Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
The idea of working from home is no longer a novel one due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though many companies are now having their employees return to the office full time with restrictions and SOPs loosening up, a large number of organisations have seen the viability of flexible workplace and hours, and have implemented indefinite WFH(work from home).
The conversation of the 4-day work week has been increasingly popular with the success of WFH. It is suggested that longer weekends will lead to higher worker satisfaction and consequently, higher productivity.
Employees want flexibility, not necessarily less work days
We asked a few junior level executives in various companies their thoughts on the 4-day week and were surprised by their responses having previously assumed that everyone was gunning for shorter work weeks.
As opposed to spending less days a week in the office, most preferred flexibility. With most work processes being entirely digital and executable online, the majority of the people we spoke to said that they don’t mind working Monday to Friday as long as they are given the flexibility to work in their own time(with a minimum number of hours per day, of course) and remotely.
“I don’t get to spend a lot of time with my children. Most days I come back too late to have dinner with them and I rarely ever get to ask them about their day. Of course longer weekends would be nice but I’d rather have the freedom and flexibility to be around them most of the week and whenever they need me.
“My daughter fell very ill one Tuesday and I had to leave her with another family member. It broke my heart that I couldn’t tend to her when she wanted me there. Things like these don’t only happen on weekends.” Nuraida, a mother of two lamented.
HR exec Grace had this to say, “Sometimes there are meetings that are so unnecessary. Unless there is an issue we need to collectively brainstorm and discuss about, we don’t need to all sit in the same room to listen to an announcement from one person. Just send it as an email to all of us!”
For the most part, employees do want to get their work done well and on time, “If you leave me alone I can do my work nicely and I will look for you if I need help, otherwise don’t come and kacau me. Having to report every task I’m working on actually takes up a lot of accumulated time.” marketing exec Vik tells In Real Life.
Logistics is also a huge issue when it comes to work. The commute to and from the workplace takes up not only a lot of time, but also energy. Outside of the 8 hours they spend in the office, an employee in the Klang Valley would have to travel for another 2-3 hours on average to and fro per day!
Less hours = higher productivity?
In Real Life spoke to Nick, a former director of a global NGO with over 10 years of experience with people working under him, and this is what he had to say.
“Employees should and must be the main asset of any company, therefore their wellbeing and morale must always be taken care of.
“In general, shorter hours usually means better concentration and less human error. If the employees are well trained and have good discipline, work can be completed on time. Having shorter work hours would mean employees would have to focus on discussions that are work related during office hours and have social talks during their lunch breaks or after hours only.
“Of course there must be a minimum number of hours agreed that the employee must contribute, but if the employee is efficient and can deliver his/her assignments on time and in good quality, working less than the typical 8 hours required is fine.”
Conditional flexibility
It is a give and take situation. Flexibility can be given as long as one ensures that the work is done well and on time. Nick says, “Individuals have to prove that they can be trusted to complete their tasks on time. If the output is similar or better in a 4-day week period, then go ahead.
“But if any employee were to take advantage of the flexibility, they must be removed immediately or everyone loses the benefit of the 4-day week”. A completely fair point.
Where does this land Malaysian employees?
Advocates of the 4-day work week aren’t pushing for less work, they are instead suggesting a change in the way things operate. The shorter work week eliminates unnecessary meetings and encourages more independent work – goodbye micromanaging!
This also means however that employees need to be disciplined and have a sense of responsibility over their work. Most who are pushing for shorter work weeks or complete flexibility seem competent enough to understand that this does not mean less output, but there are definitely rotten eggs who will take advantage of it or even people who just can’t function without constant supervision.
It seems like a situation where one size does not fit all – the debate continues. What do you think?
Know anyone with an interesting story to share? Drop us an email at hello@inreallife.my and we may feature the story!
For more stories like this, read:
https://inreallife.my/i-got-covid-19-and-all-my-malaysian-boss-cared-about-was-whether-i-could-work/
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