How do we work well in a team in relation to flexi-time? How can we empower all team members to be able to make decisions rather than asking permission?
All teams should meet to discuss and agree principles going forward and then this should be talked about in one to ones regularly. It may be that reviewing it as a team after a few months (or as a regular item) is also helpful. This initial conversation should include:
- Principle of High Trust, High Responsibility – what does this mean within the hours we work
- Communication – how are we agreeing to communicate our working pattern well in our team etc. (some teams have mentioned using shared calendars or Slack Canvas)
- Sufficient Cover – what does this mean for our team; what is my part to play in that?
Can I take a longer lunch break?
Yes, if diaries and sufficient cover are present. For example, you may choose to start work earlier and finish work later to enable an hour and a half break in the middle
Do I have to ask my line manager before I start work at 8am and finish at 4pm?
Not if you know there is sufficient cover in the team (if needed) and you have it marked in your diary
I was planning to finish at 3pm next Wednesday but I have been invited to a meeting – can I say no to the meeting?
This depends on the meeting- when we are invited to meetings there is often a reason why we should be there. It is ok to ask to move the meeting earlier, or to the following day. It may be that 3pm was the only time that could everyone can meet – if this is the case then we would expect you to attend.
I was planning to start at 9.30am tomorrow but have just been asked to attend an urgent meeting (with external partner) at 9am- the time can’t be changed, what should I do?
As a first step, reach out to your team (including your line manager) – can someone attend on your behalf? Can you submit a written report? Or do you together think this is a priority and need to change your working pattern to accommodate?
My office doesn’t open until 9am, can I still start work at 8am?
Possibly – this may depend on how far you live from the office. If for example, it is a 10 minute commute – it could be reasonable to start work at 8am and then commute into work at 9.15am.(remember the commute is not ‘working time’) It is however important that you have enough time to be productive when you start work. It is probably not reasonable to start work at 9am at home and work for 15 minutes before commuting for a meeting in the office at 9.30am!
I haven’t given 1 weeks notice – can I still change my hours for tomorrow?
Possibly, do you know there will be sufficient cover? Have you communicated and checked with your team etc.
I am going to a meeting in another region and I need to leave at 7.30am, and won’t get home until 6pm the following day– I usually commute half an hour to the office - what time can I take back?
The starting point to answering this question should be based on the Travel Principles. What time do you need to rest and maintain healthy balance. It could be that you use flexi-time (8am-6pm) and start later / finish earlier at other points in the week. Assuming you stopped working at 5pm on day 1 you have worked 8am-5pm and then 9am until 6pm. Meaning you could choose to finish work at 3pm on another day that week. You may however have commuted on a train, and felt well rested after a night away, and therefore not feel the need to finish early one day – that is also ok.
When planning longer distance travel what should be considered?
- Length of day – if driving long distances is tiring and then you are going into a day of meetings; do you need to think about train travel, or it may even be appropriate to travel the night before.
- Cost – we need to be mindful of the cost of travel and to ensure we use the organisations money wisely. It may be that there is a more cost effective way to travel (there could be good reason as to why this is not chosen, but should be thought through)
- Time – when travelling long distances (especially alone) it could be more efficient to travel by train as other work can be completed on train journeys.
A team member is travelling to training 2 hours away which starts at 8.30am; what conversation should I be having with them to help plan?
Some team members do not mind leaving the house at 6am whilst for others that can be really hard. If you need to leave the house before 7am, proactively speak with the team member about how they would find this and if travelling the day before and staying locally (they may know someone they can stay with or may need a hotel) would mean they would be better able to engage in the training.
Where start times can be adjusted this should be considered. E.g. can we meet at 10.30am (and don’t need to stay overnight) rather than meeting at 9am? The key is having proactive conversations and where possible, working with team members.