Would you consider this a fair use of flexi time?

[wherevershewonders]

Employee contracted 29.6 hours a week over 4 days. Flexi time permitted if reasonable and fair to rest of team, I'm trying to work out if it is.

Monday - 7:50-17:30
Tuesday - 8:45-14:45
Wednesday - 8:45-15:15 / 16:00-16:30
Thursday - 8:45-15:15 / 16:00-16:30

Why is it bizarre? I often work 7.50-4. I deal with all the tricky stuff in my first hour as I'm least likely to be disturbed and then crack in with everything else. I often work a longer day if a meeting or call drags on. Surely that's what flexi is? The business gets the advantage of my most productive time (morning) and I work a long day if they need me to, but in return I occasionally get an early finish/long lunch? A bit of give and take!

We have core hours of 10-12 then 2-4 but I'm trusted to do what I want. OP, I suspect this is nothing to do with the hours worked but the fact you don't trust or feel you're getting value from this member of staff. I'd look at what's at the root of your concern and deal with this before you fanny about making bad feeling about flexi.

The time blocks you've listed add up to 29.6 hours (well, 29.67 hours).

So when you say that 30 minute lunch breaks have been factored in, they're paid lunch breaks, yes? Do the other employees not on an agreed flexi pattern also get paid lunch breaks?

I do agree with asking them where their child will be during 16:00-16:30 and making sure they don't have childcare responsibilities in this time.

may be easier if you finish at the same time every day

Looks fine to me and would work in my team.

I'd rather they did a longer day on Tuesday and lost the 2 half hour slots - i suspect it would be easier to keep concentration going which it's important in the work we do

Especially if the gap is to pick up kids - if they are too small to walk home they are likely to have demands/ needs

Depends on the job. If everyone in my team wanted to nip out for school pickup and take Fridays off, my employer wouldn't bat an eyelid, but in another team it could cause a problem.

In my job this would be absolutely fine. I am not customer facing, and so would just need to make sure meetings were scheduled around these time (or move my hours on occasion where the meeting can't be scheduled by me).

Those saying the Tuesday is a short day surprise me. It's a 6hr day, offset by a 9hr 40min day on Monday (lunches excluded, but would be taken and time deducted as confirmed by OP). This is what flexi time is; longer days and shorter days, to suit the individual and the business.

I work flexibly and take a break for the school run (Year 8 child, so no need for supervision afterwards) before working another 30-90 mins. I use this time just as productively as the rest of my day, and often have meetings during that time too.

@wherevershewonders In principle not unreasonable as you are taking 30 minute break. However, I agree with a pp one hour on either Wednesday or Thursday would be better.

You also need contingency in case you have to occasionally attend a meeting between 15:15 and 16:00 or work past 14:45. Flexi time rules usually require a degree of flexibility on both sides.

In my experience very rigid working patterns like this are fine in theory but in practice things crop up which mean you may need to swap the longer day for a shorter day or you maybe needed to work late.

My advice is work a little longer on days you can to build up some credit. Be very clear in your diary when you are unavailable. Take your 30 minute lunch break. Communicate with colleagues and manager.

Are there core hours during the working day?

Civil service flexi hours where I used to work were 7am till 6pm.
Core hours were 10-3pm which is not massively different to those hours.

As long as you did your 7.5 hours a day or more it was fine.

It'll depend if your organisation has core hours listed in the flexible policy, many places expect you to log in 10-12, 2-4 (as an example) and work flexibly around those hours, this ensures people are available at the same time for meetings etc. Not all places have core hours, and if you're part time it might apply differently, so you need to check your own flexi policy and work out if it is reasonable. Some places it would be, others it wouldn't.

Maybe 'flexible' means different things in different companies, but this schedule looks anything but flexible. Or does the term in this company just mean you can choose your own working hours? If that's the case then I can't see how anyone could disagree with this pattern.

I think it would be more reasonable and fair to the rest of the team to start at 8:15 on W&Th and get all hours done by 15:15 rather than having a half-hour-tag-on after 16:00 which would rarely be effectively used.

You need to take off your lunch break on at least three of your four days, unless you are paid for lunch break. Under working time regulations you have to have a break.