Should HR Professionals Stick to a 9-to-6 Schedule, or Is Flexibility Needed?

Hi everybody,

In normal life, there is a limitation for every subject. Everyone who works for a company is human. Everyone works to earn money. Why should we earn money? Simply put, we need to satisfy our social life. To satisfy our social life, we need to spend time. For whom are we spending our time? Family and friends. If we can't satisfy these two categories, why should we work more and more? There is no end point for HR work, so the maximum one can work for is 10 hours. The person who works late at night is unfit to be in HR. Try to share your work with juniors and trainees. Try to finish your work within the designated hours. A 10-hour job, 8 hours of sleep, 2 hours of journey, and at least 3 hours spent with your family every day. Everyone is working for them. We are maintaining welfare for every employee and also looking after ourselves. If I said anything wrong, please guide me, as I am working only to look after my belongings.

Hi Folks, If we could organize our work properly, we need not stretch for long hours. Of course, when the situation demands as an HR professional, we stand in front and work it out. Moreover, a good HR professional should anticipate things well and act accordingly. This way, an HR professional can plan his/her activities and complete them on time. Hence, 8-9 hours of work will suffice most of the time.

Also, the role of HR cannot be compared with a techie's role. A techie's job includes a lot of client interaction and other interdependencies among their team members for deliverables.

For your comments, folks!!! Regards, Srinivas

Hi all,

I am totally against the concept of working hours as mentioned. HR professionals are the role models for any organization. Working for a certain number of hours or based on compartments is not justified, especially when you work for a senior manager or a top multinational corporation.

Hi,

Well, it depends on the situation. Sometimes, HR personnel will have to work even 13-14 hours, especially during salary time, new hiring, etc. Training and performance appraisal time also demand more time. Lastly, it also depends on the company profile - which sector you're working with.

Thanks,
Veeraj

I work for an IT company, and its operations, especially BPO, are 24/7. Thus, I do ask my staff to come at night or weekends to provide complete HR cover. We do this once a week. I usually pop by on weekends and walk around the premises to see if there is an HR issue to attend to.

Hi!

That's a nice topic to discuss. My view is that in every field, at times in the private sector, one has to work late hours. In my organization, we have different sites running. So, for that, if there is civil work going on, at times people from the civil department would wait for late hours. It's as per the workload; the technical people have to adjust their work. But as an HR professional, you have to be available 24x7.

For recruitment, also at times, we have to schedule interviews on holidays or after office hours. That is the time when both the candidate and the interviewer can relax and discuss.

Regards, Reena

I agree with a lot of people here. It's not always the time frame that is necessary; it's also about the urgency of work. There might be a number of tasks to be finished in a day, so it might also take up to 10 to 12 hours of work.

Hi All,

It's really an interesting topic. I don't think HR has to work only from 9 to 6. There are a few IT companies that are growing where employees work more than the typical 9-6 schedule, similar to how technical staff often do. People in recruitment typically work 10 to 11 hours a day as well. In employee engagement and other HR functions, they have to be available to solve queries whenever technical staff approach HR.

Hi members,

The HR team should be the motivating force for others. After all, we are the custodians of discipline and happiness. Therefore, working extra would mean achieving higher Employee Satisfaction Levels and also finishing our pending work if any.

Regards,

Ishrat Noor Siddiqui
Head-HR & ADMIN
Speciality Group, Mumbai
Cell: +919890245434 / 9221351435

Dear Team,

Looking at the current scenario, responsibilities on the HR department have increased drastically. That is why nowadays, the HR Dept is considered one of the vital business centers of any organization.

I strongly disagree that if tasks are managed well, there is no need to stay after 6 at the office. In many instances, we have to rely on top management decisions, which often take time and indirectly require us to stay back to finish tasks. I have personally experienced this for various activities such as issuing increment letters, providing appraisal feedback, handling promotions, processing salaries, and organizing welfare activities that demand our personal touch and creativity.

Therefore, I must honestly express that I do not agree with Mr. Sanket's view that "HR job isn't that hectic. I feel it's a routine job, and if managed well, one can finish the work within the stipulated timeframe."

Regards,

Mona

Hi all,

The real question is whether an HR professional's work ends when he/she leaves the office. I do not think so, as we have to be available for the organization at all times. I work for an IT company, and all my employees can call me whenever they feel like with no time restrictions. So, even though I leave on time most days during the month, I continue working after that.

Cheers,
Vinit

I believe this is the case with all jobs. If you get your work done by 6, leave. If you haven't done it and there's something needed early the next day, stay back and do it.

Having to stay late is only a function of how much work you have and whether you can finish it in the stipulated time. If you can't finish it, learn how to become more efficient. Spend less time chatting, and more time getting things done.

I feel it is wrong to say HR job is a routine affair, as HR needs to coordinate with all other departments and understand employees' problems as well as find ways to solve them. There must not be any perception of working within the time frame of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. HR professionals need to work beyond any time limit to present a positive image of the organization in the market. Even if he/she needs to work 18 hours, he/she must do it.

Hi friends,

The number of hours one works in the office does not depend on whether one is in HR, IT, or any other department. What matters is the amount of work to be completed, time management skills, and many other such aspects. Therefore, I believe it is not a thumb rule that HR works only between 9 to 6; it all depends on the workload.

