Hi Seniors,
I am Jayashree, an HR executive, and I am facing a problem in my company. Many of our employees stay back late beyond office hours to complete their work. While staying back occasionally is understandable, staying back late every day has become an issue - performance decreases, stress levels are high, etc. The worst that has happened is that employees here have a misconception that if they leave on time, they would be considered under-performers.
Please let me know what measures can be taken to change this. Also, please help me with drafting a policy for leaving on time. What points should I include in the policy?
Looking forward to your help.
Cheers,
Jayashree
From India, Bangalore
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I am Jayashree, an HR executive, and I am facing a problem in my company. Many of our employees stay back late beyond office hours to complete their work. While staying back occasionally is understandable, staying back late every day has become an issue - performance decreases, stress levels are high, etc. The worst that has happened is that employees here have a misconception that if they leave on time, they would be considered under-performers.
Please let me know what measures can be taken to change this. Also, please help me with drafting a policy for leaving on time. What points should I include in the policy?
Looking forward to your help.
Cheers,
Jayashree
From India, Bangalore
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Hi Jayashree,
You can call all the employees who are sitting late and tell them to stop this concept as it is disturbing other workforce. You may not be forcing them to stop from tomorrow as it is the only one force where you can have production rhythm. Moreover, you may require these late-sitting employees if the time comes for that. So, treat them in such a way that they should understand what HR wants to deliver.
Please establish a strong framework regarding this subject.
Regards,
Maruti G
Bangalore
From India, Bangalore
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1You can call all the employees who are sitting late and tell them to stop this concept as it is disturbing other workforce. You may not be forcing them to stop from tomorrow as it is the only one force where you can have production rhythm. Moreover, you may require these late-sitting employees if the time comes for that. So, treat them in such a way that they should understand what HR wants to deliver.
Please establish a strong framework regarding this subject.
Regards,
Maruti G
Bangalore
From India, Bangalore
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Dear Jayashree,
Employees work late for a few reasons. These are:
(a) their boss likes it,
(b) working late is a part of the organization's culture,
(c) employees are loaded with extra work and it is just impossible to complete it within specified working hours,
(d) their organization promotes experiments of various kinds and to do these experiments, employees prefer working extra,
(e) the organization is too process-centric. In the bargain, the organization has become too bureaucratic,
(f) the organization depends on off-shore customers. These off-shore customers keep on calling at midnight also. To avoid their calls at home, employees prefer taking their calls at the office itself.
However, for reasons (b) and (c), you need to define the measures of productivity. As long as you do not define measures of productivity, we cannot make any conclusions.
As a curative measure, conduct a survey on why the employees work late. Find out which is the No. 1 reason for working late. Later, you can also open a meeting and ask them to provide a solution. You can also find out if this late sitting is because of Parkinson's Law.
Ok...
DVD
From India, Bangalore
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Employees work late for a few reasons. These are:
(a) their boss likes it,
(b) working late is a part of the organization's culture,
(c) employees are loaded with extra work and it is just impossible to complete it within specified working hours,
(d) their organization promotes experiments of various kinds and to do these experiments, employees prefer working extra,
(e) the organization is too process-centric. In the bargain, the organization has become too bureaucratic,
(f) the organization depends on off-shore customers. These off-shore customers keep on calling at midnight also. To avoid their calls at home, employees prefer taking their calls at the office itself.
However, for reasons (b) and (c), you need to define the measures of productivity. As long as you do not define measures of productivity, we cannot make any conclusions.
As a curative measure, conduct a survey on why the employees work late. Find out which is the No. 1 reason for working late. Later, you can also open a meeting and ask them to provide a solution. You can also find out if this late sitting is because of Parkinson's Law.
Ok...
DVD
From India, Bangalore
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Dear Dinesh,
Thanks so much for your inputs. I will conduct a survey to get more specific answers. However, based on the information gathered through the grapevine, it seems that managers themselves stay back late and work, leading to their team members also staying late. Furthermore, leaving on time is often perceived as underperformance, with comments like 'She leaves on time because she's jobless' circulating as rumors. What steps should I take to put a stop to these rumors?
Regards,
Jayashree
From India, Bangalore
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Thanks so much for your inputs. I will conduct a survey to get more specific answers. However, based on the information gathered through the grapevine, it seems that managers themselves stay back late and work, leading to their team members also staying late. Furthermore, leaving on time is often perceived as underperformance, with comments like 'She leaves on time because she's jobless' circulating as rumors. What steps should I take to put a stop to these rumors?
Regards,
Jayashree
From India, Bangalore
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You can just take a seminar on time management and how work can be efficiently done within the timeframe, so that everyone understands that the company does not entertain late sitting, but just good performance.
Best of luck, Jayshree!
Regards,
Neetu
From India, Kochi
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Best of luck, Jayshree!
