Making the shift: Exploring staggered hours

If you stop and think about it, the traditional 9-5 doesn't really make sense anymore.

Why do we all have to follow the exact same weekday schedule? All commuting during the same hours, working during the same hours and eating meals during the same hours. It makes everything busier, and more expensive and doesn't consider productivity times or work-life balance.

If like us, you've been thinking about this, we're here with the answer: staggered hours.

This flexible working approach offers more flexibility, caters to individual needs and promotes work-life balance.

We explain exactly what it is, how it compares to other styles, the pros and cons and how to implement it in your workplace.

Whether you're an employer considering this shift, or an employee seeking flexibility, this article will arm you with the knowledge you need.

What are staggered hours?

It provides some level of personalisation to an employee's work schedule and offers flexibility that other conventional work schedules can't.

Initially, some companies rolled out staggered hours as a pandemic-induced measure [SOURCE]. It meant that the roles that couldn't be completed at home, could still be safely carried out at the office.

Many companies kept this as their typical working schedule, after employees returned to the office, as it worked so well.

Organisations like Best Buy have implemented flexible working arrangements, including staggered hours, for years now. This style helps businesses address the challenge of coordinating a team spread across various time zones.

It helps to reduce rush-hour commutes and supports managing childcare logistics all while maintaining business continuity.

How do staggered hours compare to other flexible working schedules?

With all UK employees having the legal right to request flexible working, many organisations are trying to gain a competitive advantage by offering this before it is requested.

Because of this, many different types of flexible working can be offered and requested.

While there are many, we wanted to share ones that are the most similar to staggered hours so you can make a fair comparison.

Flexitime vs staggered hours

Similar to staggered hours, flexitime doesn't adhere to the traditional 9-5.

With flexitime, employers set a wider window of working hours, say 7 am - 7 pm, with core hours that each employee must be online for, say 10 am to 1 pm.

As long as employees complete their contracted hours, the rest is up to them. This style gives employees flexibility in their working schedule and means they can spread their hours out over the window if needed.

With staggered hours on the other hand, employees are still required to complete their contracted hours in one sitting, during pre-agreed hours.

Flexitime targets the issue of rigid working hours, where staggered hours address the challenges of international teams.

Because working hours are set, staggered hours facilitate enhanced communication, collaboration, and meeting schedules, creating balance and fluidity in the workplace.

In a nutshell, whilst both prioritise flexibility, staggered hours provide a more even balance between what's best for the employee and the employer.

Compressed hours vs staggered hours

Compressed hours are similar in the way they adjust the typical working day, but differ in their approach.

With compressed hours, employees complete their usual contracted hours over a shorter period of days. It means longer days in return for fewer workdays.

Staggered hours mean employees are still completing the same amount of hours over the same amount of workdays.

Despite compressed hours meaning fewer working days, the longer hours can lead to exhaustion and burnout.

With staggered hours, because employees are still completing the same amount of hours, this typically isn't a risk.

While both can succeed in different environments, compressed hours fall short due to their adverse effect on work-life balance.

When stress reduction and team coordination are the goal, staggered hours are the clear winner.

How do staggered hours work?

You should know the definition of staggered hours by now, so let's look at how they work.

This means Employee A might start at 7 am and finish at 3 pm and Employee B may start at 11 am and finish at 7 pm.

Typically, companies will have groups of employees that complete the same staggered shift patterns to ensure coverage of essential business operations.

Usually, people in the same team would complete different hours, so someone is always available for support.

One of the good things about staggered hours though, is that employees will have crossover and will be available at the same time each day.

For example, if the first teammate starts at 7 am and another person is on the latest shift, starting at 11 am, they'll have at least 4 hours working together every day.

It's up to the company how often the shift patterns are changed. Sometimes organisations will change them weekly, others monthly and if it's working successfully, others will change them quarterly or as needed.

It's best to get feedback and use that to shape your approach.

What are the pros and cons of staggered hours?

As with every working style, there are benefits and challenges to both the employee and the employer. You should consider these before planning to implement this working style.

Benefits of staggered hours

For employees: Increases flexibility

Staggered hours enhance an employee's control over their daily schedule and in turn, improves their work-life balance.

They give more flexibility to personal commitments such as child care, pet care and education.

For instance, one employee might opt to start work early in the morning so they can go to their afternoon class, while another might prefer a late start to manage morning parenting duties.

For employers: Extends operating hours and boosts productivity

Staggered hours mean longer operational hours for the business without having to pay for overtime.

For service-based businesses especially, longer opening hours can lead to increased customer interaction and potentially higher revenue.

A working schedule that works with an employee's commitments, as opposed to against it, also means they can work during their peak hours. This leads to improved productivity and a more relaxed, happy workforce.

In turn, employees have higher job satisfaction and the company enjoys lower attrition rates.

Challenges of staggered hours

For employees: Logistical difficulties

The main challenge for employees is getting to work a staggered shift that works for their schedule.

Staggered hours work great when they work in your favour, but if employees are working hours that make work-life balance less achievable, it has an adverse effect.

If you have lots of employees who want to work the same schedule, changing the pattern every week aims to solve this.

For employers: Increased administration

Staggered hours have the potential to become an administrative disaster if not managed properly.

They need a dedicated person to manage, allocate and take requests for staggered hours to work.

Without this, employers can end up with shifts with varying coverage, which isn't good for business.

What this flexible working pattern needs is careful management. With that, your company can reap the benefits, without running into the challenges.

How to implement staggered hours and staggered shifts

Wondering how to enter the realm of a staggered hours system? You can tweak your typical work schedule by following these steps.

Steps for transitioning to staggered hours

1. Develop a comprehensive staggered hours policy

To start, creating a clear, well-defined policy is a must. This policy will be essential for managing staggered hours as it will outline the conditions and consequences linked to the system.

Outline clear expectations while considering individual roles and workforce needs. These policies should also address changes in the working environment ‒ for instance, remote working.

Include how often the patterns will change, how to request a change of pattern and the wider working window that hours are completed in. If needed, you should also share how work should be handed over to the next employee in the team.

2. Set the core hours for staggered schedules

Next, determine the 'core hours' during which every employee must be available. This is typically in the middle of your operational hours - for example between 10 am to 2 pm.

You should also decide on your business's operating hours, that the staggered hours will sit in.

For example, between 7 and 7 pm. If your business is open later, keep in mind that legally employees need at least 11 hours to rest between a shift finishing and the next one starting [SOURCE].

Setting these core hours aids in creating a balance - allowing flexibility while ensuring daily business needs are met.

This keeps the organisation functioning efficiently while employees enjoy the advantages of staggered hours.

3. Ensure fairness when considering flexible working requests

Fairness should be at the forefront when considering employee preferences and requests for alternative schedules.

Avoid any biases when making decisions by standardising the review process for these requests.

For example, if one employee needs to work a certain shift every week to accommodate childcare needs, make sure this is fair to the rest of the team.

Listen to each person's individual needs and do your best to build a schedule that suits, or is at least fair to everyone.

Conclusion: embracing staggered hours

In conclusion, staggered hours offer numerous benefits for both employers and employees.

By allowing for flexible start and end times, businesses can improve productivity, reduce traffic congestion, and offer a better work-life balance for their staff.

While implementing staggered hours may require some adjustments, the potential advantages make it worth considering for companies looking to create a more efficient and happier work environment.

So, why not give staggered hours a shot and see how it can transform your business operations? After all, the future of work is flexible.