Flextime

Abstract

Flextime, a work schedule that permits flexible starting and quitting times, has gained wide currency as a partial solution to conflicts between work and family life. This article aims to review the existing research regarding the advantages and disadvantages of flextime to both employers and employees; to evaluate the effects of flextime on resolving work/family conflicts; and to establish future programmatic, research, and policy directions regarding flextime. Research indicates that no compelling case can be made for flextime solely on the grounds of employers' conventional concerns with organizational effectiveness, organizational membership, or job attitudes. Research reveals, further, that flextime is beneficial in resolving work/family conflicts, but not as beneficial as often hoped. Future research should include the following: (a) greater sensitivity than is currently available regarding the use of, not just access to, flextime; (b) more attention to the needs of different subgroups as defined by stage in life cycle and family type; and (c) the use of dependent measures that would assess the effect of flextime in terms of quality as well as quantity of family time. We think it likely that the better the research, the more compelling will be the evidence for the effectiveness of flextime.