With the demand of certain industries to work long and perhaps inflexible hours, it might seem impossible to escape the standard schedule of the 9 to 5 workweek. Companies can still create their own hours, though, by using HR software to help them develop the best plan. Developing a company-specific work schedule will also help dictate how to respond to other, related issues, like processing overtime and vacation pay.
There are several reasons that taking initiative and creating your own rules for working hours might be preferable. For one, employees become less productive when they work for too long. Referencing a study by Stanford’s Jon Pencavel, CNBC acknowledged that those individuals that work more than 50 hours a week do not show any increase in productivity, and that it plateaus the longer they work.
In addition, employees should know they have the opportunity to work in a way that is best for them, no matter the task. Writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, lawyer Tim Dick recently argued that the amount of hours shouldn’t be standard in a workplace, and should in fact shift depending on personal circumstance.
“Every worker should have the right to show her employer and tell her colleagues why it makes good business sense for her to work a nine-day fortnight, or to leave at 3pm, or to work from home once a week – and for her employer to respond considerately,” he said.
If they don’t use the latest HR software solutions in their HR departments, companies could feel like they don’t have any control over these conditions. After implementing a newer scheduling solution, businesses will be more able to control worker activity and avoid overworking employees too extensively.