Having a job isn’t about being at work, it’s about doing a productive work. Bosses should be able to be honest with themselves about work time in order to maximize input and output. The question they should ask themselves is, what are we paying Employees for, Presence or Productivity, long hours or productivity?
I believe this question should be uppermost in every Employers mind. The society has already set down a presumably standard work time per day. Most workers work from 8am - 4pm/5pm or thereabout. The question that begs for answer is, 'Is this the most productive work pattern? I personally think it is not. This is paramount reason I myself started aiming to be self employed.
It is surely different for an employee whose duties flow continuously through out the work hours. Such an employee is occupied through out his work time and may not have time to waste off, though his exhaustion is another issue. Where generally, one has to sit in an Office because your employer expects you to sit on your chair even when you don't have any work to do, it kills productivity. It leads to a situation where one stops working for productivity and impact and starts working only to earn his Salary. It kills innovation and zeal.
The truth is that some worker may have to just sit in the office from 8 am to 4 pm for a straight one week without having any jobs to execute. The employee may have to turn to Facebook and other social media in order to keep himself busy for the long hours he has to while away. If not that, he may turn to office gossip or many other negative and unproductive activities because he MUST SIT ON HIS CHAIR. This unproductiveness surely breeds corruption and some other ills.
It is a given that for any Business or institution to thrive, it must maximize its output. Since there is no outstanding output without an outstanding input, why shouldn't Flexible working be practiced by all. Flexible working has been defined as simply referring to any working schedule that is outside of a normal working pattern. This means that the working hours, instead of being repetitive and fixed can involve changes and variations. Flexible working is not about doing less, it is about working smarter.
Flexible working is actually believed by some to lead to increased productivity. It also necessary for employees whose jobs are too demanding. Under the Economics Law of diminishing returns, putting in regular 12-hour stints may not be the most efficient way of doing things. This dwindles the input and output of Organizations. It also stresses out workers and somtimes leads to health problems not to mention the loss of profit.
I am of the strong opinion that there is need for change in the standard work time. What do you think?
