Beyond Just “Free Time”—Designing Effective and Lasting Slack Time Programs in Organizations

Employee slack time programs aim to provide workers with pockets of unscheduled time to pursue innovative ideas, yet their efficacy varies greatly across organizations. This qualitative study explores optimal slack time program conditions. Rather than the traditional view of slack time as unstructured “free time,” the study findings reveal slack time outcomes depend on aligning (1) willing and able individuals through self-selection; (2) a supportive organization that provides management buy-in, psychological safety, mentorship, and appropriate evaluation mechanisms; and (3) a process that serves as a guide and includes a workflow, simple forms, and required interactions with peers and management. We propose a framework that integrates these individual, organizational, and process components.