Civil Service Flexitime

Ber25 · 14-08-2022 5:16pm

An interesting question on flexi time. In the section I'm in I have literally nothing to do. I've asked for more work several times and it looks like I may finally be moved to another section which is great. However since flexi has just come back I don't have the opportunity to work up time as I have no work assigned to me and I was told you can only work time when you're busy.

Has anyone else experienced this.

Shuffl_in · 14-08-2022 7:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119472393#Comment_119472393

You don't work less or more hours when accruing flexi time. It's rearranging your working hours to improve your work/life balance. If you have nothing to do it should be easier to rearrange the hours.

In saying that there must be something you can do, even if it's semi pointless.

14-08-2022 8:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119472393#Comment_119472393

Strictly speaking, this definitely used to be the practice at one time.

A supervisor could only sign off on flexi days accrued by their staff if there was enough work in the section to justify the staff member working more than just the target hours, to get it completed.

I had a discusion about this very thing with another civil servant only recently, I remembered it (as it was in my time) but I couldn't find the original circular when I searched for it. (It would be very old.)

It does appear that requirement has been abandoned (or at least was not enforced) in more recent times.

Ber25 · 14-08-2022 8:54pm

Thanks a mil for your input. It seems that I'm moving department anyhow but it does strike me as unfair if you can't have the same benefit to flexi because you haven't been allocated work.

If anyone knows of any relevant circulars I'd be really interested.

karlitob · 15-08-2022 7:12am

Can I ask the following:

I presume that you can avail of flexible start finish times and not be allowed accrue hours.

I presume that the flexible start finish times may still have to be set. In other words, the boss might say that you start at 8 every day but you can’t start whenever you feel like it that day (anytime between 8 and 10). Though of course I would expect a boss to be ‘flexible’.

Is that all correct?

15-08-2022 10:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119474451#Comment_119474451

In my experience managers wouldn't typically be that "hands on" with the day to day managing of what time staff come in and leave at unless there is a business need for staff to be in attendance by a certain time - eg. to open a public facing office. And then there will most likely be a roster amongst staff.

In my section there are people who start at 8am some days and finish at 4pm - and others who will start later and work later. This is all by their own choice, it's not set down by any supervisor.

Every department has the power to run the FWH scheme according to their business needs, and their can be vast differences depending on where you work. There are still some offices that don't operate FWH at all.

Over the last two years of the pandemic we've been working flexible start and finishing hours but not accruing flexi leave, there are pilot schemes now in place in some departments to see how FWH and accrual of flexi leave will work in the future.

Oscar2286 · 14-11-2022 1:19pm

Hey, I'm completely new to the FW and just got an email from HR we are offered it now if we want to. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons and how this works in practice. Atm I'm pretty much flexible, don't have to at the desk any certain times as long as the work is done. Would that also apply to people who availing WFH option?

SouthWesterly · 14-11-2022 3:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119872513#Comment_119872513

Generally not Available to you if working from home. Some departments are trialling it.

You can can work up to 10.5 hours extra a month and take it the following month. Trick is never to be in a minus hours situation. 30 minutes a day gives you the time off without effecting annual leave.

15-11-2022 2:35pm

Working from home 3/2 and have full flexi, including accrual of flexi leave when wfh, so it depends on what your dept is doing at the moment.

Morning flexi band: 8am to 10am (clock in any time between these hours)

Morning core band: 10am - 12:30pm (must be working)

Lunch: Must clock off for minimum of 30 minutes between 12:30am and 2pm.

Afternoon core band: 2:30pm - 4pm (must be working)

Evening flexi band : 4pm - 7pm (can finish work anytime between these hours).

Maximum hours allowed accrue in any 4 week flexi period = 11.5hrs

dodi1973 · 20-01-2023 8:17am

New to flexi how does taking a half day work if i start at 8.30 i can go at 12 or do u have to stay till 1.And if u have to stay is that an hour built back up?No one else in office doing flex

dodi1973 · 20-01-2023 8:26am

sorry i should have asked about the afternoon hours as.well

laoisgem · 20-01-2023 8:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120132649#Comment_120132649

You can't finish at 12, it'll need to be between 12.30 and 2 but yes the extra time will add onto your flexi.

dat6 · 21-01-2023 9:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120132649#Comment_120132649

The core working hours where you have to be at work are

10-12.30

14.30-16:00

You can start a morning shift anytime before 10:00 and finish anytime after 12:30. You can start an afternoon shift anytime before 14:30 and leave anytime from 16:00.

Obviously business needs come first, you might need to come in early or stay back so it’s give and take.

So, yes you could come in at 08:30 and then leave at 12:30 (not 12). Then you could request the afternoon off using annual leave, flexileave etc you may have available

Over a flexitime period, most civil servants are on 35 hour weeks and should aim to work this on average. As another said don’t go below this. But if you were 34 hours one week and 36 hours another, that should be fine in the same flexi period as long as you worked core hours.

https://hr.per.gov.ie/en/corporate-pages/supports/work-arrangements/

Just remember one other rule - the law stipulates that if you work 6 hours, you must take a 30 minute break and this cannot be at the end of your day. In reality many places won’t enforce this as it’s too complicated, but if you do start at 08:00 and leave at 14:15 then technically you should take a break before you finish work, and some clock systems will check this. Likewise, you can’t work 08:00-15:30 and then take your lunch at the end of the day. This definitely would not work. Your lunch has to be from 12:30-14:30 if you are working the afternoon.

