The one about true flexible schedules

A while back, I wrote about my experience working remotely. I mentioned that, having seen the advantages of this way of working, today I would not consider accepting office-based or mandatory hybrid work models.

But that's not all. As I see it, the perfect combination is fully remote work with true flexible hours. More on this below.

In my first job in Madrid, I worked from 9 to 7 for a year, with a 2-hour lunch break. Totally incomprehensible, considering I had my food already prepared and just had to heat it up in the microwave. 20 minutes was more than enough time; the rest was a complete waste of time.

Furthermore, during this time of year, with the winter schedule, I essentially did not see the light of day during workdays.

After the first year, the schedule changed to 9 to 6, with a 1-hour lunch break. A considerable improvement, but essentially, I still felt like I was wasting much more time than necessary.

Regardless of how productive I was being on any given day, I had to be warming the chair in the office whether I wanted to or not until quitting time.

Of course, I still missed being able to see the light of day for longer, because with the winter schedule, it gets dark shortly after 6 PM in this part of the world.

Little is said about the effect of sunlight on mood, which can even lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

The situation I am describing is known as presenteeism, although it must be clarified that this term can refer to both virtual and physical presence.

By expecting you to always be available, a pressure is generated that can cause burnout in team members and make their productivity drop, achieving exactly the opposite of what is intended with that culture of control.

Unfortunately, this situation is widespread in the software industry. It has been normalized to such an extent that it is common to find job offers selling the idea of fake flexible hours.

For example, Manfred, a Spanish company that takes improving job offers and recruitment processes seriously, sells that idea in many of its offers (this one available only in Spanish) when the company publishing the offer simply offers slight flexibility to start, but the workday remains rigid.

Certainly, that is better than having no flexibility at all. It may even be enough for people who, for instance, have to take their children to school.

However, true schedule flexibility comes when the company understands that with a culture of objectives (as opposed to the culture of control I mentioned earlier), the norm is to achieve better results and reduce burnout.

Of course, enjoying that privilege implies some obligations on your part:

• Demonstrate reliability, consistently delivering high-quality work on time to build the necessary trust.
• Adopt asynchronous and proactive communication with your manager and the rest of the team, so they know when you will be available and your progress on the task you are currently working on. This ensures the team remains unblocked even when you are not online.
• Be available during the team's core hours (e.g., from 10 am to 2 pm). This is usually a common requirement for companies, although my experience has always been that attending team meetings is sufficient.

If you meet those obligations, I see no reason not to have the freedom to work when you feel your productivity will be highest or when you need blocks of absolute concentration without interruptions; whether that is early in the morning or late at night. It is simply adapting to your natural peak performance hours, which may not be the same every day.

The point is that the company considers you a responsible person who knows how to organize themselves in the best possible way. The main consequence of enjoying a flexible schedule is having a better work-life balance and greater autonomy.

You might work only 5 hours one day and 11 the next. You might even decide to work during the weekend to make up for time you could not dedicate during the week or to get ahead on work because you know that during the following week, you will not be able to dedicate the necessary time.

Perhaps another day you cannot attend a meeting because you have a medical appointment or need to take a break for a few hours because you do not feel well; perhaps you have to go grocery shopping or feel like going out for lunch with friends who are visiting for a few days.

There may be many and varied reasons, but they all come down to the same thing: the freedom to manage your life while fulfilling your work duties.

In the end, it is not about working less, but working better. And you, are you still warming the seat?

Thank you for reading and see you in the next one!