1. Flex Time Models
2. Flex Time Escalation Rules
3. Flex Time Settings
4. Flex Time Reset
5. Flex Time Corrections
6. Non-tracking Model

Flextime is a scheme that allows you to set a ‘Flexible working hours’ plan for your employees. Basically, you can still change it in departments, or even on individuals, we allow to add 20 templates per your convenience.

Flextime is a Win-Win situation for both the employer and the employees. With zistemo you can easily manage multiple and complex time systems, at your own pace, from your favorite desktop or mobile devices.

The main benefit of adopting a flex-time system in your company is that it eliminates the “need” to have everyone starting and finishing work at the same time. Nowadays workforces are more dynamic and forcing all employees to accept one strict schedule might not always be a good idea.

For employees who live in densely populated areas,  who come to work on public transport or have to look after family members, flex time is a huge advantage, giving them access to a work time model that places their individual needs over the traditional “be there on sharp” working habits. In this digital age, it’s more important for staff to be able to work when they feel more productive and deliver great-quality on time, rather than being physically present at the office for a specific amount of hours each day.

Flex Time with Core Time

Basically, the flex time model consists of:
* Core Working Time, in which general attendance is compulsory
* Flex Time Periods before and after the start of the Core Work Time.

In the example below, core working time is 9:30 am to 3:00 pm, flex time is 6:30 am to 9:30 am and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. In the classic flex-time model, the duration of the daily or weekly work is fixed and corresponds to the working time agreed by contract.

Flex time is widespread in the office sector, being much less common in production areas. At some workplaces, such as call centers or retail, the opportunities for flextime are not very rich, since a mandatory accessibility must be guaranteed for customers within strictly defined time intervals, to secure opening times, for instance.

Here you can choose the “Core-Time” for your employees.

Flex Time without Core Time

Start and end time is flexible, with the duration depending on the agreed work hours:

This model is an upgrade of the classic flex time, particularly suitable for fields where employees can work autonomously, without having to interact much with colleagues or customers. This eliminates the core working hours. The company only defines the operating hours during which the employees can work, allowing staff members to largely decide themselves when they start or finish their daily working schedule.

As a general rule, according to this model full-time employees are also present “almost automatically” between 10 am and 2 pm. However, in contrast to fixed part-time working hours, part-time employees can also be present from early morning or late evening.

Flex Time with Operation Time

Employees need a replacement to keep the operations running:

In this variant, flex time is not combined with a core working time but with an operation time. The model is suitable for businesses in which colleagues are able to technically replace each other. For an operation time, the company sets the times when the respective business units must function, and in what form (e.g., reachability for the customer or for other departments, production, working on machines etc).

Employees then set their working hours after consulting with their colleagues and according to these guidelines. Moreover, they can slide in or out before and after the operation time. Unlike flextime with core time, here it is not necessary for all members of the staff to be present during the operation time, as long as the operational continuity of the business area is guaranteed.

NOTE: Every leave type must have a substitute, even it is not checkt in the leave type settings. More infos on leave types you can find HERE

Just Core Time

This is fixed worktime model meaning that user won’t have a flextime balance. Attendance is mandatory from start until end time. Staff using this worktime model can track overtime and you’ll see if they tracked to less time but they won’t have a flextime balance

Flex Start and fixed hours

This is a semi-fixed worktime model meaning users won’t have a flextime balance. Instead of defining start and end time as on “just core time”, users are allowed for a flexible start time and must fulfill their working plan.

Non-tracking Model

If you want to use the absence calendar but don’t want to use a clock in – clock out and the flex time account: this time model is for you. This time model only allows users to access “My vacation calendar” for vacation and leave. Therefore, they cannot track attendance time (no “Clock-in” button) and the “Attendance Monitor” is not active for them.

Here is what you’ll have left in the menu on the side after you’ll switch to this model:

Yet, the system need to know your working days in order to calculate the vacation days correctly. So, on the vacation tab you can select the work days:

Afterwards you connect the template to the staff and you can set up the total working hours if you wish:

Advanced Settings

When using flextime, you should set a start date and start hours when the flextime account starts to run and calculate against the plan. Note: You are able to change the settings only if the staff uses the Flex Time Model.