Regards,
Neetu
From India, Kochi
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Dear Jayashree,
While replying to any post, please delete the comments of the previous poster from that post, lest these may be repeated unnecessarily. Please check your previous two replies in this thread.
Ok. Coming to the point, conduct a survey of the employees' attendance. Find out the following:
a) Total number of hours spent by all - as per office hours policy against actual hours spent by each employee.
b) Average hours per employee per day.
c) Which department has an above-average figure. Which department has a below-average figure.
d) Consumption of excess resources like electricity, water, etc., because of employees' late stay.
Show the above data to your MD or CEO. Obtain inputs from him/her and find out what he/she says.
If the MD/CEO agrees that people should leave on time, give a target to each HOD to reduce their excess working hours by at least 10%. See the result. Let the MD/CEO talk to the managers about unnecessary late sitting. Later, give the managers a target to reduce the excess hours by at least 10%.
Regarding grapevine, I have given my reply in my previous post. Your organization is a victim of Parkinson's Law. Your managers can change this situation.
Ok...
DVD
From India, Bangalore
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While replying to any post, please delete the comments of the previous poster from that post, lest these may be repeated unnecessarily. Please check your previous two replies in this thread.
Ok. Coming to the point, conduct a survey of the employees' attendance. Find out the following:
a) Total number of hours spent by all - as per office hours policy against actual hours spent by each employee.
b) Average hours per employee per day.
c) Which department has an above-average figure. Which department has a below-average figure.
d) Consumption of excess resources like electricity, water, etc., because of employees' late stay.
Show the above data to your MD or CEO. Obtain inputs from him/her and find out what he/she says.
If the MD/CEO agrees that people should leave on time, give a target to each HOD to reduce their excess working hours by at least 10%. See the result. Let the MD/CEO talk to the managers about unnecessary late sitting. Later, give the managers a target to reduce the excess hours by at least 10%.
Regarding grapevine, I have given my reply in my previous post. Your organization is a victim of Parkinson's Law. Your managers can change this situation.
Ok...
DVD
From India, Bangalore
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Dear HR,
This is a most common issue nowadays in many industries. Many people feel that working late hours gives them an extra edge or the so-called mileage over others. This is only a misconception and misleading thinking.
Every industry should have a monitoring system of activities, targets, and schedules given to employees (of course, depending on the nature of the industry and their business requirements). This kind of system will help industries recognize performers and non-performers.
Generally, people who prefer to sit late after office hours are falling under non-performers. Of course, with exceptions for rarely performers and semi-performers. Define their duties, goals, and fix time schedules. This will solve the issue to some extent.
Also, you can consider making a policy, but this will not help you much. Mainly, top management's commitment is required to tackle such issues in a professional way.
Thanks,
Dakshina Murty
Manager - HR
From India, Hyderabad
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This is a most common issue nowadays in many industries. Many people feel that working late hours gives them an extra edge or the so-called mileage over others. This is only a misconception and misleading thinking.
Every industry should have a monitoring system of activities, targets, and schedules given to employees (of course, depending on the nature of the industry and their business requirements). This kind of system will help industries recognize performers and non-performers.
Generally, people who prefer to sit late after office hours are falling under non-performers. Of course, with exceptions for rarely performers and semi-performers. Define their duties, goals, and fix time schedules. This will solve the issue to some extent.
Also, you can consider making a policy, but this will not help you much. Mainly, top management's commitment is required to tackle such issues in a professional way.
Thanks,
Dakshina Murty
Manager - HR
From India, Hyderabad
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Hi,
I am working in the automobile sector where late working is a normal trend in our company. One possible solution is to set the closing time of the office. After that time, nobody is allowed to work, similar to a school setting. Another approach is to create a list of employees who consistently work late. Review their Key Responsibility Areas (KRA) and job responsibilities, and ask them to create a timetable outlining their daily activities. Then, they can meet with their Head of Department (HOD) or immediate supervisor to discuss the minimum time required to complete their tasks.
The goal is to identify and rectify any inefficiencies that may be causing work to take longer than necessary. Simplifying and streamlining the work processes can make tasks easier and shorter for everyone involved.
From India, Bhopal
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I am working in the automobile sector where late working is a normal trend in our company. One possible solution is to set the closing time of the office. After that time, nobody is allowed to work, similar to a school setting. Another approach is to create a list of employees who consistently work late. Review their Key Responsibility Areas (KRA) and job responsibilities, and ask them to create a timetable outlining their daily activities. Then, they can meet with their Head of Department (HOD) or immediate supervisor to discuss the minimum time required to complete their tasks.
The goal is to identify and rectify any inefficiencies that may be causing work to take longer than necessary. Simplifying and streamlining the work processes can make tasks easier and shorter for everyone involved.
From India, Bhopal
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In my opinion, sitting late in the office depends on their work, which means the production of work only. Otherwise, ask employees to stop the late sitting concept. Generally, employees who sit late will do less work and spend time leisurely.
