Many people who do not want to do a job because of having to follow a fixed schedule, often drive toward business. It is easy to peg people, who do not want to work set hours, as lazy, but that is often not the case.
A lot of people don’t shy from working for long hours. Businesses, start-ups, contracts – all need more hours put in than your typical 9-to-5. The 9-to-5 schedule is one of the reasons why many people simply hate their jobs.
Having a set workday means you have to schedule everything accordingly. Many workplaces aren’t flexible even for an hour, and this can leave a bad taste for the employee. Life is unpredictable, and there are things that crop up regardless of whether you have to go to work or not.
Not only is it an issue with managing your priorities. It also makes it difficult for some people to give their best, considering their most productive hours aren’t within the range of the typical office timing.
Some people perform their best and are the most productive at 10 PM in the evening, and others like to sleep in the afternoon, while some people simply want to pick up their children after school during the day or take them to their practices and appointments.
This is often more of an issue for people with families because the 9-to-5 schedule is simply too rigid.
Giving your employees flexibility will help bring more productivity in your work culture. Letting them choose their work timings can give a boost to your employees. They can choose to work in their productive hours and also manage their responsibilities better.
Flexibility in Inflexibility
I know there are certain tasks that need to be done in teams, and a flexible schedule won’t work. If that is the case, you can still play around with the start and end timings of the shift. Instead of telling your employees to come in at 9, give them a window, say anywhere from 8 AM to 11 AM. This makes it easier for people to schedule things and also work when they are the most productive.
One of my friends has to travel to reach his workplace. If there is no traffic, he can reach his office in 40-50 minutes. But during rush hours it takes him 2 hours. That is 2 hours down the drain, and he comes in already tired and frustrated. If he has the window, then instead of heading out at 9 to reach his office at 11, he can leave his place at 7, beat the traffic, and reach at 8. Fresh and ready to tackle the day.
This also makes the employees feel like the company cares for them. And when they feel taken care of, they reciprocate, and in turn, will do more for the company. It’s truly a give-and-take relationship that many employers fail to see. Yes, they get salaries, but the human touch makes them actually want to do the work, not just because they have to.
Final Thoughts
Try to inculcate flexible work hours in your workplace. If it isn’t possible for your work environment, then bring in effect a start window so that people can come at any time between the hours and be more productive.
