Although not an entirely new idea, U.S. retailer Best Buy is probably the largest employer ever to attempt the large-scale introduction of completely flexible working patterns.
At the Minneapolis headquarters of Best Buy, an electronics retailer, almost 2,000 employees are allowed to turn up for work when they like — as long as their jobs get done.
The introduction of what Best Buy calls a "results oriented work environment" was partly intended to reverse a trend among valued female employees who were opting for part-time jobs as more compatible with family life. It is also aimed at cutting the worker stress and executive burnout that are increasingly troubling US corporations.