From India, Hyderabad
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From India, Hyderabad
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Hi,
I have faced the same problem in one of my previous experiences, and this is what I did: Firstly, I listed down all the names of the individuals along with their department names who regularly stay late. I collected the data for one month and presented it in the monthly senior management meeting in the presence of the COO and CEO. After that, I made the managers responsible to come up with justifications for staying late, and slowly the late stays reduced. After 3 months, when the late staying reduced to a very low level, I also implemented a rule that since the office closes at 06:30 p.m., all lights and AC will be switched off at 07:30 p.m., thus forcing people to leave by 07:30 p.m. It worked for me.
C. VENKATARAMANAN
From India, Bangalore
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I have faced the same problem in one of my previous experiences, and this is what I did: Firstly, I listed down all the names of the individuals along with their department names who regularly stay late. I collected the data for one month and presented it in the monthly senior management meeting in the presence of the COO and CEO. After that, I made the managers responsible to come up with justifications for staying late, and slowly the late stays reduced. After 3 months, when the late staying reduced to a very low level, I also implemented a rule that since the office closes at 06:30 p.m., all lights and AC will be switched off at 07:30 p.m., thus forcing people to leave by 07:30 p.m. It worked for me.
C. VENKATARAMANAN
From India, Bangalore
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Dear Jayashree,
This is a common issue nowadays in many industries, but it shows the inefficiency of the staff who are working more than the designated office hours. The workload or targets should be set in a way that allows individuals to complete their tasks within the set time frame. If a person takes more time than necessary to complete a task, it indicates inefficiency in their work. They must address this issue and focus more on their work.
Thank you.
From India, Delhi
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This is a common issue nowadays in many industries, but it shows the inefficiency of the staff who are working more than the designated office hours. The workload or targets should be set in a way that allows individuals to complete their tasks within the set time frame. If a person takes more time than necessary to complete a task, it indicates inefficiency in their work. They must address this issue and focus more on their work.
Thank you.
From India, Delhi
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i would like to thank Mr.Dinesh Divekar for their inputs ,even i am facing the same problem in my organization .I am expecting that your inputs will help me out..........
From India, Yamunanagar
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From India, Yamunanagar
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Hi Jayashree,
Your problem is very genuine. I can share my way of overcoming this problem in one of the organizations where I worked, and I presume that you are adequately staffed.
1. Prepare a list of habitual late sitters.
2. Have a personal meeting with the employee along with his Manager. Examine and discuss the employee's routine workload.
3. Discuss the issue with Senior Managers/Functional Heads of your company. Request them to discourage late sitting in their departments. It should be very occasional, like at the time of annual stock-taking in the Stores Department or finalizing annual accounts in the Finance Department.
4. Also, examine if there is any cultural bias in your company that promotes/encourages late sitting.
5. Start the system of pre-permission to sit late. Anyone wanting to sit late must obtain prior permission from HR with reasons stated. Maximum allowed 3 times in a month.
Best, Jai.
From India
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Your problem is very genuine. I can share my way of overcoming this problem in one of the organizations where I worked, and I presume that you are adequately staffed.
1. Prepare a list of habitual late sitters.
2. Have a personal meeting with the employee along with his Manager. Examine and discuss the employee's routine workload.
3. Discuss the issue with Senior Managers/Functional Heads of your company. Request them to discourage late sitting in their departments. It should be very occasional, like at the time of annual stock-taking in the Stores Department or finalizing annual accounts in the Finance Department.
4. Also, examine if there is any cultural bias in your company that promotes/encourages late sitting.
5. Start the system of pre-permission to sit late. Anyone wanting to sit late must obtain prior permission from HR with reasons stated. Maximum allowed 3 times in a month.
Best, Jai.
From India
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Hi,
I think 8-9 hours are sufficient to complete the tasks planned for the day. Yes, once in a while, there may be a situation where one needs to stay late.
I think it is not appreciable that people get into the habit of sitting late. It will disturb their work-life balance as well.
I believe you have to approach managers to make them understand that they should encourage people to leave on time.
From India, New Delhi
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I think 8-9 hours are sufficient to complete the tasks planned for the day. Yes, once in a while, there may be a situation where one needs to stay late.
I think it is not appreciable that people get into the habit of sitting late. It will disturb their work-life balance as well.
I believe you have to approach managers to make them understand that they should encourage people to leave on time.
From India, New Delhi
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Dear Jaya,
I am in favor of Ravishankar. If you are facing this type of problem, then you have to find out the reason behind these activities:
1. Why do employees stay late?
2. Why do their superiors also stay late?
3. How many people believe in the show-off policy, meaning they just show workload?
4. You have to do manpower planning in your own way. For example, in my office, the timing is from 9 to 6. What schedule are most people following?
