Blog

Imagine this scenario: A valued employee is settling into their workday when the phone rings. Their child’s daycare has suddenly closed due to illness. They have no backup plan, and their only option is to miss the rest of the day. Situations like this are common, and they cost U.S. businesses billions each year in lost productivity.

One of the most effective ways to ease these challenges is through flexible scheduling. When employees know they can adjust their schedules (whether for childcare, elder care, or even something as simple as avoiding rush hour) they’re less stressed, more engaged, and more likely to stay with their employer.

And while flexibility is a clear family-friendly perk for parents of young children, it has broader benefits too. It supports employees caring for aging parents, those managing health conditions, and others balancing personal responsibilities. That’s why flexible scheduling is gaining traction across U.S. workplaces as a strategic policy rather than just a nice-to-have perk.

At Investments in Caring PA, we work with employers across Pennsylvania to help them strengthen their business by supporting working families. This guide will show you what flexible scheduling looks like, why it matters, the challenges you should anticipate, and best practices for implementation.

Table of Contents

• TL;DR
• What is Flexible Scheduling?
• Why Flexible Scheduling Matters for Employers
• Challenges of Flexible Work Arrangements
• Benefits of Flexible Work Schedules
• Best Practices and Employer Examples
• How to Implement Flexible Scheduling in Your Business
• FAQs
• Key Takeaways
• Conclusion
• Citations

In short:

Flexible scheduling allows employees to have more control over when they work, which can reduce absenteeism, lower turnover, and improve overall satisfaction. For employers, it's not just a perk but a strategic advantage that leads to stronger retention, higher productivity, and a competitive edge in recruitment. The most common risks (such as fairness concerns, coverage gaps, or inconsistent management) can be managed with clear policies, universal access for all employees, and training managers to focus on results rather than face time. When implemented thoughtfully, flexible scheduling becomes a low-cost, high-impact way to support working parents and other employees with personal responsibilities while strengthening your business. Employers looking to get started can explore resources like the Investments in Caring PA flexible scheduling guide, which offers practical tools and policy examples tailored to Pennsylvania workplaces.

What is Flexible Scheduling?

Flexible scheduling isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. At its core, it means giving employees more influence over when (and sometimes where) they work, rather than enforcing a traditional 9-to-5 structure. For employers, this doesn’t mean giving up control. Rather, it means finding a balance between organizational needs and employee autonomy. When designed thoughtfully, flexible scheduling can reduce absenteeism, improve morale, and even boost productivity. But it looks different depending on the industry, job function, and size of the business.

Common types include:

• Flextime: Employees choose their start and end times around designated core hours (for example, everyone must be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).
• Compressed workweek: Employees work longer days in exchange for fewer total days, such as four 10-hour shifts instead of five 8-hour shifts.
• Hybrid or remote days: Employees split their time between working onsite and remotely.
• Job sharing: Two employees share one full-time role and divide the schedule between them.

It’s important to distinguish between true flexibility and unstable scheduling. Some retail and service workers report being given “flexible schedules” that actually mean last-minute shift changes or on-call hours. As one employee noted, “Flexible schedule doesn’t mean flexible to your needs, it means everyone else hates closing and opening, so you get stuck with them” (Reddit). That’s not family-friendly. True flexible scheduling gives employees control and predictability, not instability.

For a simple overview of scheduling approaches, see Investments in Caring PA’s guide to flexible scheduling.

Why Flexible Scheduling Matters for Employers

A Family-Friendly Benefit

For parents of young children, flexibility can be a lifeline. It allows them to adjust their hours when daycare closes or when school schedules don’t align with work. This reduces absenteeism and shows families that their employer cares.

But the benefits go beyond parents. Employees caring for aging relatives, managing medical appointments, or pursuing continuing education also find flexibility invaluable. In practice, flexible scheduling supports the entire workforce.

