AIBU for thinking offices that use flexitime only exist in alternate realities?

[HollyShort]

Because 8 - 4 is somehow less hours at work than 10 - 6?

I'm back working in an office that allegedly operates flexitime, I prefer to come in early and leave early. As a regular 4 leaver I always check and always stay if others want to go early - this means I stay till 5 on a Friday most weeks. But the 10 - 6ers are bitching as they obviously put it more hours than me every day! Of course they swan in every day at 10 (core hours we need to cover begin at 9) but never check that someone will be in to cover. So I'm frequently the only person covering that hour. But no I am being a very unreasonable slacker as they're in the office till 6 most nights.

So AIBU?

This is just part of the problem with flexitime as a who;e, the place I used to work operated it and was a right mess at times with people squabbling amongst themselves over who gets certain hours. Far better to just have a 9-5 workforce, I see no benefit to a company for offering flexitime.

What really annoys me is I want to start early and they want to start late, theoretically everything should be perfect. But it's not.

I might start doing 10-6 then we can see what happens when the shit hits the fan at no one covering the first hour. But it's so bloody childish.

What do you say when they start bitching? I had the same thing with a colleague who worked later hours, always moaning that I was skiving off early. Had to point out my working hours to her and when we worked it out it turned out she was doing less hours than me!

They tend to just squeal about how they are in till 6 every night, the big boss intervened once but they won't bloody have it. It's like hammering my head against a wall.

Of course is flexitime does get removed then they'll scream even louder as they like a lie in.

Maybe suggest that you need some sort of rota to cover outside core hours? They might shut up when they realise that you're doing all the early starts!

We have a rota to cover the end of the day. No need for one at the start of the day, as everyone wants to start early anyway!

Oh, and there are benefits to the employer from using flexi time, if people don't take the piss. It makes a big difference to employees, and happy staff means more work gets done!

Try doing 7-3, they hate it

Are the times needing covered from 9-5 and people can do 8-4 or 10-6 and all times inbetween?

In which case why are you checking at 4pm, rather than just leaving? And why is it your responsibility to stay until 6 if they're not in the mood? If you can't be in at 8am one day do you say 'someone will need to be in at 9 tomorrow?

Yy, happy staff with flexible hours that they can fit around life are much more likely to be loyal to the company, work harder etc. Bit of give and take goes a very long way. Huge benefit to employers.

It works really well where I work. In my team I would do 9 - 6, someone else did 7 - 4 and someone else 10 - 7. I was happy cos it fitted in with nursery and I don't commute. The other 2 commuted so missed the traffic one way or the other.

There was once a rather amusing incident where a (very late starter) boss arrived at the same time as one of his (very early starter) team members. "oh hello X" he said " I thought you were having the morning off"
"I did!" said X.

Very sloppy management. The manager of your team needs to ensure that there are enough people to cover 9-10, just just hope it happens.

TBH, I'm a bit by the attitude of the rest of your team. When they complain, have you asked them if they want to do 8-4 instead? WRT Fridays, how come you don't leave until 5? Does the rest of your team start at 8 so they can leave at 4 on that day?

just keep saying 'you can leave at 4 if you start at 8.' 'No? Didn't think so.'

Yes, YABU - they exist all over the place. Just because you have a couple of people in your office who like a moan, doesn't in anyway equate to "offices that use flexitime only exist{ing} in alternate realities"

There is a great deal of benefit to an office manager offering flexible worktime, as other have stated.

That's it Waffly. I think I might broach the rota idea and see if I can get it through their thick skulls.

Only been working in that dept for a month so I have no idea what went on before. Teams have been cut and there was probably more of a balance of people doing more varied hours so it quelled things a bit.

On a positive note it's encouraging me to get my business off the ground so I can leave and don't need to deal with this crap anymore!

I have flexitime in my office. I am management level and have found that no one takes the piss. It's mainly because the office is core hours 10-4 but hours covered need to be 9-5. You are either on the rota to do an early shift (have to start at 9 but can leave at 4) or you do the late one (10-5). Most of my staff are in before 9 anyway (as they can clock from 8 onwards). If someone needs to pick up a child or have a personal appointment they can arrange that on the rota.

It works but only because of the rota. I think I'd have major problems if I didn't do it this way.

The problem is not the flexitime but the childishness of your colleagues.

I have never experienced these problems in almost 20 years of flexible working in three different organisations.

Flexible working benefits all of us but especially women with childcare responsibilities.

Opposite way round in our office, the 8-4 lot are always slagging off the 10-6 lot. we are a large team, and there is plenty of cover at both ends of the day, but because we choose start later we are constantly called lazy by our colleagues. Derisive comments when I come in at 10 are 'we've been her for hours, you should get up earlier' and worse 'you won't be able to sleep in when the babies born' (I'm 6m pregnant) I LOVE flexi time, the system is ace, hut i hate people's attitudes towards it, it makes me miserable :(

Yeah, the problem is your colleagues not flexi-time.

I've only ever worked in flexitime offices (16 years now) and have never experienced this kind of problem either - seriously, it's down to bad management, they need to be reinforcing to all staff that people who come in at 8 are entitled to leave at 4 (or whatever the shift pattern is). They also need to be reinforcing the message that they will be dealing with any pisstakers (and actually DO deal with them), so the times that people choose to work are not the concern of their colleagues.

I've also never worked anywhere which had a rota either, so I don't think one is necessary to ensure that flexitime works.

Your colleagues need to grow up and and your managers need to grow some spine - you probably know that though, OP

It's not flexitime that's the problem, it's your colleagues being prats. I've only worked in flexitime offices, no rotas, and it's always worked well enough. Only place I've seen it cause issues was when the manager of another team had a thing for presenteeism - they were the first ones in and the last ones out, but got sod all work done and were roiling with resentment.

Occasionally had comments, but they tend to decline my offer to join me at 7:45 and shut up afterwards.

We have a Rota to ensure we are covered 9-5 we have one duty worker (me today 9-1) and one office support person morning and after noon. Like you op I like doing 8-4 but Mondays I do duty till 5...my flexi time is healthy though

The cause of grumbles can depend on the nature of the work. For example,in my team we cover support for the uk and south america. which means if its going to get busy, it gets busy in the afternoon. when the early birds are packing up to go home.

We have a couple of people who prefer to come in early, some who want 9-5 and some who want 10-6.

I make sure the early birds have some particular role to fulfill (like attending regular morning meetings) and if the others then decide to bitch about them,I offer them the choice of coming in early (getting out of their warm bed too soon/rearranging child care) and attending the boring, but necessary, morning meetings. And if the early birds moan about the later ones, they get offered the late shift (getting home for tea late/re-arranging child care) and the afternoon help desk job.

They both tend to STFU :)