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What Is Flexible Work?

Flexible work is arrangements that give employees choice over when, where or how they work.

An educational definition from the HR glossary. Explore related terms below, or jump into the resource center to go deeper.

Definition

Flexible work is arrangements that give employees choice over when, where or how they work.

Why it matters

It supports wellbeing and can widen the talent pool when managed fairly.

Examples

Illustrative example. Flexible hours or location options are forms of flexible work.

For the practical detail behind this term, follow the related metric, template and resources below.

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For informational purposes only. This is an educational, plain-language definition — not legal, tax, financial or compliance advice and not an official definition. Terms and obligations vary by organisation and jurisdiction. Numeric examples are simple, placeholder-based illustrations, not data. Confirm specifics with qualified professionals.
Related concepts

Related glossary terms

Keep exploring the HR vocabulary.

Glossary

Remote Work

Remote work is working away from a central office, often from home or anywhere.

Open Glossary

Hybrid Work

Hybrid work is splitting time between an office and remote work.

Open Glossary

Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is the degree to which people can manage work alongside the rest of their lives.

Open
Measure it

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HR metric

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Put it into practice

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Go deeper

Related resources

The clusters that put this concept into practice.

Lifecycle

Employee lifecycle

The full employee journey, stage by stage.

Open Operations

Employer operations

Run the workforce as a repeatable system.

Open Planning

Workforce planning

Strategy and organizational design.

Open Compliance

HR compliance

Documentation, records, data and policy.

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HR technology

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Recruitment funnel

Sourcing through to accepted offer.

Open Reporting

HR reporting & dashboards

Turn people data into clear views.

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AI for HR

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HR resource center

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is Flexible Work?

Flexible work is arrangements that give employees choice over when, where or how they work.

Why does Flexible Work matter?

It supports wellbeing and can widen the talent pool when managed fairly.

How is Flexible Work measured?

It connects to the HR metric linked on this page, where you can find the formula and how to read it. This glossary entry is an educational definition, not a data source.