Overall, once you are used of it, flexi is actually really handy and allows you to have a good work life balance, while work still gets done.

SouthWesterly · 22-01-2023 10:11pm

Lunch is between 12.30 and 2. You need to take a minimum of 30 minutes in that period.

You need to aim for a minimum of 35 hours work per week. Any thing less and it can cause issues with HR. I've seen people sacked for long term under working

I generally do 8.30 to 4.30 with 30 minutes lunch. It gives me 30 minutes extra flexi per day.

Hotblack Desiato · 23-01-2023 12:20pm

@dat6 You don't clock out for breaks so the flexi system has no role in relation to breaks.

dat6 · 03-02-2023 9:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120145417#Comment_120145417

You should always clock out and in for lunch.

Regardless of what the “system” does, you are required to take a 30 min break if you work 6 hours. I can’t see this rule really enforced anywhere if you do a 8-2 shift, but technically the law requires that.

Hotblack Desiato · 04-02-2023 1:58am

Lunch is not breaks - breaks are paid, lunchtime is not.

dat6 · 04-02-2023 12:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199830#Comment_120199830

Lunch is a break.

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment_rights_and_conditions/hours_of_work/rest_periods_and_breaks.html

Hotblack Desiato · 06-02-2023 12:50am

Nobody calls lunchtime a break, whatever the working time act says. Also breaks are paid.

delboy85 · 06-02-2023 1:19am

Delete.

raheny red · 06-02-2023 12:59pm

So with flexi time, do you have to inform your manager / HR what time you intend to start work at each day or it doesn't matter once you work your contracted hours? Also, when using a "half day" on flexi time do you need to inform anyone or just log it on the system? Ta.

dat6 · 06-02-2023 1:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120207735#Comment_120207735

It depends on the manager and the section. Some are very hands off once work gets done. Others operate flexitime in a public facing/service area so there must be adequate cover.

To take a half day (be it flexi or annual leave), that has to be approved in advance by your manager. Normally you request it on the portal. You have to have enough flexi built up to take it.

The goal of flexi is just to make the workplace more flexible when it comes to working hours. It allows you to go for appointments etc without impacting on your work, and while meeting the organisations needs. When I started using it years ago, I hated it and thought it was micro management.. but actually no... it works in your favour and I always work above 35 hours anyway.

jaffa20 · 06-02-2023 1:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120207735#Comment_120207735

I don't inform them what time I intend to start, but might work differently in each area. Yes, for the half day flexi, you need to inform them and put it in the system for approval.

nhg · 06-02-2023 1:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120207735#Comment_120207735

Where I work, you just work up your flexi hours when suits within the 4 week period, some prefer to start early & finish early, others reverse, it’s about lifestyle balance.

To take a flexi day you need to get approval from your line manager & get it recorded on the office leave sheet, once that’s done you enter it on your clock card & your line manager approves it on your clock card.

If taking a flexi morning don’t clock in before 13.00 or you’ll still have to take your 30 minutes for lunch.

If taking a flexi afternoon you can clock out anytime after 12.30 but must be before 14.00

raheny red · 06-02-2023 2:47pm

Well explained folks, nice one.

Lynnington3 · 16-08-2023 10:37am

if taking a flexi afternoon , can you start at 9am and finish at 12.30 and not have to take a lunch ?

and similarly If taking a morning flexi can you clock in at 13:00 and finish at 16:30 without taking a lunch break? Or could you finish at 16:00 (so only working 3 hours)

spark_tank · 16-08-2023 1:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120984970#Comment_120984970

In my experience yes.

I've known people to take a half day and just work from 14:30 to 16:00. Of course the balance would be worked up on other days.

Hotblack Desiato · 17-08-2023 2:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120984970#Comment_120984970

Yes of course.

Whether you're working a full day or a half day it's the same. The earliest you can clock in for the afternoon is 13:00 (which implies a 12:30 - 13:00 lunch if you're working that morning). The latest you can clock out at the end of the 'morning' is 14:00 (which implies a 14:00 - 14:30 lunch if you're working that afternoon).

If you really wanted to you could (subject to work requirements) take a half day and work 1.5 hours in the afternoon 14:30 - 16:00 but of course you would be down 2 hours on the clock. Similarly you could do 10:00 - 12:30 and take the afternoon off but you'd be 1 hour down.

Some flexi systems might generate infringements if you clock out too late in the morning / too early in the afternoon but ours (and others I've been on in the past) don't, you just lose the time. e.g. If I clock out at 14:15 and back in at 14:16 it takes away 29 minutes to bring it to the minimum 30 minute lunch. If I don't clock out at all at lunch time it deducts the maximum 2 hour lunch.

Civil Service Flexitime

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