Flextime is short for flexible work time or flexible work arrangements. Flextime employees must work a specific number of hours per week but may vary their hours of work, within limits. Some flextime programs allow employees to accumulate extra hours and turn them into days off. Flextime has become extremely popular. According to recent surveys, a majority (54 to 56 percent) of U.S. organizations offer some form of flextime—and reap benefits from it as well.

Thirty-three percent of organizations report an increase in participation and 23 percent indicate an increase in productivity. It appears as if flextime has become an important job design element for many employees—53 percent of employees cite flexible arrangements as a very important aspect of their job satisfaction. It also appears that people who have a strong desire to separate their work and family lives are less apt to use flextime. Flextime is a worthwhile business practice, so these findings suggest additional research is needed.