What is a flexible job? Read about flexible job rules and salary conditions

Flexible job

A flexible job gives citizens with a reduced ability to work, a chance to become part of the labour market.

In this article, we will answer a number of key questions that can make you more knowledgeable about the following topics:

• What a flexible job entails
• Which rules apply before you can get a flexible job
• Which flexi-job rules employers must be aware of
• What a flexi-job employee gets paid in salary

What is a flexible job?

A flexible job is a work opportunity for citizens who, due to a permanent and considerably reduced ability to work, cannot acquire or maintain employment under normal working conditions.

Flexi-jobs can be offered in both private and public companies, where the individual employee's working abilities are taken into account, for example the employee can work reduced hours with corresponding physical or psychological considerations. In this way, elements such as work pace, work tasks, breaks and working hours are taken into account. The working day is thus tailored to the employee's working abilities.

In addition, it should be noted that on 1 January 2013 new flexible job rules were introduced. This means that different rules apply to employees with flexible jobs, depending on whether the employee was in a flexible job before or after 1 January 2013.

A flexi-jobber cannot typically be required to work overtime, as the employee has previously received an assessment of how many hours they can work on a daily basis. However, it is possible to rearrange your hours to a different distribution in specific cases, e.g. in connection with staff meetings and courses.

You now have a better understanding of what a flexible job entails. Therefore, in the next section, we will review who can get a flexible job.

What rules apply before you can get a flexible job?

It is the municipality that decides whether a person is to be employed in a flexible job position. In addition, the municipality also contributes with wages to the flexi job employee. The following requirements must be met before a citizen can be approved for a flexible job. The person:

• Is below retirement age
• No early retirement pension is paid
• Has a permanent and considerable reduced ability to work, which means that the person is unable to work under normal working conditions
• Have tested all relevant job offers before the person is employed flexibly

Which flexi-job rules must an employer be aware of?

An employer must be aware that it is legally required to adapt the work to the employee if the employee needs this, regardless of whether it is an ordinary employee or a flexi-jobber with a reduced ability to work.

This is written in the Discrimination Act.

If one of your employees has a disability, you must ensure that you adapt the daily work routines in an appropriate way, so the employee can perform the tasks in the best way despite their disability. Furthermore, it is generally not permitted to dismiss an employee with a disability because of the person's need for adapted work routines. However, it is possible to dismiss the employee if the adjustments are sufficiently problematic for the company.

It is also worth mentioning that the employer only pays for the work the employee performs. In other words, this means that you pay for the effective working time. The municipality will supplement the paid salary with a flexible salary subsidy.

What does a flexible employee earn?

The salary level for a flexible job employee is determined by whether the person is employed in a flexible job before or after 1 January 2013, when the new flexible job rules came into force.

If the employee is employed after 1 January 2013, the person will be paid wages for the actual work effort. This means that the flexi-job employee is paid for efficiency and not for the number of hours the employee is at the workplace. It is the job centre's responsibility to assess the employee's ability to work in a flexible job. This assessment establishes the basis for the agreement between the employee and the employer.

We have listed 2 examples below:

• Example 1: The job centre estimates that Janus can work 20 hours a week with an intensity of 100%. Therefore, Janus is paid for 20 hours of work per week
• Example 2: The job centre estimates that Emma can work 30 hours a week, but with an intensity of 50%, as she needs rest breaks during the working day. Thus, Emma is paid for 15 hours of work per week

In addition, the flexi-job employee also receives a subsidy from the municipality. However, the amount is adjusted based on the employee's wage income from the workplace.

A flexi-job employee who was employed before 1 January 2013, on the other hand, receives a salary according to the collective agreement and the working conditions are defined in cooperation with the trade unions. In addition, the company receives a public subsidy, which is the equivalent of half or two-thirds of the minimum wage according to the collective agreement. The grant also depends on the employee's ability to work and is taken up for reassessment on an ongoing basis.

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