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Barbarian Diordieva - the lawyer, an analyst.
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Career and work

Flexible hours: freedom illusion

The tendency, however

When speech comes about flexible hours, directors for the personnel express loyally enough - but it in the theory. And in practice they seldom are enraptured, when someone from employees states a wish to plan the working day at own discretion.

On the one hand, development of electronic technologies, house computers with access to the Internet, multipurpose phones, faxes do work of the house more than possible. On the other hand, when the personnel independently plans the work and drops out from under supervision HR and direct heads - a situation for our employers unusual and not comfortable.

But progress not to stop: in the developed countries the flexible operating mode which was once the privilege of the elite, becomes usual practice - especially among "white collars". Russia, as always, "walks without cadence": at us last ten-fifteen years the good form considers to spend the day and the night at office, and conversations on flexible hours or the individual schedule against such intense corporate everyday life look almost indecently.

We slide, we vary...

Everyone understands the as "flexible hours". Sometimes in a similar way call even... ненормированный the working day. But it is real in daily practice of the companies three variants of flexible hours are used: sliding (individual), dared and free.

The sliding schedule

It is given to separate employees in coordination with a management on the basis of the statement and it is made out as the document where variable and fixed working hours are reflected.

Variable (flexible) time are time intervals in which frameworks you can begin and finish work (for example, from 8.30 till - the beginning, and from 17.00 till - the termination). Fixed time are hours when you are obliged to be present at any case on a workplace (for example, from 12.00 till).

The sliding schedule always is made so that for a week (month) the employee has fulfilled the same quantity of hours, as well as all other employees who are at office the full working day. So in a sense such privilege - only freedom illusion. If it is given not to all interested persons, and is selective, there is an occasion to discontent and some pressure among "office majority". Охотнее all the sliding schedule "says goodbye" to future mums and students. " Granting of flexible hours by that who combines work and study - additional motivator for attraction in the company of young experts, - Ekaterina Zhukov, the director for the personnel рекрутинговой explains the companies "Agency Contact". - We make flexible hours so that, choosing time for work in the rage from eight mornings till nine evenings, "sliding" employees have fulfilled for a week necessary 40 hours. Thus, it is not reflected in their wages in any way. Not all companies can give such possibility to the employees, therefore in our case the flexible hours are competitive advantage ".

Work by turns

Contrary to the developed stereotypes, work by turns exists not only in shopping centres, the call-centres and user's services. In such mode employees of large publishing houses, news agencies, advertising agencies of a full cycle, the building organisations, etc. work

It would seem, what in such schedule "flexible"? After all duration of change is rigidly fixed. However in many companies loyally concern to that the employees working in such mode, vary changes depending on personal circumstances is allows them to release completely any certain day or a part of day. Sometimes the schedule by turns is combined with the sliding: we will tell, at standard nine-hour change the employee (in coordination with the head) in one day fulfils six hours, and per another - twelve.

The free schedule

It is dream of each individualist and the creative person which efficiency sharply decreases in "прокрустовом a bed" the corporate schedule. There is variety of trades, for which free schedule - the integral attribute. They are journalists, copywriters, designers and artists, креаторы, trainers, agents of the insurance companies, event-managers etc. "We regulate that part of work of trainers which is connected with other employees - reviewers, sellers, managers, - Anna Monosova, the director of the company" Арс Витэ "tells. - In the rest the schedule depends on such factors, as тренинговая loading, daily problems (meetings with clients, preparation of current trainings and creation new, a writing of programs). Individual preferences of the trainer" are considered also.

Plus or minus?

Heads-opponents of flexible hours are afraid of that? That the employees deprived of the control, will prefer private affairs to the decision of business problems that will inevitably be reflected in financial indicators of firm. And these fears have the real bases - it is known, that propensity of people to shirk work is considered by experts even at drawing up of various economic models.

"If the expert does not have internal discipline and it is capable to reach objects in view only under the constant control, the flexible hours are potentially dangerous to it", - Elena Bulkina, the director of the company "A-class Рекрутмент" explains. Many do not wish to incur responsibility and are not able to structure time independently. For such people change of a traditional operating mode - "clumsy assistance". Freedom and an autonomy at times become so heavy test, that the worker himself asks to return on a usual mode.

One more serious minus of flexible hours - difficulties with coordination of interaction of the employees working at various times and different days. Nevertheless, according to Elena Bulkinoj, "if the information interchange and control mechanism works effectively absence of accurate time of arrival and leaving is quite admissible for those experts who can perform without damage to quality the work independently, and do not depend rigidly on other colleagues".

From the point of view of the employer, basic plus of flexible hours - possibility of performance of difficult work at that time day which is optimum for the concrete employee (especially when is required a combination of the creative approach to the maximum professional return). "Someone necessarily comes to nine mornings as morning for it - the most productive time, someone prefers to do in the middle of day" текучку ", and the best decisions gives out more close by the night, - Anna Monosova speaks. - in my opinion, many kinds of activity (including trainer's) do not need to be regulated time frameworks. That is connected with a creative, in general to adjust it is impossible".

Though the flexible hours yet have not received a wide circulation in Russia, many companies consider as its useful motivational tool. Such mode is convenient in those companies where the considerable part of problems is carried out by the employee in an individual order, without coordination with colleagues where there are accurate criteria of an estimation of result. But within the limits of close command interaction or in firms with very rigid administrative structure it is hardly pertinent. Besides, work on flexible hours demands high level of self-organising and ability to justify the rendered trust. And it should study.

The test for the head: whether it is necessary to enter flexible hours?

If you deliberate over granting possibility to your employees of flexible hours, but doubt expediency of such mode, try to answer following questions:

* Whether you are inclined to trust people?
* Whether you consider the employees as competent and responsible professionals?
* In your company results or work process are supervised?
* Whether you perceive a flexible daily routine as the factor of non-material motivation?
* Whether you consider flexible hours favourable from the economic point of view?
* Whether you agree with principle Парето (the employee for 20 % of time carries out 80 % of work)?

If you have answered the most part of questions in the affirmative, hence, in your company favorable conditions for flexible hours introduction were generated; but if you have told "are not present" on two and more points - this measure will be premature and will not bring expected benefits.

The test for the employee: whether you are able to structure time?

* You always come in time on the appointed meetings?
* You strictly observe the mode of day?
* Whether you make the working plan for day, for week?
* Whether you among the list of affairs are able to allocate the most important and urgent?
* Whether you can quickly correct in case of need the plans?
* Whether you are ready to work overtime to carry out a problem in the stipulated term?

If you have answered "yes" not less than four questions, you can effectively work in a flexible mode. If positive answers less than four, approach you a strict daily routine more.