Balancing Overtime and Employee Well-being: How Can We Fairly Evaluate Late Workers?

In our organization (Chemical Construction Industry), we have been facing some serious issues regarding the working hours. We work 9:30-6:00, six days a week, and most people stay back late and come in late in the morning. The grace period given is until 9:45, and anybody arriving after that is marked late. With more than three late markings, we deduct one day's salary.

After discussing with the employees, the main concerns raised were not being paid for overtime and not having relaxation when they arrive late.

The current scenario in the organization is a little tight because the manpower is insufficient compared to the workload, resulting in many people in the process of being recruited.

I am concerned about how we can evaluate people who work late. How can we determine if they are genuinely staying back late for work?

I believe that when one is efficient, the work can be completed within the allotted working hours, even without Saturdays off.

Given the current situation of inadequate manpower, how should we take care of the employees? This is a crucial stage, and as an HR Coordinator, I need to provide suggestions for us to decide as soon as possible.

Hi, Preeti,

At the outset, let me clarify that it would have helped if you indicated the number of employees that are currently employed and are affected.

However, since you are seeking some quick fixes, my first suggestion is to segregate the white-collar employees from the blue-collar employees when drawing up an action plan, as both types of employees would need to be tackled differently.

For white-collar employees, you can possibly look at implementing a system where if they come late three times a week, they will not only lose their salary but also not get any credit for sitting late. For those who come on time, leave on time, and/or leave late, you could consider coming up with an attendance bonus that will have to be worked out.

For blue-collar workers whose attendance timing will directly affect production, a similar attendance bonus is to be worked out. In working out this attendance bonus, the emphasis should be on giving more weightage for coming on time. Additionally, with time and motion studies, see if some sort of production norms for them can be worked out. This will mean that if they sit late to finish the target, they are inefficient and could lose the bonus. In calculating this bonus, it is imperative that the white-collar supervisor gives his authorization for late sitting. To ensure that this right is not misused, the number of such authorizations must be tagged to the respective superior and would be a yardstick to measure the superior's effectiveness and control over his/her team.

Hope I have given you sufficient food for thought and that you can fine-tune it to your needs.

Regards

Ms. Paul Preeti,

Employees stay back and work late due to various reasons.

• Some of them genuinely have work to do before certain deadline hence they have to stay back. But this should not be everyday practice.

• Some employees come to office very late hence to complete their work they stay back.

• Some employees are in habit of whiling away their productive time during the day and they start working only in late afternoon and evening.

• Some employees just stay back to show others and their bosses that they are very dedicated to co's work and they are hardworking.

• Some bosses have bad habit of holding back their entire dept. when they are working late. But most of them are just waiting and not working.

• Some employees are inefficient and not trained properly hence they need more time to complete their work.

• Some employees work late only to earn extra income by way of overtime, extra conveyance and free dinner.

• Some employees stay back only to give company to their colleague working late.

• Some employees work late to accumulate hours to claim compensatory offs at their own convenience and discretion.

Now how to overcome all the problems mentioned above, organization has to nurture and develop the culture of productivity, efficiency and discipline and for that HR and Management can possibly do the following:

• Communicate to all Managers and employees that, they should be able to complete their work in stipulated time and late working should not be a regular practice and late working can be resorted to only in exceptional circumstances. Anybody resorting to late working regularly will be considered as inefficient.

• Work needs to be distributed properly and equally. Often few people at workplace are found toiling while many others are enjoying, this has to be avoided by regular review and measurement of work.

• Employees often complain that, they are loaded with too much work. Again proper study of work allotted often reveals the opposite. If work is planned and executed properly obviously one can give better output.

• Employee needs to be trained to not only work hard but also to work smart.

• In case late working is resorted to due to shortfall in manpower then only solution is to have right numbers onboard, hence recruit and recruit fast.

• Management should not allow late coming under the excuse that yesterday I was working very late till night.

• In some organizations, you have to seek prior permission from Sr. Managers, if you have to work late. Obviously you have to answer many questions as to why you have to stay late, before getting permission for late working and it discourages late working.

• Managers and Dept. Heads can be questioned and asked to give explanation, in case employees from their dept. are found, working late often.

• Clear message should go to employees that, management encourages smart working and discourages late working and you will be judged by only quality and quantity of work you perform and not by number of hours you work.

• Management and authorities approving expenses on account of late working such as overtime, conveyance, transport, refreshment, dinner, electricity charges etc. should use their discretion judiciously to control both additional costs as well as late working.

• In case you are allowing employees to take compensatory offs against extra working, then your rule should be so designed that, employees should not use Late Working as a tool to collect C-Offs for use at their discretion.

• Management needs to have clear thinking about concept and standard of time discipline in line with nature of industry and business needs. Accordingly you can decide policy and rule regarding office timing, late working, overtime payment, allowable late coming, short leaves, C-Offs etc.

I am copying and pasting a post from another thread to this thread, since it is relevant to this thread topic as well!

Very Good Article on Late Sitting -

Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff:

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 bosses!'

This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other offshore 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 labeled as work-shirkers... Girls who thankfully always (it's changing nowadays... though) leave on time are labeled 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 a 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.

Dear Mr. Jacob and Mr. Vkokamthankar,

Thank you for your suggestions and valuable feedback. Here we are generally concerned with the white-collared employees. At a point, I realize that these people might be a little overburdened with work, but we don't want to encourage this habit. I think we need to prepare an attendance bonus as suggested by Mr. Jacob. It would also be of great help if you could share your insights on this.

The points mentioned by Mr. Vkokamthankar are so very true, and the major problem that I could figure out is the missing leadership attitude. He hasn't been very efficient in leading his employees and encouraging them.

Now, talking about this situation, a new problem arises because what I feel is even if the HR department is planning something and the management doesn't really put it into practice, then they don't walk their talk. So, how do we expect the employees to do the same?

I feel stuck in this situation. I feel I should take this as a challenge and try to bring in some solutions. However, I also feel that when the management is in such a situation, am I putting my career at stake? I don't think I have learned anything from the people or the company so far. The only thing that I have been able to do is put my ideas and knowledge into practice.

Your suggestions would help me decide what to do.