9 to 10 - Check mail
10 to 10:30 - General meeting
10:30 to 11:00 - Tea break
11:00 to 12:00 - Check mail again
12:00 to 1:00 - Discussion with colleagues
1:00 to 2:00 - Lunch
2:00 to 3:00 - Some paperwork
3:00 to 4:00 - Tea break and gossip
4:00 to 5:00 - Plant rounds
5:00 to 6:00 - Remember the pending work
6:00 onwards - Start pending work
I hope you understand what I am trying to convey. You have to find out the quantity of work with quality within a specific time period.
You need to discuss with all department heads to address and resolve the problem. You can conduct employee welfare counseling, time management programs, and employee feedback surveys.
Regards,
Amrish Singh Raghuwanshi
Email: amrishsingh@cumi.murugappa.com
Phone: 09755559064, 09827071872
From India, Bhopal
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I am in favor of Ravishankar. If you are facing this type of problem, then you have to find out the reason behind these activities:
1. Why do employees stay late?
2. Why do their superiors also stay late?
3. How many people believe in the show-off policy, meaning they just show workload?
4. You have to do manpower planning in your own way. For example, in my office, the timing is from 9 to 6. What schedule are most people following?
9 to 10 - Check mail
10 to 10:30 - General meeting
10:30 to 11:00 - Tea break
11:00 to 12:00 - Check mail again
12:00 to 1:00 - Discussion with colleagues
1:00 to 2:00 - Lunch
2:00 to 3:00 - Some paperwork
3:00 to 4:00 - Tea break and gossip
4:00 to 5:00 - Plant rounds
5:00 to 6:00 - Remember the pending work
6:00 onwards - Start pending work
I hope you understand what I am trying to convey. You have to find out the quantity of work with quality within a specific time period.
You need to discuss with all department heads to address and resolve the problem. You can conduct employee welfare counseling, time management programs, and employee feedback surveys.
Regards,
Amrish Singh Raghuwanshi
Email: amrishsingh@cumi.murugappa.com
Phone: 09755559064, 09827071872
From India, Bhopal
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Hi,
In my organization, the managers walk in late and sit back late. Initially, we did not deduct the salary, but last month we deducted their salary for coming late, and they were upset, quoting that they stay late. We are working on it. We, being in the travel industry, cannot really pull them out on time, but some discretion is necessary. I feel we should meet the teams, understand their issues, and work out customized solutions, like flexi-time, two shifts, etc.
Comments, please...
From India, Mumbai
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In my organization, the managers walk in late and sit back late. Initially, we did not deduct the salary, but last month we deducted their salary for coming late, and they were upset, quoting that they stay late. We are working on it. We, being in the travel industry, cannot really pull them out on time, but some discretion is necessary. I feel we should meet the teams, understand their issues, and work out customized solutions, like flexi-time, two shifts, etc.
Comments, please...
From India, Mumbai
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You need to analyze the reasons for late working and then formulate a suitable policy to control it. Maybe answers to the following questions will help you:
• Is it a culture of your company to work late?
• Is late working beyond 8 hours a perennial or occasional phenomenon?
• Is late working specific only to some departments/bosses or throughout the organization?
• Do all employees have a full 8 hours of work to do? Is work well distributed among all available resources, or are there some who have to slog while others enjoy?
• Is there a practice of whiling away time in the morning and noon and starting real work in the evening?
• Do your employees report to work on time in the morning, or do they report late on the pretext of working late the night before?
• What is the reaction of bosses in case someone finishes work and leaves at 6 pm?
• Are you short of manpower?
• Is your workforce inefficient/slow in working?
• Are there any direct or indirect benefits of working late? (Direct Benefit – Overtime Payment, Indirect Benefit – Better Increments, Better growth, More responsibility, etc.)
• Is an employee working late considered efficient and a performer by management, or is an employee leaving at 6 but who has finished their work considered efficient and a performer?
In conclusion, the employer should encourage punctuality, timeliness, and completion of work and not merely staying late. Perhaps the employer can allow employees to leave the office early if they have finished the jobs at hand satisfactorily.
From India, Pune
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• Is it a culture of your company to work late?
• Is late working beyond 8 hours a perennial or occasional phenomenon?
• Is late working specific only to some departments/bosses or throughout the organization?
• Do all employees have a full 8 hours of work to do? Is work well distributed among all available resources, or are there some who have to slog while others enjoy?
• Is there a practice of whiling away time in the morning and noon and starting real work in the evening?
• Do your employees report to work on time in the morning, or do they report late on the pretext of working late the night before?
• What is the reaction of bosses in case someone finishes work and leaves at 6 pm?
• Are you short of manpower?
• Is your workforce inefficient/slow in working?
• Are there any direct or indirect benefits of working late? (Direct Benefit – Overtime Payment, Indirect Benefit – Better Increments, Better growth, More responsibility, etc.)
