Struggling with Late Hours? How to Balance Workload and Office Closure in a Garment MNC

I am a part of a mid-sized organization, which is a liaison office for a UK giant. We are looking forward to very specific adherence to in and out time management. As of today, our in-time is very strict; however, the out-time stretches way beyond the office closure time due to work pressure. Can you suggest some initiatives? The management is keen to close the office by 6:30 at the max, but the employees are not comfortable stating that they will not be able to finish their work. Ours is a garment industry, and we deal with factories and buyers from the UK. Kindly suggest how I should start the planning of such a change.

Regards,
Richa

I appreciate your management for strict work timing. This really helps employees to balance their work-life. Before suggesting, I wanted to know if your company is UK-based. Are employees not required to provide support during UK timings?

Regards,
Kavitha

Hi Kavitha, Thanks for your prompt reply. We do have to deal with buyers in the UK; however, since it is a coordination between buyer requirements, samples from the factory, etc., people complain of not being able to handle everything within 4 hours from the UK office opening time. What we intend to do is to create strict yet flexible guidelines for them to follow, plan, and manage their time well before we proceed with the change. Suggestions needed accordingly.

Regards, Richa

For employees who need to coordinate with the UK, they can change their timings to 2 pm - 11 pm. The remaining employees can work the general shift from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm. When you implement the change, schedule a meeting (Hi tea) to explain why the timings are changing, the benefits of the new schedule, and the advantages of finishing work on time. Provide examples to illustrate these points. Through these actions, change will occur gradually and consistently.

Employees as Key Resources

Employees are the key resources of every organization. It is essential to consider their viewpoints and work towards a common solution.

Regards,
Kavitha

Further to the practical suggestions by Kavitha, please confirm if you have conducted any analysis on why the employees need to work late on a regular basis. Quite often, the employee strength is hired at levels far below what is actually necessary (sort of 5 persons doing the work of 10). If this is indeed the case in your company, then what Kavitha mentioned may not really work unless the primary cause is effectively addressed.

All the best.

Regards,
TS

Thank you TS & Kavitha,

Kavitha, the shift timing from 2-11 would not be practical in our organization since our buyers in the UK place the order/requirement, and our suppliers/factory in India make the samples. Therefore, it has to be during normal working hours.

TS, for hiring, we conduct all necessary checks regarding the working capability of a candidate. Additionally, we are not currently facing a shortage of manpower. However, I do acknowledge that our job involves pressure due to the short lead time for deliveries.

Personally, I believe we could support them initially by providing training in time management, priority setting, and ensuring everyone adheres to their To-Do list properly. Are they taking any extra measures? Do you think this approach would be effective, or do you have any other ideas on how to address this situation?

Regards,
Richa

I would suggest that you first analyze the reasons for the late sittings and discuss them with various people like HODs, managers, etc., and take their views on it. There may be a case that they have some issues, which if addressed, may sort out this problem. However, you also need to see if the people are indulging in "wasteful activities" during the day and then sitting late. Once you have observed and analyzed, you would have identified the problems, and then you need to really look for the solutions. We have handled assignments where companies were not able to get to the real problem for such behavior. The analysis and results we came out with were really surprising for them. It is an OB matter and should be handled properly; otherwise, it might affect the morale of the people. You need to be really sure of the issue before taking any action to set it right.

This is in addition to what previous members have said, especially Avika. To identify "wasteful activities," as Avika has mentioned, you need to start maintaining the Activity Logs. This is a powerful tool for time management. Sometimes, the tools fail because people are reluctant to fill the time logs or activity logs. If they fill them, they do so reluctantly or nonchalantly.

Analysis of the Activity Logs will reveal the real issues. Other reasons for poor time management include:

- **Job Misfit or Under-skilled Persons**
- **Lack of Teamwork Culture**
- **Systems and Processes Not Well Defined**: If defined, then their measurement is not done. Unwanted processes are not eliminated.
- **"Boss" as the Biggest Impediment**: Too much time is wasted on meetings.
- **High Attrition Rate**: Churn of manpower takes a toll on smooth work.
- **Highly Bureaucratic Culture**: It takes time to obtain authorization from top bosses.
- **No Time and Motion Studies Conducted**
- **Quantitative Techniques Not Used Where Required**: Usage of Excel sheets is not the usage of quantitative techniques, please note.
- **Everything Happens on "Urgent" or "Emergency" Basis**: No definitions are made for "urgent," "emergency," "immediate," and "routine" works.

My Article on Time Management: About five years ago, my article on time management was published in "The Hindu." Click here <link updated to site home> to go through it. It will give you additional insights.

Thanks,

Regards,
Dinesh V Divekar
Soft Skill,
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Dear Richa,

A very practical problem faced by "Garment Units" is the attitude issue that needs to be sorted out and the coordination required between departments in fixing priorities.

Attitudinal Issue:

1. We are working for the UK and hence need to be present to answer their queries by phone/mail. There is nothing so important to be replied to as long as the concerned person or department has not manipulated the data required by the UK office. Often, the concerned people say they are helpless because they were not given the true picture by the vendors.

Solution: The team, in coordination with vendors for products or samples, should be clear about the facts given by the vendors by cross-verifying the same. Also, call for an internal meeting with vendors who frequently give false information on timelines as they work for many manufacturers like you. They consciously lie as they don't want to lose business and always hope to manage with a big SORRY. This vicious circle needs to be broken to avoid further mess with all the coordinating departments.

2. Being on time and delivering on time means the job is simple, and hence it should be projected that it has been an uphill task with so much follow-up and delays due to quality-related issues.

Solution: Clarity in requirements to vendors and the QA team should function with care.

3. Frequent changes in the priority of orders make it a maze, almost impossible to vent. The planning department is often blamed.

Solution: Plan for an 8/10-hour work schedule and keep room for an additional 2-4 hours for emergency orders. It will be good to follow ERP. This is often said but rarely followed.

Coordination Issue:

This can be easily managed provided there is no ego between the departments. Teamwork sessions can help. I have experienced delays in delivering goods primarily due to a war of words between production and QC/QI. Also, poor coordination between merchandisers, QA, Production, and QI. At times, even the logistics department and accounts dept.

Richa, although I have given suggestions, I know it is not an easy task to be accomplished. Only when they understand that their jobs are important both to deliver good quality and keep good relationships in achieving the team goals, which makes their work more meaningful, any amount of performance systems may not truly help.

Wish you GOOD LUCK.

Regards, Nalina.K

[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Coimbatore-06

Task Allocation and Time Management Strategies

I would suggest first checking and allocating the work with time estimation. If the time is already estimated for a particular task, employees are encouraged to finish the task within the given hours. List the employees who are capable enough to finish the task on time and send a notice to the other employees that strict action will be taken if they do not improve. Also, consider this point during appraisals.

Not all at once, but slowly you will see the change.

Acknowledgment and Implementation

You have acknowledged the help from other members. Good. Not everyone does this. Nevertheless, the real tribute to the members would be by implementing the techniques suggested by them and coming back to tell us what percentage of time you could save from unproductive activities or how you could improve the organization's productivity through better time management methods. Your valuable inputs would add real value to the forum. All the best!

Regards,
Dinesh V Divekar

Thank you to everyone who spared time to help me with ideas/suggestions. I think I have an understanding of how I can use the information to draft what I really want. I am sure you would be able to help me if I get stuck again. Thanks again!

Regards,
Richa