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 U.S. Department of Labor has conducted numerous surveys and published articles and reports on the subject.
Webpages on this Topic
"When Can an Employee's Scheduled Hours of Work Be Changed?"
Information about work hours from the elaws FLSA Advisor.
Coverage Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Fact Sheet
General information about who is covered by the FLSA.
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.
Article: "Over One Quarter of Full-time Workers Have Flexible Schedules"
More information on flexible schedules.
Article: "Flexible Work Schedules: What Are We Trading Off to Get Them?"
More information on flexible schedules.
Article: "Executives most likely to have flexible work hours"
More information on flexible schedules.
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.