From an average of sixteen minutes each way in Corpus Christi, Texas, to more than thirty-eight minutes in New York City, American employees spend a lot of time traveling to and from work. Those thirty-eight New York minutes add up to more than 300 hours a year navigating traffic. As a way of reducing traffic and traffic-related pollution, many state and local governments began offering incentives to employers who encouraged their employees to work alternate shifts that let them commute during less busy times — the birth of flextime. Though required to work a specific number of hours, employees choose which hours to spend in the workplace. Companies like flextime because it allows them to have the most employees working during their busiest times. Employees like flextime because it permits them to schedule work around other activities, such as children's school events.