The flex-time concept is allowing Jane Unterreiner to keep her skills as a nurse sharp and her busy home running smoothly.

When Unterreiner's home life changed a few years ago, she changed her work schedule to fit her personal needs.

Unterreiner, who has been a nurse at Southeast Missouri Hospital for 14 years, went from a day schedule to a weekends-only night schedule.

Under the weekend-option program at Southeast Missouri Hospital, Unterreiner and a number of other nurses work a two-day weekend schedule of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or vice-versa Saturdays and Sundays, and have free time the remainder of the week.

"This allows me time to do other things," said Unterreiner. "I started the weekend program when my youngest daughter, Rachael, was born. Since then, I have also managed to further my education."

The flex time is ideal for Unterreiner, her husband, Wayne, and children: Paul, 11, Sarah, 9, and Rachael, 6.

"It's a great option, especially in the summer months," she said. "It gives me more opportunity to be with the children, yet still contribute to the work force."

The arrangement is also a money-saving one, especially with baby sitting. Unterreiner said she cares for the children during the week and her husband takes over on weekends.

More and more companies are realizing the benefits of flex schedules.

"It's a good program for businesses and departments which operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day," said Karen Hendrickson, chief nursing officer at Southeast. "It not only benefits employees, but helps the hospital."

Cheryl Mothes, administrative director of patient care at St. Francis Medical Center, agreed.

"We have flexible schedules for a number of workers," said Mothes. "Our people love it."

Hendrickson and Mothes say that when the programs were instituted it was basically for nurses who wanted to return to school.

"We expected the majority of weekend workers to be those nurses who wanted to enroll at the university," said Hendrickson. "We found that although this was the case, it was also desirable for professionals who are mothers and want to be home with the children."

A recent national survey of 3,400 workers by the New York-based Families and Work Institute shows how important balancing home with work has become to workers. When asked under what circumstances they would sacrifice job advancement, 40 percent said they would do it for a flex-time work schedule.

"Today's society enjoys leisure time," said Mothes. "We offer a variety of work schedules."

At St. Francis, the weekend option calls for workers to work two 12-hour shifts -- one each Saturday and Sunday. Workers, in most cases, receive pay for 36 hours. Workers are asked to agree to the program for one year, with two weekends off.

"I've been on the weekend option schedule six years," said Southeast's Unterreiner.

Weekend option plans free other employees to work Mondays through Fridays.

"This is a big plus," said Mothes. "It makes it easier to find full-time people who don't want to have to work every other or every third weekend."

Two other surveys indicated how workers feel about flex hours. In a 1992 survey, workers listed regular hours -- no weekends, no nights -- as one of their top six wishes. And a Gallup Poll listed flexible hours as one of the top things workers wanted.

Other work options that have found favor with workers are rotating shifts and job sharing.

Rotating shifts are popular with some employees at Procter & Gamble Paper Products Co., which operates 24 hours a day.

A spokesman of the firm. said options include 12-hour rotating shift which works out to about 14 days a month instead of the regular 20; 10-hour shifts, four days a week; and the regular five-day, 8-hour shifts.

The 12-hour shift schedule is set up on a two-week basis. One rotation might find workers on the job from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, off Wednesday and Thursday and back Friday, Saturday and Sunday with 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shifts. Completing the two-week cycle, workers are off Monday and Tuesday, work Wednesday and Thursday, and get time off Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Many workers like the four-day, 10-hour shift, followed by three days off.

Job-sharing partners usually share a complete work week, each working two-and-a-half days a week. That is a popular concept at Hallmark Cards Inc. in Kansas City.

The job-sharing schedule is also flexible. In some cases a person may work three days one week and two the next, or even four days one week and one the next.