• Is an employee working late considered efficient and a performer by management, or is an employee leaving at 6 but who has finished their work considered efficient and a performer?
In conclusion, the employer should encourage punctuality, timeliness, and completion of work and not merely staying late. Perhaps the employer can allow employees to leave the office early if they have finished the jobs at hand satisfactorily.
From India, Pune
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Hi, dear,
I read; it's a very simple method for controlling all employees through the punch card time system. If any person comes late from the designated in-time, their salary should be deducted as per the HR policy. Therefore, the first step is to arrange a finger punch card error-proof system. This system is the only one needed for controlling all employees; it's the real practical method. Please incorporate a 5-minute tolerance for the in-time, for example, if the duty start time is 9 am, then the tolerance is until 9.05 am.
Gupta
From Saudi Arabia, Jiddah
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I read; it's a very simple method for controlling all employees through the punch card time system. If any person comes late from the designated in-time, their salary should be deducted as per the HR policy. Therefore, the first step is to arrange a finger punch card error-proof system. This system is the only one needed for controlling all employees; it's the real practical method. Please incorporate a 5-minute tolerance for the in-time, for example, if the duty start time is 9 am, then the tolerance is until 9.05 am.
Gupta
From Saudi Arabia, Jiddah
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Simple methodology: Assign tasks to employees and set a deadline before the office's closing hours. If an employee fails to complete the assignment on time, address the issue directly. This approach eliminates any reason for them to stay beyond their working hours.
Secondly, consider reducing the number of air conditioners for efficiency. Additionally, switch off the entire A/C system after a specific period. Similarly, manage telephone connections effectively.
Ensure that employees understand the expectations clearly and provide support to help them meet deadlines efficiently. Effective communication and task management are key to a productive work environment.
From India, Tiruchchirappalli
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Secondly, consider reducing the number of air conditioners for efficiency. Additionally, switch off the entire A/C system after a specific period. Similarly, manage telephone connections effectively.
Ensure that employees understand the expectations clearly and provide support to help them meet deadlines efficiently. Effective communication and task management are key to a productive work environment.
From India, Tiruchchirappalli
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The very first thing you should do is meet the manager of the employees who extends their shift time. It is very important to understand if they are genuinely extending the shift or just to show the managers that they are working late. It is also their manager's duty to keep an eye on his/her team members. Once you understand the real situation then only you can come to a conclusion/solutions.
Like someone replied that there are many reasons for one to extend the shift. Unless you understand the real problem, coming to a conclusion will be harmful. What if a person is really overburdened, and if he is sincere and you come up with something thinking that people are unnecessarily wasting time, then it may hurt the person who really works hard. Though this practice must be under control, the best input to resolve or to arrive at a decision can be given by the employee's manager. If employees are unable to manage their time, then you can give them advice or some useful suggestions.
From India
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Like someone replied that there are many reasons for one to extend the shift. Unless you understand the real problem, coming to a conclusion will be harmful. What if a person is really overburdened, and if he is sincere and you come up with something thinking that people are unnecessarily wasting time, then it may hurt the person who really works hard. Though this practice must be under control, the best input to resolve or to arrive at a decision can be given by the employee's manager. If employees are unable to manage their time, then you can give them advice or some useful suggestions.
From India
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You discuss with your management to provide OVERTIME pay for employees who stay beyond office hours and discuss the real situation. This will automatically change the perspective of every boss, making the team more productive and ensuring they do not return home late or end the day late.
Regards,
Vikram
From India, Madras
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Regards,
Vikram
From India, Madras
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Impose penalty upto Rs.500/- day for late sitters. This is being followed in one of the project sites of a reputed organisation.
From India, Lucknow
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From India, Lucknow
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Hi,
One more point - the company ends up spending more due to overheads because of people working beyond their hours. If possible, gather the data to substantiate this case and present it to upper management. Numbers speak much louder in these circles.
I feel a top-down approach is the only thing that will be effective here. Upper management must realize and drive this.
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One more point - the company ends up spending more due to overheads because of people working beyond their hours. If possible, gather the data to substantiate this case and present it to upper management. Numbers speak much louder in these circles.
I feel a top-down approach is the only thing that will be effective here. Upper management must realize and drive this.
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First of all, observe that the employees who are working late are coming on time the next day morning. If not, ask them to come on time in the morning rather than working late. Make the employees understand they have a family back at home; in times of necessity, only family will support them and not the boss. Finally, a person who cannot manage their own family, how will they manage their work?
Dear Jayashree,
While replying to any post, please delete the comments of the previous poster from that post, lest these may get repeated unnecessarily. Please check your previous two replies in this thread.
Ok. Coming to the point. Conduct a survey of the employees' attendance. Find out the following:
a) Total number of hours spent by all - as per office hours policy against actual hours spent by each employee
b) Average hours per employee per day
c) Which department has an above-average figure. Which department has a below-average figure.
d) Consumption of excess resources like electricity, water, etc., because of employees' late stay.
