employee, at least on a periodic basis, fulfils his or her regularly scheduled job responsibilities at a remote location which is not operated by the employer (a teleworkplace)—usually an employee’s own residence.

Working from home has been practised for decades in certain sectors, such as the garment industry. However, the rapid development of computer and information technologies in recent years has made teleworking feasible in an increasing number of job categories.

Considerations:

Telework can be advantageous for employees by allowing them: to organize their work day around their personal and family needs; to decrease work-related expenses; to reduce commuting time; and to work in a less stressful and disruptive environment.
It may also help to accommodate employees who, because of particular disabilities, are unable to leave home. Although telework cannot normally be combined with child or eldercare-related tasks, it may nevertheless let employees work in closer proximity to their children and relatives, offering some peace of mind and giving the family a chance to spend more time together at lunch time as well as before and after school.
Apart from improved productivity, efficiency and employee morale, employers can also benefit from lower overhead costs and from reduced disruptions in case of bad weather and other emergencies. The fact that employees who telework can use this added flexibility to capitalize on their personal peak productivity periods can also favourably influence a company’s bottom line.
Not all occupations are amenable to such an arrangement. Moreover, employers may be concerned by the initial implementation costs, potential legal liabilities, and difficulties in supervising and appraising the performance of teleworkers. Unions may disapprove of work-at-home clauses if they perceive them as leading to greater isolation of employees, reduced job security and promotion opportunities, and diminished health and safety protection.
Employees may work at home full-time or part-time. This measure can be permanent or temporary but it is not appropriate for all types of employment.

Examples of collective agreements clauses

References:

Stanton, Danielle. Travail-famille: un tandem de coeur- et de raison : guide destiné aux milieux de travail / [rédaction, Danielle Stanton]. - [Québec] : Bureau québécois de l'Année internationale de la famille, 1994, 95 pages.
Vanier Institute of the Family, The Manager's Work-Family Toolkit, Nepean, 1998.
Canada, Human Resources Development Canada, Work and Family Provisions in Canadian Collective Agreements, edited by Charles Philippe Rochon, December 2000.