5 ms·

I think the real test is if you're willing to let your employees adopt the same sort of schedule. I've yet to find an employer who is comfortable with this sort

I think the real test is if you're willing to let your employees adopt the same sort of schedule. I've yet to find an employer who is comfortable with this sort of schedule (I only expect 4-5 productive hours in the day) even if some enlightened managers will recognize that reality privately. Would you allow high-value employees to put in high-quality 4 hour workdays? Why or why not?

spaginal 9y ago
It's person dependent in my experience. Some people NEED structure in their day and need the 8 hours or 10 hours or however many you require for the work. Most don't have a business owners mindset and just want to stay busy all day and clock out. I know I can work whenever, but most people have been conditioned to put in hours through a lifetime of previous employment and it's extremely difficult to break the habit once it's ingrained. I know I've tried giving many employees lots of runway, but in my experience, hourly and even piece work (commission) employees can find a way to make a 1 hour task fill the 8 hours instead of efficiently working out of it and moving on if the incentives aren't there to break them of it. Others will abuse it and not get the work done. It can be frustrating.
drvdevd 9y ago
This is an important point. I would personally allow it, because I believe the fundamental premise to be true. In my experience, too much time in the "standard work day" is wasted on looking like you're working, at all levels of the hierarchy of most businesses. OTOH, I would demand some sort of measurable feedback and/or self evaluation from employees to determine which schedule works best for them. Maybe that's just too much overhead for a larger team, though. Perhaps at a certain point in size, the productivity gains VS overhead of "managing" more flexible schedules, become minimal.
- RealityVoid 9y ago
  I don't think this works, because, frankly, in a team, the usually is a guy who picks up other people's slack and, because he's that good, he really works 8h of the day. The bigger the company, the more true this is because it grings up inefficiencies that need to be filled with personell time.
SketchySeaBeast 9y ago
Working at a place that focuses on billable hours and the majority of work is time and materials, the answer speaks for itself.

spaginal 9y ago

It's person dependent in my experience. Some people NEED structure in their day and need the 8 hours or 10 hours or however many you require for the work. Most don't have a business owners mindset and just want to stay busy all day and clock out. I know I can work whenever, but most people have been conditioned to put in hours through a lifetime of previous employment and it's extremely difficult to break the habit once it's ingrained. I know I've tried giving many employees lots of runway, but in my experience, hourly and even piece work (commission) employees can find a way to make a 1 hour task fill the 8 hours instead of efficiently working out of it and moving on if the incentives aren't there to break them of it. Others will abuse it and not get the work done. It can be frustrating.

drvdevd 9y ago

This is an important point. I would personally allow it, because I believe the fundamental premise to be true. In my experience, too much time in the "standard work day" is wasted on looking like you're working, at all levels of the hierarchy of most businesses. OTOH, I would demand some sort of measurable feedback and/or self evaluation from employees to determine which schedule works best for them. Maybe that's just too much overhead for a larger team, though. Perhaps at a certain point in size, the productivity gains VS overhead of "managing" more flexible schedules, become minimal.

RealityVoid 9y ago
I don't think this works, because, frankly, in a team, the usually is a guy who picks up other people's slack and, because he's that good, he really works 8h of the day. The bigger the company, the more true this is because it grings up inefficiencies that need to be filled with personell time.

SketchySeaBeast 9y ago

Working at a place that focuses on billable hours and the majority of work is time and materials, the answer speaks for itself.