Show the above data to your MD or CEO. Obtain inputs from him/her and find out what he/she says. If the MD/CEO suggests that people should leave on time, give a target to each HOD to reduce their excess working hours by at least 10%. See the result. Let the MD/CEO talk to the managers about unnecessary late sitting. Later, give the managers a target to reduce the excess hours by at least 10%.
Regarding the grapevine, I have given my reply in my previous post. Your organization is a victim of Parkinson's Law. Your managers can change this situation.
Ok...
DVD
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Dear Jayashree,
While replying to any post, please delete the comments of the previous poster from that post, lest these may get repeated unnecessarily. Please check your previous two replies in this thread.
Ok. Coming to the point. Conduct a survey of the employees' attendance. Find out the following:
a) Total number of hours spent by all - as per office hours policy against actual hours spent by each employee
b) Average hours per employee per day
c) Which department has an above-average figure. Which department has a below-average figure.
d) Consumption of excess resources like electricity, water, etc., because of employees' late stay.
Show the above data to your MD or CEO. Obtain inputs from him/her and find out what he/she says. If the MD/CEO suggests that people should leave on time, give a target to each HOD to reduce their excess working hours by at least 10%. See the result. Let the MD/CEO talk to the managers about unnecessary late sitting. Later, give the managers a target to reduce the excess hours by at least 10%.
Regarding the grapevine, I have given my reply in my previous post. Your organization is a victim of Parkinson's Law. Your managers can change this situation.
Ok...
DVD
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First of all, work should be defined clearly to all. It should be assessed on the basis of an 8-hour work schedule. If it exceeds this, helping hands should be provided. Additionally, to balance work and social life, individuals should be free to complete assignments within the given timeframe. If there is important work that requires regular late hours, it should be shared among other employees to strengthen teamwork. Late sitting should also be scheduled as needed, one by one, not just assigned to a single person.
This is how organizational culture and employee morale can be improved.
P.K. MISHRA
From India
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This is how organizational culture and employee morale can be improved.
P.K. MISHRA
From India
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My working hours are from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, but we often start at 7:30 AM and work until 6:00 PM. Some people even stay until 10:00 PM. However, I remind them that if they can't finish the work during the regular hours, working an extra hour or two won't make much difference.
From Korea
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From Korea
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Hi Jayashree,
The best remedy for such a problem is to define new processes for late sitting. Employees will have to get the Reporting Manager's approval for each extra hour. Introduce a Late Sitting Approval Form for the same, which has to be duly signed by the Employee's Reporting Manager. Without the approval note on hand, the Corporate Services Personnel or the Security Staff should not allow employees to stay inside the office after office hours, except for the shift workers (shift workers should be given some identity separately indicating shift timings).
At the end of the week, a Late Sitting report has to be sent for Unit Head approval. The Unit head will submit a report on extra working hours to HR every week with proper justification for the same.
Based on the report, the HR and Operations team can discuss and decide on adding some additional resources (if required) or other alternatives without affecting the profitability of the business. This will also help the organization assess how productive the employees are within the office hours.
Once this is part of the routine, employees will feel the impact of working extra hours in taking approvals and will start finishing the work on time, while others with extensive work will automatically have the Reporting Manager's approval.
Please consider this suggestion.
Seniors: Please let me know if there are any loopholes in this proposal.
Regards,
Lakshmi.N
From India
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The best remedy for such a problem is to define new processes for late sitting. Employees will have to get the Reporting Manager's approval for each extra hour. Introduce a Late Sitting Approval Form for the same, which has to be duly signed by the Employee's Reporting Manager. Without the approval note on hand, the Corporate Services Personnel or the Security Staff should not allow employees to stay inside the office after office hours, except for the shift workers (shift workers should be given some identity separately indicating shift timings).
At the end of the week, a Late Sitting report has to be sent for Unit Head approval. The Unit head will submit a report on extra working hours to HR every week with proper justification for the same.
Based on the report, the HR and Operations team can discuss and decide on adding some additional resources (if required) or other alternatives without affecting the profitability of the business. This will also help the organization assess how productive the employees are within the office hours.
Once this is part of the routine, employees will feel the impact of working extra hours in taking approvals and will start finishing the work on time, while others with extensive work will automatically have the Reporting Manager's approval.
Please consider this suggestion.
Seniors: Please let me know if there are any loopholes in this proposal.
Regards,
Lakshmi.N
From India
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Hi,
Recently, I received a mail on this 'working late'.... please read on... Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff:
Working Late - the Other Aspect
It's half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on... PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing... And who's at work? Most of them??? Take a closer look...
All or most specimens are ?? Something male species of the human race... Look closer... again all or most of them are bachelors... And why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!!! Any guesses???
Let's ask one of them... Here's what he says... 'What's there to do after going home... Here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee that is why I am working late... Importantly no bossssssss!!!!!!!!!'
