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September 23, 2008    DOL Home > Find It! By Topic > Work Hours > Flexible Schedules   

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Work Hours

Flexible Schedules

A flexible work schedule is an alternative to the traditional 9 to 5, 40-hour work week. It allows employees to vary their arrival and/or departure times. Under some policies, employees must work a prescribed number of hours a pay period and be present during a daily "core time." The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not address flexible work schedules. Alternative work arrangements such as flexible work schedules are a matter of agreement between the employer and the employee (or the employee's representative). The Department of Labor has conducted numerous surveys and published articles and reports on the subject.

DOL Web Pages on This Topic

"When Can an Employee’s Scheduled Hours of Work Be Changed?"
Information about work hours from the elaws FLSA Advisor.

Workers on Flexible and Shift Schedules

Article: "Incidence of Flexible Work Schedules Increases"
A Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Monthly Labor Review article stating that from 1991 to 1997, the percentage of full-time wage and salary workers with flexible work schedules on their principal job increased from 15.1 percent to 27.6 percent.

Article: "Flexible Schedules and Shift Work: Replacing the '9-To-5' Workday?"
Article from BLS’ Monthly Labor Review Online.

Index of BLS Reports on Workers on Flexible and Shift Schedules
A report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the trend towards flexible work schedules.

Article: "Workers with Longer Workweeks Often Earn More Per Hour"
Article published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics stating that the weekly earnings of workers who work an extended workweek (between 45 and 99 hours) earn at least 32% more money than those who work a standard workweek (between 35 and 44 hours).

Coverage Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Fact Sheet
General information about who is covered by the FLSA.




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