Hi,
I have recently joined a new organization as an HR in a midsize Chartered Accountancy firm. Here, they do not have an off on Saturdays, and employees have to work for 9 hours daily except for Sunday. The employees have approached me requesting to implement a policy where they can have Saturdays off. I have presented this proposal to the management, but they have not agreed to it. Can anybody provide me with suggestions on how to effectively communicate this proposal? I would greatly appreciate any assistance.
From India, Ahmedabad
2I have recently joined a new organization as an HR in a midsize Chartered Accountancy firm. Here, they do not have an off on Saturdays, and employees have to work for 9 hours daily except for Sunday. The employees have approached me requesting to implement a policy where they can have Saturdays off. I have presented this proposal to the management, but they have not agreed to it. Can anybody provide me with suggestions on how to effectively communicate this proposal? I would greatly appreciate any assistance.
From India, Ahmedabad
Founders, free up your time?let AI handle HR while you build your dream. See It In Action - Book Your Demo
Dear Ms. Trivedi,
As I understand, the CA firms actually work either privately or publicly. Private Chartered Accountant firms basically work for stipulated hours. Moreover, public accountants have a lot more to handle throughout; as a matter of fact, any new employee who joins actually has to empathize with the nature of work as to why extra/overtime is needed. Once this has been mandated to swath the hours for work to be completed, one gets used to it.
Besides the point, 5 days a week with 8 hours a day with no overtime is a basic nature of the business you are in and how to finish the predetermined work is a fact.
From India, Visakhapatnam
As I understand, the CA firms actually work either privately or publicly. Private Chartered Accountant firms basically work for stipulated hours. Moreover, public accountants have a lot more to handle throughout; as a matter of fact, any new employee who joins actually has to empathize with the nature of work as to why extra/overtime is needed. Once this has been mandated to swath the hours for work to be completed, one gets used to it.
Besides the point, 5 days a week with 8 hours a day with no overtime is a basic nature of the business you are in and how to finish the predetermined work is a fact.
From India, Visakhapatnam
Hi Mr. Trivedi,
Your management may not agree to giving Saturdays off every week, so you could propose the following:
1. One Saturday off per month
2. One Saturday as a half-day per month
Please explain how this system would work.
From India, Hyderabad
Your management may not agree to giving Saturdays off every week, so you could propose the following:
1. One Saturday off per month
2. One Saturday as a half-day per month
Please explain how this system would work.
From India, Hyderabad
We already follow that policy where an employee can take any one Saturday off in a month. But one Saturday, they are not happy with it. They need one more. So how do I convince the management for the same?
From India, Ahmedabad
From India, Ahmedabad
Hi Trivedi,
It's not good to always provide support to staff, so please consider the management's perspective as well. Please see the calculations below:
54 working hours for the week, including a lunch break. Make it 8.30 effective working hours with a 30-minute break for lunch. Then, you can give them one additional Saturday off.
Think about the above approach.
From India, Hyderabad
It's not good to always provide support to staff, so please consider the management's perspective as well. Please see the calculations below:
54 working hours for the week, including a lunch break. Make it 8.30 effective working hours with a 30-minute break for lunch. Then, you can give them one additional Saturday off.
Think about the above approach.
From India, Hyderabad
Ms. Nandi,
There is a provision of 54 working hours in a week, including a lunch break. You have to distribute this tactfully.
I totally agree with Mr. Ashok Negidi on what he said about thinking from the employer's side as well. An HR professional acts as a bridge between the employer and the employee.
You can implement a policy where everyone has to complete their work within 9 hours (including breaks). The office will close at a fixed time. You can inform the management that by implementing this policy, you are trying to cut costs, such as the cost of extra electricity usage and internet usage. Offer two Saturdays off and two Saturdays with full working hours. Convince the management by stating, "By this way, you are saving the cost of electricity usage." Try to persuade the management with another argument that if employees are not happy, they may leave the job, incurring new hiring costs, and productivity may suffer until the new employee reaches the level of the previous one. Implement a "Flexible Working Place Policy" where employees can choose their workplace, whether it be at home or in the office, but they must complete the job within the stipulated time. This policy will also help in cutting costs.
From India, Kolkata
There is a provision of 54 working hours in a week, including a lunch break. You have to distribute this tactfully.
I totally agree with Mr. Ashok Negidi on what he said about thinking from the employer's side as well. An HR professional acts as a bridge between the employer and the employee.
You can implement a policy where everyone has to complete their work within 9 hours (including breaks). The office will close at a fixed time. You can inform the management that by implementing this policy, you are trying to cut costs, such as the cost of extra electricity usage and internet usage. Offer two Saturdays off and two Saturdays with full working hours. Convince the management by stating, "By this way, you are saving the cost of electricity usage." Try to persuade the management with another argument that if employees are not happy, they may leave the job, incurring new hiring costs, and productivity may suffer until the new employee reaches the level of the previous one. Implement a "Flexible Working Place Policy" where employees can choose their workplace, whether it be at home or in the office, but they must complete the job within the stipulated time. This policy will also help in cutting costs.
From India, Kolkata
Hello, Ms. Trivedi,
Further to what Sharmila Das and Ashok Negidi rightly pointed out, you also need to bear in mind the field/domain you work in.
There are fields— notably CAs and Advocates— that need to work after 5.00 PM and quite often on holidays.