I work in a call center, and my shift timings are 2 pm to 11 pm. I don't remember the last time I actually left at 11 pm. My workday always crosses 10 to 11 hours. How I wish I could work 9-6.

I think that sometimes, due to work overload, you have to wait for long hours. So, working strictly from 9-6 may not be possible. However, I feel that work does not get over. One should prioritize tasks by identifying what is important and not urgent, and plan accordingly to complete the work between 9-6.

Dear All,

In general, planning is the key to a stress-free life. If you need to change your plan, then you must.

This applies to "time management" too - applied to your personal life and work life, you need to plan. Period. No exceptions.

During pressure times, everyone works late towards timelines that need to be met. There are no exceptions to this rule.

However, please note that if the tendency is to lose balance, then adjust and make a change to your time plan.

If you need to press hard on meeting timelines and targets, please work intelligently and NOT like a person without direction.

Performance Appraisal times are pressure situations that need to be planned effectively. Also, role allocation within teams can be an effective tool to find out who or what processes result in bottlenecks.

Furthermore, work-life balance can result in better response time and great motivational results for a person.

So, anyone who supports working late may be working without applying his or her mind.

The key is to think smartly and effectively.

Saikiran

Dear All,

I would depend purely on the industry. For example, in the manufacturing sector, it would be good from 9-6, but in IT/ITES/BPO, flexible time would be great.

Dear Friends,

I can share my experiences with HAL and NTPC Limited. I had undergone 68 weeks of training (1978) and approximately 2.3 years (1979 to 1983) of experience at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. At HAL, I experienced that employees were sticking to office timings strictly. At NTPC (from 1983 onwards - continuing), I found that HR and Admin, the employees (i.e. executives) stay in the Township nearby and are available round the clock in case of any problem that needs their attention. Office hours are for workers and supervisors. Executives do not have set office hours, but they report on time in the morning. Now, as all of you might have read in the newspapers, "FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS" have been recommended by the 6th Pay Commission. I personally feel we Indians are not fit for such an innovation in office timings. Our general mindset desires "freedom without responsibility." I think it all depends upon organizational culture. But "WORK-LIFE BALANCE" is a must, whatever the office timings may be. One cannot ignore their family life and be solely focused on the organization.

I request all members to please comment honestly and naturally on the above.

Regards to all,

Yours,

Satish Kumar

Hi Sanket & all,

Greetings,

Nice and useful issue you raised. I also agree with Sanket, but only to some extent. This is because there is a need for an HR professional to stay late hours in the company, particularly during month-end times for office work, payroll, etc. Therefore, based on the situation, HR may have to work extra hours.

Bye. Keep posting. :icon1: :icon1:

A. RAVIKANTH
HR EXECUTIVE
Mobile: 9848294239

What do you say...???

I think people in the recruitment field should start their day by 11:00 am and work until 8:00 - 8:30 pm because the tech guys do attend your calls after 7:00 pm, and it is a good time to negotiate salaries, schedule interviews, and obtain references. Let me know if you, recruitment people, agree.

Not exactly correct. In liaison work, sometimes we have to wait until the job is finished; otherwise, the work may not be completed. Liaison work depends on the matter we have to deal with and the persons we have to deal with.

I think an HR job is also equivalent to any other job profile in the industry.

So, it all depends on how much workload you have and the kind of manager you're reporting to. Enjoy work! :-D

Hi Guys,

Please provide more information about periodical health check-ups for the employees in the manufacturing industry.

Regards,
Padmashree

Hi All,

I don't think so. These days, HR and recruitment professionals don't have any fixed working hours, whether it's IT/ITES/BPO or non-IT. One has to stretch most of the time depending on the work pressure. As a matter of fact, it's your perception and attitude towards work that decides whether you should work from 9-6 or should stay late hours. Moreover, it's not only the amount of time you spend at your workstation but it's about the quality of work you do at the desired pace. It's all about quality with speed, my friend!

Regards,
D

Dear All,

All companies these days are focused globally rather than on one country. Owing to the timelines of different countries, one needs to work according to the time of the other country. Hence, the same applies to HR as well. I am not talking about the companies which are nationally based; yes, they certainly can work from 9-6 if the culture permits them to leave early, which I doubt as most people make their name by sitting late and showing they are working, when in fact they are not. They spend their mornings and afternoons gossiping and only start their work in the evening to show the management that they are very hardworking.

Coming back to the point, HR cannot work in silos and isolation. Hence, I won't only say extended hours, but I would also say flexible hours are required. At times, working from home could be a good idea, as happening in many IT and Telecom companies now. As HR is part of the organization, it cannot take the liberty of sticking to 9-6 because of geographical boundaries.

In my opinion, the HR person should set a personal example for others on how to manage time. If he sets a bad example, he loses the credibility to ask others to manage time well.

M. Sivakumar

As an HR professional of the company, I won't stay in the office for more than 10 hours a day, and I won't allow my employees to work long hours. Even for salary, rewards, awards, or anything else, my employees and I may leave soon. My boss also does not permit employees to work long hours. We have 600 employees, and there are no defects so far.

At the same time, we are slowly growing in terms of employees as well as financially. My boss is happy, I am happy, my employees are happy, and everyone's family is happy.