Rules:

If a user has no start date and no start hours, then we use the first clock-in date as the start date and the start hours are 0:00.

If a user has start date but no start hours, we start the flextime account on the start date, at 0:00.

If a user has both a start time and an start hours, then we start this flextime account on the start date with start hours.

Example:

a) If you hire a new user, you just set the date to the start date of the user, without any hours (0:00 hours). If new staff is hired in July but starts working on the 1st of September, you use the 1st of September as a start date and 0:00h, since they don’t have any flextime accumulated.

b) You start using zistemo during the year and the admin wants to start on August, 20. User Adam has then +12:32 and User Eve -4:47. The start date is August, 20 and the admin has to insert on the Staff Page the start hours.

To set up the flextime settings go to: ‘Contacts’ -> ‘Staff’ -> Click on your staff member.

On the changelog of corrections you can review all corrections that have been made to the user’s flex time account.

Correnction of the flextime account

You can’t just change the flextime account, since it is the official work time of the user and is crucial for payroll. But you can do corrections to the user’s flex time account. These are the options how to correct users flex time account. For any correction you do, the user will receive an email.

1. Compensate downtime with vacation

This option is available if the user has a negative flextime account only. You can use vacation days to compensate the downtime of your staff. First, define how many hours one vacation days has (by default a personal day form project preferences), so it calculates correctly. Next, insert the amount of vacation days that should be used to compensate user’ downtime.

So, in this example the user’s flextime account has -20:00 hours and one vacation day has 8:00 hours. We inserted that there should be use 2 vacation days to compensate downtime. The new flextime account will have -4:00 hours [calculation: -20:00 + (8:00 x 2) = -4:00]

2 Turn overtime into vacation

You can use vacation days to compensate the overtime of your staff. Just enter the days you want to compensate and you see the effect on the hours shown. First, define how many hours one vacation days has (by default a personal day form project preferences), so it calculates correctly. Next, insert the amount of vacation days that should be added to the user’s vacation entitlement.

So, in this example user’s flextime account has 20:00 hours and once vacation day has 8:00 hours. We inserted that there should be 2 vacation days added. The new flextime account will have 4:00 hours [calculation: 20:00 – (8:00 x 2)  = 4:00]

3 Corrections to the flex time hours

You can just correct the current flex time hours no matter if there are overtime or downtime.  Just select this option, enter the new amount of flex time hours and the date when the correction should be applies. You can’t use a date that is before the user‘s flex time start date. You also need to add a note to the flex time history.

4 Pay out overtime

You also can choose to pay out overtime. If you select this option you can either enter the new amount of flex time hours or you can enter how many hours should be paid out

5 Void Corrections

If you made a correction by accident of you just made a mistake you can void your correction. Go to the changelog of ocrrection (see below) and go to the correction you made. You can void it via the trash icon:

When voiding a correction you have to add a reason. We recommend to be as precise as possible to comprehend your action someday in the future if needed.

After mark a correction as void it adds a offsetting entry to the logs. The initial correction will be shown crossed out. Please note voiding a correction can’t be undone.

6 Show Changelog of Corrections

In the “changelog of corrections” you can see all corrections made of the flex time. Just go to the “Staff Details” and select the “Flex-Time-Settings”.

Learn more about logs for attendance time

Ignore all worktime rules

When this function is active, all tracked attendance time will be payable for this user.

Flex time start date and start hours

The user’s flex time start date is the date since when the system calculates the overtime/minus hours. It marks the beginning date of the flex time calculation. It is not possible to add or edit attendance recording before that date. All attendance time tracked before the flex time start date will be ignored on the calculation.

Flex time start hours is the opening balance of the user’s flex time account. Usually, for newly hired employees it’s 0:00 – if you change from another system to zistemo you can enter here the current flex time hours from the person. The flex time start hours entered are always for the flex time start date.