The CAs invariably would be in meetings with clients during the daytime, and their actual work in their offices would begin afterwards. Similarly, the Advocates would be in Courts till 5.30 PM, and their client meetings and case preparation work would invariably have to be after 6.00 PM. This is irrespective of the size of the business.
Your line 'But one Saturday they are not happy with it...' gives away the mentality of the employees you have. When they enter such a field/company, they also need to be mentally prepared for the working needs of that field. It's something like a person wanting to work in a BPO but not ready for shifts— as you can see, the options would then be very restricted for them.
Looks like you need to give a pep-talk to the employees rather than talking to the management.
All the best.
Regards,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Further to what Sharmila Das and Ashok Negidi rightly pointed out, you also need to bear in mind the field/domain you work in.
There are fields— notably CAs and Advocates— that need to work after 5.00 PM and quite often on holidays.
The CAs invariably would be in meetings with clients during the daytime, and their actual work in their offices would begin afterwards. Similarly, the Advocates would be in Courts till 5.30 PM, and their client meetings and case preparation work would invariably have to be after 6.00 PM. This is irrespective of the size of the business.
Your line 'But one Saturday they are not happy with it...' gives away the mentality of the employees you have. When they enter such a field/company, they also need to be mentally prepared for the working needs of that field. It's something like a person wanting to work in a BPO but not ready for shifts— as you can see, the options would then be very restricted for them.
Looks like you need to give a pep-talk to the employees rather than talking to the management.
All the best.
Regards,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Hi,
Thank you to all of you for your valuable replies. I appreciate this. A humble thanks to all. This will really help me.
But the point is, people also work overnight at times but they are not paid or appreciated for the same, thus they feel demotivated. Also, the employees have been working for a long time, e.g., 5 years or more. So they feel that they should be given at least one more Saturday off. Also, they input 9 hours or more on a daily basis.
Regards, Trivedi
From India, Ahmedabad
Thank you to all of you for your valuable replies. I appreciate this. A humble thanks to all. This will really help me.
But the point is, people also work overnight at times but they are not paid or appreciated for the same, thus they feel demotivated. Also, the employees have been working for a long time, e.g., 5 years or more. So they feel that they should be given at least one more Saturday off. Also, they input 9 hours or more on a daily basis.
Regards, Trivedi
From India, Ahmedabad
Dear Ms. Trivedi,
Now it's your call. You may handle this by conducting "Employee Welfare Programs" to reward employees with a choice of compensation options such as gifts or money (as desired by management). This approach could be well-received by the employees as the management does not wish to start giving Saturdays off.
Try it!! Let us know your thoughts on the same.
From India, Visakhapatnam
Now it's your call. You may handle this by conducting "Employee Welfare Programs" to reward employees with a choice of compensation options such as gifts or money (as desired by management). This approach could be well-received by the employees as the management does not wish to start giving Saturdays off.
Try it!! Let us know your thoughts on the same.
From India, Visakhapatnam
Hello, Ms. Trivedi,
Not sure whether you realize it or not, but YOU ALREADY KNOW what to do.
Please refer to your line— "...but they are not paid or appreciated for the same thus they feel demotivated."
When the management isn't in favor of monetary compensation ('not paid') for the extra work being put in, try ways to "appreciate" the employees. Apart from being 'morale-boosters' for the employees, you wouldn't have a lot of resistance from the management too—since such measures wouldn't be very expensive (as they target the 'psyche' of the employees rather than the 'pockets').
Please use the RESEARCH option at the top of this page—you will find many threads that discussed this topic earlier. I am sure you will find MANY ideas that suit your actual needs and situations.
However, as HR, you also seem to have some work to do vis-a-vis the management—since you mentioned that the employees have been working for about 5 years. Quite often—not sure if YOUR management would fall into this category—old-time employees are 'taken-for-granted' by the management. If this indeed is the case at your end too, you may have to handle it with care.
This is something that NEITHER can be ignored NOR can be presented as a big problem—nevertheless it needs to be handled before it does become a problem. I have seen such a situation with a large company—the management woke up after guys started quitting in 'droves' and the first step by the management was to fire the HR Head, even though they too were 'part of the problem'.
All the best.
Regards,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Not sure whether you realize it or not, but YOU ALREADY KNOW what to do.
Please refer to your line— "...but they are not paid or appreciated for the same thus they feel demotivated."
When the management isn't in favor of monetary compensation ('not paid') for the extra work being put in, try ways to "appreciate" the employees. Apart from being 'morale-boosters' for the employees, you wouldn't have a lot of resistance from the management too—since such measures wouldn't be very expensive (as they target the 'psyche' of the employees rather than the 'pockets').
Please use the RESEARCH option at the top of this page—you will find many threads that discussed this topic earlier. I am sure you will find MANY ideas that suit your actual needs and situations.
However, as HR, you also seem to have some work to do vis-a-vis the management—since you mentioned that the employees have been working for about 5 years. Quite often—not sure if YOUR management would fall into this category—old-time employees are 'taken-for-granted' by the management. If this indeed is the case at your end too, you may have to handle it with care.
This is something that NEITHER can be ignored NOR can be presented as a big problem—nevertheless it needs to be handled before it does become a problem. I have seen such a situation with a large company—the management woke up after guys started quitting in 'droves' and the first step by the management was to fire the HR Head, even though they too were 'part of the problem'.
All the best.
Regards,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Looking for something specific? - Join & Be Part Of Our Community and get connected with the right people who can help. Our AI-powered platform provides real-time fact-checking, peer-reviewed insights, and a vast historical knowledge base to support your search.