The Business Case

Employers report multiple advantages when they implement flexible scheduling:

• Improved retention: Flexibility is one of the top drivers of loyalty. A SHRM study found that employees with more control over when and where they work report less work-family conflict and are less likely to leave.
• Higher productivity: Research shows organizations with flexible schedules often see productivity gains. One study found that flexible employees deliver the equivalent of an extra day’s work per month (Optavise).
• Recruitment advantage: Candidates increasingly expect flexibility. Younger workers in particular see it as non-negotiable. Employers offering it stand out as progressive and supportive.
• Better morale and engagement: Flexibility builds trust. A discussion on Workplace StackExchange highlighted how employees in flexible environments often work harder because they feel trusted and respected.

Pennsylvania employers can connect this to broader strategies. The HR & Benefits Policies Guide from Investments in Caring PA shows how flexible scheduling aligns with other family-friendly practices like paid leave and childcare assistance.

Challenges of Flexible Work Arrangements

Despite its benefits, employers consistently raise certain challenges:

Fairness and Perceptions

One of the biggest risks is resentment when flexibility seems like a privilege only for certain employees. On Reddit’s r/childfree, non-parents shared frustration about coworkers with children receiving more schedule leniency, calling it discriminatory. To avoid this, flexibility should be universal, not limited to parents.

Coverage and Scheduling Gaps

Customer-facing industries, healthcare, and education face unique challenges. If too many employees flex to the same hours, service quality can suffer. Employers often address this with core hours or rotating coverage schedules.

Manager Training

Policies succeed or fail based on how managers apply them. Inconsistent enforcement leads to confusion and distrust. As one HR professional noted on Ask a Manager, poorly handled flexibility caused missed deadlines because some employees had irregular availability while others picked up the slack.

Policy Consistency

Informal arrangements risk favoritism or even legal missteps. For example, one HR leader on Reddit’s r/AskHR asked whether a flexible schedule offered as a medical accommodation should instead fall under ADA or FMLA compliance. Clear, documented policies reduce this risk.

Benefits of Flexible Work Schedules

When managed well, flexible scheduling delivers substantial benefits:

• Lower absenteeism: Employees can shift hours rather than miss entire days.
• Better work-life balance: Employees with flexibility report less stress and conflict (SHRM).
• Higher retention: Workers are more likely to stay with employers that respect their family and personal needs.
• Increased productivity: Both research and real-world examples show employees often deliver more output when trusted to manage their schedules (Optavise).
• Employer branding: Flexibility positions your company as a forward-thinking, family-friendly place to work.

According to Investments in Caring PA, policies like flexible scheduling can generate strong ROI—up to 4x when combined with other family-friendly practices.

Research Snapshot: Employers and Employees on Flexible Scheduling

We’ve just covered the common challenges employers face when offering flexible schedules. To put those risks in context, it helps to step back and look at what both employers and employees are saying in real-world discussions. The snapshot below summarizes the most frequent questions, pain points, and success factors from each perspective, based on our research across HR forums, professional groups, and employee communities.

Tip: Pair flexibility with predictable scheduling for hourly roles, especially in retail/food/hospitality. See Philadelphia’s Fair Workweek for a regional model.

Best Practices and Employer Examples

With benefits and risks in mind, how do you actually make flexible scheduling work in practice? The following best practices and examples give you concrete steps to design, communicate, and manage flexible schedules in a way that supports your employees and strengthens your business.

1. Set Core Hours with Flexibility Around Them

Core hours provide structure while still giving employees autonomy.

• How to implement: Define a block (e.g., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) when all employees must be available for meetings, collaboration, or client communication. Allow flexibility outside these hours so staff can start early or finish late.
• Why it works: Employees still feel trusted to design their workday, but the business avoids gaps in coverage or collaboration bottlenecks.
• Action tip: Survey employees to see what core hours would work best, then test them for 90 days before formalizing. Use scheduling tools like Outlook or Google Calendar to reinforce visibility. See examples shared by HR professionals on Reddit’s r/humanresources.

