The main purpose of flexible working hours is to provide a more flexible system of attendance for staff. The total number of hours staff are expected to work is the same as it would be for fixed time working. The difference lies in the fact that individuals on flexitime may vary their times of arrival and departure and also the times and length of their lunch break. It can also mean that if enough hours are worked up, flexi-leave can be taken. However, flexi time must operate within the confines of a work environment and cannot reduce the overall efficiency of the workplace or the service it provides to the public. The operation of a flexitime system has to be subject to work requirements. In general, there are flexible bands where staff may vary arrival/departure time and core hours of attendance where staff must be in attendance. For example, the morning flexible band might stretch from 8:00 to 10:00am, from 12:00 to 2:00pm for lunchtime and from 4:00 to 6:00pm for departure time. In this situation, the core hours are 10:00 to 12:00 and from 2:00 to 4:00. Staff can arrive at any time within these bands. Over a set 'accounting period', generally four weeks, a minimum amount of hours must be worked (generally 139 hours for full-time workers and 69.5 hours for job sharers).

Job Sharing is an arrangement to divide one full-time job or to share work between two people with the responsibilities and benefits of the job being shared between them. The job can be shared in a number of ways for example: on the basis of a split week; (e.g. 2 and 3 day weeks); on the basis of a split day or on the basis of week on, week off. Good management and communication are essential to effective job-sharing and this can be assisted where the job-sharers can build and operate close working relations. Similar to this is Job Splitting, an arrangement that involves splitting the tasks of a full time job between two people where each has responsibility for their own tasks rather than being equally responsible for the whole job. The need for co-ordination is, therefore, reduced. An advantage of job splitting is that a job can be split in such a way that certain tasks requiring particular skills can be grouped together. In addition, in certain situations the working times of those who have split a job can also overlap. More recently, the concept of Work Sharing has emerged. This is a development of the job sharing/job splitting concept which attempts to achieve business tasks while allowing for a wider range of attendance patterns. This arrangement requires a high level of employer/employee co-operation with a view to achieving the tasks that make up the job. It is important that the tasks are clearly defined, targets identified and the level of service decided upon before the workload is divided up. At this stage the manager and jobholders can agree on a system of work attendance to complete the work that best accommodates the staff. Part-time working basically means working fewer hours than a comparable full-time worker in the same organisation. There are various forms of part-time working: Fixed part-time working: This is the most popular model. The employee works a reduced number of hours per day, or fewer days per week or even alternate weeks. This system is easy to understand and easy to manage. Voluntary Reduced work-time: This is a scheme whereby an employee is allowed to reduce working time for a limited period with a right to return to full-time work.

The annualised hours scheme means that an employee is contracted to work a defined number of hours per year rather than per week. Working time can be scheduled to deal with seasonal variations and fluctuations in the demands of the business throughout the year - for example an employee may work longer hours at one time of the year and shorter hours at another.

4 . Do I need a work partner to job share?

This will depend on the individual company policy. In some companies you are required to provide a work partner, in others you are not.

5 . Is job-sharing/work sharing always half my job?

Job sharing is generally accepted as an arrangement whereby two people voluntarily share the responsibilities and rewards of one full-time job. While in theory a job could be divided in a different way other than into two halves, this is not common. Work sharing on the other hand, can mean a number of different things - there is no specific type of arrangement associated with this concept.

6 . What is term time working?

Term Time leave, currently available in the Civil Service, is unpaid leave which is intended primarily as an additional facility to assist staff with young children to combine work and family responsibilities by enabling them to take up to 3 months (10 or 13 weeks) leave during the school summer holiday period. The scheme may also be available to employees who wish to avail of term time to provide care for incapacitated relatives aged over 18 years. Arising from a Government decision in 1997 in relation to the introduction of a range of new work attendance patterns in the public sector, this scheme was introduced. The Department of Social and Family Affairs volunteered to operate Term Time leave, on a pilot basis, in 1998. The scheme was designed by the Department, in consultation with the Department of Finance and the civil service unions, and the option was made available to about 1000 of the Department's staff in selected areas outside of Dublin. It is now available throughout the entire civil service, subject to the exigencies of the service. Participants may be given the option of having their annual basic salary spread in equal amounts over a 12 month period commencing in April, 1999. This can help to deal with the problems associated with advance planning of the family budget which is necessary for most people wishing to avail of three months leave without pay.