A week long affair…

A SIX-DAY WEEK IS PASSE, AS MORE AND MORE ORGANISATIONS ACROSS INDIA INC. STRIVE TO HELP THEIR EMPLOYEES STRIKE A WORK-LIFE BALANCE WITH A 5-DAY WEEK, FINDS OUT RAMIYA BHAS
The five day battle… While many organisations are now catching up with the trend of allowing their employees to work for five days a week, there are still some that feel that bringing the week down to 5-days brings down employee productivity. “We follow the five day week and prefer it that way. We focus on higher employee productivity and efficiency, than hours spent doing a particular job,” says Mona Gupta, Senior Manager-HR, Cincom Systems, India. Kaushal Mashruwala, Managing Director, Savvion India, concurs with Gupta and adds that they allow their employees to pick a day, on which they can telecommute and work from home. Organisations that have followed this norm swear by its efficacy, and say they prefer it this way as they want their employees to get the much deserved break from the hectic work routine. “The five day work week gives employees the necessary break from a demanding work environment and thus is a bigger draw when compared to a six-day work week. We recognise and appreciate the importance of work-life balance and thus we prefer the Monday - Friday work cycle. Though this concept was once more acceptable in the old economy, it has become a point of controversy now. This is largely because IT companies which follow the new people driven economy believe in investing in the well being of their employees and work life balance has become a critical complement to the success of professionals at the work place,” concurs Anita Venugopal, VP, HR, SAP Labs India. However, Venugopal and most industry experts say that if there is a need to finish an assignment on a short deadline, they encourage their employees to come in on the weekends and complete the desired assignment. “Many professionals sometimes come into work on Saturdays despite company policy, to complete pending assignments amongst others,” she explains. Productivity matters The most important thing for an organisation to be successful is to meet the desired results. However, organisations have realised that though work is important, so are the employees and that their personal lives should not be hampered by excessive work. To help their employees get this work life balance, organisations have lesser working days. Does working only five days a week hamper the productivity and the outcome of an employee? While many think so, experts say that this thought is irrelevant and only a mindset as work gets done at its own time. “Productivity requires good planning and time management skills. If people set longer timelines to complete work, they tend to stretch. When there is lesser time, the same work can get done sooner also,” explains Gupta. Mashruwala adds, “In the IT industry, productivity is state of mind while you are working. You can’t have better productivity, given the circumstances, with six-days working over a long period of time. Of course, there are project deadlines and to meet them employees do have to put in that extra effort on short term basis.” Gupta further adds, “Work and productivity depends on business requirement and planning. If there is a sudden situation that demands that switch, it should be done. If it is a practice, set as a result of trying to do things in a rush, at the last minute, due to inadequate planning, it only stresses employees. That, in any case, reduces productivity.” Venugopal adds to this and says that many IT companies across the globe work only on weekdays as they find it mutually beneficial for them as no business takes place during the weekends. She also adds, “It’s better not to keep on switching between five - six working days. Rather than doing so, they can keep a five-day week constant and pitch for benefits on coming into work on weekends. Our experience with employees is that they are responsible enough when it comes to coming in on weekends if they need to work, without being forced to by company policies.” For the employees While many organisations believe in taking different stands, for employees it’s a whole different ball game. Experts say that most employees prefer choosing an employer who gives them those two days of leave as compared to just having the Sunday off. They say that it helps the employees to strike a work-life balance and spend some time with their families and their wards. “We no longer have jobs that are typically nine to five. Due to global set ups and different working zones, the whole week, irrespective of what time the office gets over, people tend to carry their work with them. That gives them hardly any time for themselves/ families on week days,” explains Gupta. “Employees have strong family commitment with parents or children. A 6-day working model takes a toll on family’s emotional and relational wellbeing. The new people driven economy offers far more options to balance work and home life. It is time that employers take advantage of these flexible options while re-establishing a healthy balance in employees’ personal and professional life,” adds Venugopal. Mashruwala adds to this and says that five days of work put in by an individual with a relaxed mind is more productive than six days of work put in by an exhausted mind. And time away on the weekend gives the employees a chance to have time to pursue other interests. Employees feel more relaxed and when a new week begins, they come in refreshed and energetic. In the end, experts contend that with a five-day week organisations add more value to the employees’ life. While, it is a matter of company policy, in this day and age of people centric organisations, HR managers need to grab every opportunity to make Monday mornings something to look forward to.



POSTED BY: PALLAVI SINGH

PGDM 3 SEM 'B'