2. Make Flexibility Universal

Limiting flexibility to certain groups (like parents) creates resentment and turnover.

• How to implement: Write policies that frame flexibility as “for personal needs,” not just childcare. This includes medical appointments, education, elder care, or even wellness.
• Why it works: It normalizes flexibility for everyone, reducing stigma and ensuring fairness.
• Action tip: When announcing the policy, emphasize that it’s about trust and life balance for all employees, not a parent-only perk. HR forums are filled with stories of attrition when only some employees had access, such as the case highlighted on Reddit’s r/WorkReform.

3. Communicate Clearly and Document Policies

Transparency prevents misunderstandings and favoritism.

• How to implement: Create a written flexible work policy that includes: eligibility, request process, examples of approved flex options, manager responsibilities, and performance measurement criteria.
• Why it works: Employees know what’s allowed and managers have guidance for consistent application. It avoids the “unwritten rules” problem employees often complain about.
• Action tip: Pair the written policy with a Q&A session or intranet page. Include scenarios like “compressed week for childcare” or “flextime for a class” so staff can see how it works in practice. For sample templates, see the HR & Benefits Policies Guide from Investments in Caring PA.

4. Train Managers to Manage by Outcomes, Not Face Time

Frontline managers make or break flexibility. Without training, policies fail.

• How to implement: Train managers to set clear goals, track progress through deliverables, and give feedback based on results. Include scenarios for handling fairness concerns (e.g., two employees requesting the same flexible slot).
• Why it works: Managers feel equipped to balance employee needs with business goals. Employees see flexibility applied fairly, which strengthens trust.
• Action tip: Incorporate flex-management training into leadership onboarding. Include accountability metrics for managers (team engagement, turnover, fairness scores) so they’re incentivized to support flexibility. As one employer noted on Workplace StackExchange, “The solution is not rigid tracking, but good management and trust.”

5. Use Examples

Many U.S. employers report concrete wins after introducing flexible scheduling. One well-documented example is Dell’s long-running Connected Workplace program, which expanded flextime and remote/hybrid options across eligible roles. Over time, Dell reported higher employee satisfaction and culture gains from flexibility, alongside measurable cost savings.

Company Spotlight: Dell Technologies
Dell’s flexible work approach allows eligible employees to choose where and when they work, paired with clear performance expectations. The company has publicly shared that expanding flexible/remote options enabled real estate consolidation and space redesigns, yielding significant annual savings while supporting employee experience (CNN Money; Dell Technologies blog).

• What they changed: Wider use of flextime and hybrid/remote work for eligible roles, with outcome-based performance management.
• Why it worked: Flexibility was formalized in policy and culture, managers were aligned on measuring results (not seat time), and facilities were reconfigured to match new work patterns (CNN Money).
• Results cited: Stronger employee satisfaction and employer brand signals, plus multi-million-dollar annual savings from reduced office footprint and hoteling strategies (Dell Technologies blog; CNN Money).

Takeaway for smaller employers: You don’t need Dell’s scale to see benefits. Start by defining core hours, formalizing a simple flex policy, and training managers to evaluate outcomes instead of hours. As your team adapts, right-size your space and schedules to match actual work patterns. For more Pennsylvania-based examples of family-friendly practices, see the Employer Toolkit from Investments in Caring PA.

How to Implement Flexible Scheduling in Your Business

1. Assess employee needs.

   Survey your workforce to understand the biggest scheduling challenges. Parents may need coverage that aligns with childcare hours. Others may need time for elder care, medical appointments, or education.

2. Select appropriate models.

   Choose from flextime, compressed workweeks, hybrid days, or job sharing based on your operational needs. Match the model to the realities of your industry and customer coverage requirements.

3. Pilot the program.

   Start with one team or location. Define goals and success metrics in advance, such as attendance, service levels, output, and employee sentiment.