This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other off-shore offices.
Bachelors 'Passing-Time' during late hours in the office just because they say they've nothing else to do... Now what are the consequences...
'Working' (for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the institute or company culture.
With bosses more than eager to provide support to those 'working' late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he's a hard worker... goes home only to change..!!). They aren't helping things too...
To hell with bosses who don't understand the difference between 'sitting' late and 'working' late!!!
Very soon, the boss starts expecting all employees to put in extra working hours.
So, My dear Bachelors let me tell you, life changes when you get married and start having a family... office is no longer a priority, family is... and That's when the problem starts... because you start having commitments at home too.
For your boss, the earlier 'hardworking' guy suddenly seems to become an 'early leaver' even if you leave an hour after regular time... after doing the same amount of work.
People leaving on time after doing their tasks for the day are labelled as work-shirkers...
Girls who thankfully always (it's changing nowadays... though) leave on time are labelled as 'not up to it'. All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on 'working' not realizing that they are spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they would have to regret at one point of time.
So what's the moral of the story??
* Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!!!
* Never put in extra time 'unless really needed'
* Don't stay back unnecessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues.
There are hundred other things to do in the evening...
Learn music...
Learn a foreign language...
Try a sport... TT, cricket.........
Importantly, get a girlfriend or boyfriend, take him/her around town...
* And for heaven's sake, net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low (plus, no firewalls) and try cooking for a change.
Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: 'Life's calling, where are you??'
Please pass on this message to all those colleagues and please do it before leaving time, don't stay back till midnight to forward this!!!
IT'S A TYPICAL INDIAN MENTALITY THAT WORKING FOR LONG HOURS MEANS VERY HARD WORKING & 100% COMMITMENT ETC.
PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY SIT LATE IN THE OFFICE DON'T KNOW HOW TO MANAGE THEIR TIME. SIMPLE!
Regards,
NARAYAN MURTHY.
From India, Indore
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Recently, I received a mail on this 'working late'.... please read on... Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff:
Working Late - the Other Aspect
It's half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on... PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing... And who's at work? Most of them??? Take a closer look...
All or most specimens are ?? Something male species of the human race... Look closer... again all or most of them are bachelors... And why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!!! Any guesses???
Let's ask one of them... Here's what he says... 'What's there to do after going home... Here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee that is why I am working late... Importantly no bossssssss!!!!!!!!!'
This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other off-shore offices.
Bachelors 'Passing-Time' during late hours in the office just because they say they've nothing else to do... Now what are the consequences...
'Working' (for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the institute or company culture.
With bosses more than eager to provide support to those 'working' late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he's a hard worker... goes home only to change..!!). They aren't helping things too...
To hell with bosses who don't understand the difference between 'sitting' late and 'working' late!!!
Very soon, the boss starts expecting all employees to put in extra working hours.
So, My dear Bachelors let me tell you, life changes when you get married and start having a family... office is no longer a priority, family is... and That's when the problem starts... because you start having commitments at home too.
For your boss, the earlier 'hardworking' guy suddenly seems to become an 'early leaver' even if you leave an hour after regular time... after doing the same amount of work.
People leaving on time after doing their tasks for the day are labelled as work-shirkers...
Girls who thankfully always (it's changing nowadays... though) leave on time are labelled as 'not up to it'. All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on 'working' not realizing that they are spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they would have to regret at one point of time.
So what's the moral of the story??
* Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!!!
* Never put in extra time 'unless really needed'
* Don't stay back unnecessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues.
There are hundred other things to do in the evening...
Learn music...
Learn a foreign language...
Try a sport... TT, cricket.........
Importantly, get a girlfriend or boyfriend, take him/her around town...
* And for heaven's sake, net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low (plus, no firewalls) and try cooking for a change.
Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: 'Life's calling, where are you??'
Please pass on this message to all those colleagues and please do it before leaving time, don't stay back till midnight to forward this!!!
IT'S A TYPICAL INDIAN MENTALITY THAT WORKING FOR LONG HOURS MEANS VERY HARD WORKING & 100% COMMITMENT ETC.
PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY SIT LATE IN THE OFFICE DON'T KNOW HOW TO MANAGE THEIR TIME. SIMPLE!
Regards,
NARAYAN MURTHY.
From India, Indore
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Dear Jayashree,
This is faced in every organization. Drafting a policy is not an answer to this issue. It's actually proper time management. From the time you come to the stipulated closing hours, what you do matters. Any amount of policy will not help you here. What you require to do is to develop a work culture that reduces idle time during normal working hours, and you should be careful in setting a reasonable time to finish off an activity.
Regards, Rajiv.
From India, Thiruvananthapuram
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This is faced in every organization. Drafting a policy is not an answer to this issue. It's actually proper time management. From the time you come to the stipulated closing hours, what you do matters. Any amount of policy will not help you here. What you require to do is to develop a work culture that reduces idle time during normal working hours, and you should be careful in setting a reasonable time to finish off an activity.
