How to Design 5 Days working with Manufacturing Units, Sales & Marketing Team

Dear All,

I am working in the HR Department of a company where we have a 6-day (24x7) working culture. Our manufacturing unit observes Sunday as the weekly off, while the Sales and Marketing team has their weekly off on alternate Saturdays and every Sunday.

I would like to propose a 5-day work week culture so that all our employees can have their weekly offs on Saturdays and Sundays.

Therefore, I am reaching out to gather ideas from my HR colleagues who have experience implementing a 5-day work week in similar settings with a manufacturing unit operating 24x7. I am also interested in learning about the 5-day working practices for Sales & Marketing teams.

If any of you have a study report, survey, or proposal related to this topic, please share it with me as it would be very helpful.

Your kind support will be highly appreciated.

Thanks and Best regards,
Anil

Dear Dr. Anil Kamalia,

It appears from your post that the organization is working 24/7, with the manufacturing unit having Sundays off. It is not feasible if the weekly off for the manufacturing unit is staggered, as there would be no employees available on Sundays at the manufacturing unit.

In my career, I have worked with an MNC where the manufacturing unit operated six days a week with two staggered days off (24/7). In contrast, the Sales & Marketing, Accounts, HR, etc., support functions followed a five-day workweek with Saturdays and Sundays off.

This arrangement has proven beneficial in maintaining work-life balance for the manufacturing unit and has resulted in better productivity compared to a five-day workweek with two consecutive days off.

Thanks & Regards,

S K Bandyopadhyay (WB, Howrah) CEO-USD HR Solutions +91 98310 81531 skb@usdhrs.in USD HR Solutions – To strive towards excellence with effort and integrity.

Before proposing the proposal for a 5-day working week from the current 7-day working week, you may need to consider the following feasibility aspects. Workstation availability, the total time required to convert raw materials into finished goods, and the time needed for all actions during the manufacturing of finished goods (total volume of production in five days) by all workers (currently working seven days) in a five-day workweek should be carefully examined. A cost-benefit analysis should be conducted.

If your manufacturing unit implements Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing for your customers, how do you plan to address your customers' needs on Saturdays and Sundays? It is important to ensure customer satisfaction even on weekends.

You may also refer to the previous discussions on this topic at: https://www.citehr.com/376238-disadvantages-benefits-working-5-days-week-pg3.html

Five-day week in manufacturing activity means idling the resources for two days every week. Will it be okay for the management? The machinery involved in production has a definite life and is not substantially affected whether it is utilized for 6 days or 5 days in a week. The management would look for an early return on the investment made. Therefore, reducing the working days is not advisable.

Dear Babu Alexander,

I really appreciate your reply to my above post. Yes, we have a manufacturing unit working 24/7. I would like to propose a five-day working week to the senior management teams who are responsible for 24-hour duties but are not earning overtime or receiving compensatory off facilities, specifically my managers and above.

I would be highly thankful if anyone could share their guidelines for a five-day work week to my official email address [Login to view] and [Login to view].

Best regards,
Anil