4. Document the policy and communicate it clearly.

   Outline eligibility, request and approval processes, core coverage hours, and how performance will be measured. Keep examples simple and specific so managers apply the policy consistently. For sample language and PA-focused guidance, see the HR & Benefits Policies Guide and the overview of flexible scheduling options.

5. Train managers to manage by outcomes.

   Coach managers to set clear goals, track deliverables, and give timely feedback. Emphasize fairness and consistency across parents and non-parents alike. For practical perspectives, see discussions on Workplace StackExchange and manager-focused advice on Ask a Manager.

6. Refine and scale.

   Collect data from your pilot. Adjust core hours, coverage rules, and communication. Then roll out to more teams. Reassess quarterly to ensure flexibility supports service levels and employee well-being.

7. Monitor results and share wins.

   Track retention, absenteeism, engagement, and productivity. Highlight success stories internally to reinforce trust and adoption. Revisit your policy annually and align it with complementary family-friendly practices from the Employer Toolkit.

FAQs

What is an example of a flexible schedule?
Examples include flextime (choosing start and end times), a compressed 4x10 schedule, or a 9/80 schedule where employees work 80 hours over nine days.

What is the advantage of flexible scheduling for employers?
It reduces absenteeism, boosts retention, and makes your business more competitive in attracting talent (SHRM).

What is the most flexible scheduling technique?
Flextime with minimal core hours is often considered the most flexible while ensuring collaboration.

What is a synonym for flexible scheduling?
Alternative work schedules, flexible work arrangements, or non-traditional scheduling.

How do you manage flexible work arrangements?
Set clear policies, use scheduling tools, and train managers to focus on results, not just hours worked (Ask a Manager).

What is the best shift pattern for small businesses?
Many small employers use flextime with defined core coverage hours to balance customer service and flexibility.

How do you prevent abuse of flexible scheduling?
Managers should address individual misuse directly and reinforce accountability through clear expectations (Workplace StackExchange).

How do flexible vs. fixed working hours compare in productivity?
Studies suggest flexible hours lead to higher productivity and lower stress (Optavise).

Key Takeaways

• Flexible scheduling is a proven family-friendly policy that benefits both employees and employers.
• The business case is strong: reduced absenteeism, improved retention, higher productivity, and stronger recruitment appeal.
• Common risks—fairness, coverage gaps, and inconsistent management—can be overcome with universal policies, manager training, and clear communication.
• Success lies in trust, transparency, and results-based management.

Conclusion

Employers who embrace flexible scheduling aren’t just offering a perk. They’re making a strategic investment in their workforce and their bottom line. Families are better supported, employees are more engaged, and businesses are better positioned to thrive.

If you’re ready to take the next step, explore the Employer Toolkit. It’s filled with case studies, guides, and actionable resources to help you implement family-friendly policies, including flexible scheduling, that strengthen both your employees and your business.

Citations

• SHRM: Flexible Schedules Reduce Conflict, Lower Turnover
• Optavise: The Importance of Child Care Benefits
• Ask a Manager: Flexible Work Schedules Letter
• Workplace StackExchange Discussion on Flex Hours
• Reddit: r/humanresources
• Reddit: r/AskHR
• Reddit: r/WorkReform
• Reddit: r/childfree
• Reddit: r/workingmoms
• Philadelphia Fair Workweek Ordinance – Community Legal Services
• Investments in Caring PA: Scheduling Guide
• Investments in Caring PA: HR Benefits & Policies Guide
• Investments in Caring PA: Employer Toolkit

Additional Resources

Want to explore more about flexible scheduling and how it’s being applied in workplaces today? Here are some recommended resources:

• Vacation Tracker – Flexible Work Schedules Explained
• Get Officely – Understanding Flexible Work Schedules
• Together Platform – Crafting Effective Flexible Work Policies
• Sesame HR – Flexible Work and Time Management
• Indeed Career Guide – Flexible Work Schedules Overview