May be agreed either unpaid or paid with salary re-calculated to take account of extra leave. Additional leave may also be agreed as part of an annual hours arrangement

This is a system whereby the hours which an employee is contracted to work are calculated over a whole year. Usually the annual hours are split into two parts. The larger part consists of set shifts with the remaining shifts unallocated. Usually the employee is paid for unallocated shifts and owes time to the employer. The employer keeps these hours in reserve and can call on the employee to work at short notice as demand dictates

Employers can offer unpaid breaks to their employees with a guarantee that they will be able to return to work at the end of the agreed period. This can include paternity/maternity leave, sabbaticals, breaks for further training

Help employees to find childcare, offer workplace childcare facilities, childcare vouchers

Allows employees to work their total number of hours over a shorter number of working days. Often a five day working week is compressed into four days

Enables Employees to care for an ill, elderly or disabled relative by involving an individually tailored work pattern

Provides employees with flexible starting and finishing time. Staff can arrange their daily hours to suit their own circumstances within certain limits outside agreed core times. This may be planned to enable individuals to attend to domestic or other responsibilities

Two people carrying out the duties of a post which would normally be done by one person. This may involve working a set number of hours each day, each week or alternate weeks

Has no set pattern. This may involve a later start and earlier finish time than a full-time position, working mornings or afternoons only, fewer working days in the week or any other agreements on working time whereas the employee is contracted to work less than normal basic full-time hours.

Employers may use this to cover long opening hours by giving employees different start, finish and break times

Allows employees to nominate the shifts which they would like to work leaving employers to compile shift patterns which match the individual preferences of staff to agreed staffing levels

With the proviso that the required shifts must be covered, employees are enabled to negotiate their working times by re-arranging shifts amongst themselves

Employees take paid or unpaid leave during school holidays whilst remaining on an either full-time or part-time permanent contract

Employees liaise with managers to take time off at a mutually agreed time to make up for extra hours worked

Modern technology makes communication with office and customers possible by telephone, fax and e-mail from home or other remote locations.