Regards, Rajiv.
From India, Thiruvananthapuram
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Please also check the following before deciding on any policy:
i) If your organization provides a drop facility (transporting employees to their homes) using company-provided vehicles after a specified hour, such as after 8/9 p.m.
ii) If your organization provides any other type of incentive, such as reimbursement for dinner, dinner/late sitting allowance, etc.
If this is the case, you may need to reconsider how you identify employees who are genuinely working late versus those who may stay late for the sake of these incentives, in addition to the suggestions made by Mr. Dinesh Divekar.
TR Chhabria
From India, Gurgaon
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i) If your organization provides a drop facility (transporting employees to their homes) using company-provided vehicles after a specified hour, such as after 8/9 p.m.
ii) If your organization provides any other type of incentive, such as reimbursement for dinner, dinner/late sitting allowance, etc.
If this is the case, you may need to reconsider how you identify employees who are genuinely working late versus those who may stay late for the sake of these incentives, in addition to the suggestions made by Mr. Dinesh Divekar.
TR Chhabria
From India, Gurgaon
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Draft as follows:
The Company's normal working hours are 9:30 am to 5:30 pm from Mondays to Saturday, and Sundays are weekly offs in addition to paid holidays as declared by the Company.
In case of late sitting on working days:
The office will be open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm only. Employees are expected to complete their work during the normal working hours. If any employee wishes to work beyond 5:30 pm, he/she will be allowed to work up to 7:00 pm without any specific permission. Any employee wanting to work beyond 7:00 pm will be allowed as an exception, provided a written approval is obtained stating the reason for such late sitting from Sir. However, this cannot go beyond 9:00 pm.
From India, Nanded
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The Company's normal working hours are 9:30 am to 5:30 pm from Mondays to Saturday, and Sundays are weekly offs in addition to paid holidays as declared by the Company.
In case of late sitting on working days:
The office will be open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm only. Employees are expected to complete their work during the normal working hours. If any employee wishes to work beyond 5:30 pm, he/she will be allowed to work up to 7:00 pm without any specific permission. Any employee wanting to work beyond 7:00 pm will be allowed as an exception, provided a written approval is obtained stating the reason for such late sitting from Sir. However, this cannot go beyond 9:00 pm.
From India, Nanded
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I think sitting late to the office shows your inefficiency to perform within the given time. Always remember in cricket, in the 50-over format, the team needs to bowl in 3 hours and 30 minutes. In Test cricket, in one day, they need to complete 90 overs; otherwise, there is a fine.
The same should follow in every organization, as time is money. HR should take care of employees sitting late because it also increases overhead costs like electricity, water, maintenance, tea, coffee, and common maintenance if there is a lift (because if a group of people sit late in the office, they likely take smoking breaks using the lift).
Employees who sit late in the office also create the following problems:
1) They come late to the office, and if HR asks them about their tardiness, they immediately respond: "When I sit late for up to 2 hours after working hours and finish my tasks, you do not appreciate me. And now, just 10 minutes late, and you point fingers at me?" They also discuss with their colleagues, making it very challenging for HR to implement HR policies.
From India, Pune
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The same should follow in every organization, as time is money. HR should take care of employees sitting late because it also increases overhead costs like electricity, water, maintenance, tea, coffee, and common maintenance if there is a lift (because if a group of people sit late in the office, they likely take smoking breaks using the lift).
Employees who sit late in the office also create the following problems:
1) They come late to the office, and if HR asks them about their tardiness, they immediately respond: "When I sit late for up to 2 hours after working hours and finish my tasks, you do not appreciate me. And now, just 10 minutes late, and you point fingers at me?" They also discuss with their colleagues, making it very challenging for HR to implement HR policies.
From India, Pune
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Hi,
Accordingly, if employees stay overtime, it may be due to their workload or the need to meet deadlines. However, staying long hours after duty every day is a waste of resources such as water and electricity. This behavior is often an attempt to show dedication and performance but can actually indicate a failure in time management. Employees who consistently work late may struggle to complete tasks on time, demonstrating underperformance.
In many companies, employees work extended hours, which not only wastes company resources but also affects the well-being of the employees themselves.
Thanks and regards,
Ketan Chaudhari
From India, Surat
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Accordingly, if employees stay overtime, it may be due to their workload or the need to meet deadlines. However, staying long hours after duty every day is a waste of resources such as water and electricity. This behavior is often an attempt to show dedication and performance but can actually indicate a failure in time management. Employees who consistently work late may struggle to complete tasks on time, demonstrating underperformance.
In many companies, employees work extended hours, which not only wastes company resources but also affects the well-being of the employees themselves.
Thanks and regards,
Ketan Chaudhari
From India, Surat
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