This excellent write up from Mr. Pannvalan actually, does the same in the following lines:
‘1. Increasing the organizational output
It is only a myth that late sitting results in added output. It may result in 20% additional output, but it will be often accompanied by the following ill effects.
(a) Employees’ dissatisfaction and displeasure, though not openly expressed, will be on the rise.
(b) Deterioration in the employees’ health will affect the individuals, their families and theorganization in equal measure.
(c) Deprivation/Willful neglect of the interests, health and welfare of other members of the employees’ families will create anguish and it will make them turn their wrath on theorganization.
(d) Reduction in the longevity/ life span of the employees is a sure sign of organizationaldegradation.
(e) Increase in wastages, rejections and accidents, the import of which far outweigh thebenefits accruing from making the employees work for extra hours. Before it is realized,it will be too late.
(f) Because of late sitting, people will tend to utilize full quota of their legitimate leave. It will result in an undesirable situation where some percentage of staff will always remainabsent (not necessarily the same group of people), even on unreasonable grounds.
(g) People who sit late will develop a tendency to come late to the office, the following day.
(h) During the late hours, because of lack of concentration, several mistakes may occur and some small and silly jobs may consume enormous time as compared to the time taken for completion of the same jobs during regular office hours.
(i) For the mistakes committed in the late hours, the employees will be unnecessarily charge-sheeted and punished. It will shatter the morale of the whole group.
(j) Group dynamics will be very active during late hours and it will always be counter-productive and harmful.
(k) Many illegal and immoral acts will be planned and perpetrated, that will lead everyone to landing in deep trouble.
(l) Loyalty of the employees will be greatly affected and their sense of belongingness willlose its strength, honesty and truthfulness.
2. Clearing the backlog of work
If people know in advance that they will be required to work for extra hours, they will show disinterest in working at the regular pace and they may try to defer/postpone some of their routine work for doing it in the late hours. Thus there will not be any additional output from them on that day.
Clearing the backlog in a particular area/section cannot prevent backlog in some other area arising afresh. So, after some time, this argument of ‘clearing the backlog’ to make people work for additional hours will look silly and unacceptable. Therefore, the reasons advanced by the management will be less convincing and will not stand any legal scrutiny.
Without addressing the real cause of backlog i.e. shortage of staff, the management cannot hope to achieve anything, by forcing its staff to work for additional hours, that too without any worthwhile compensation in return.
3. Solving the organizational problems
Modern management experts will not agree that working for extra hours will solve all organizational problems. They will in fact tell the management that working outside office hours will create new and hitherto unknown problems and hence advise against late sitting.
As we all know, only during the late hours, conspiracies are hatched, rumour mills are very active, vilification campaign is at its best, misinformation and canards are spread and frauds and malpractices are planned and perpetrated.
Bribery – both offering and demanding of bribes – takes place only during late hours.
People will not hesitate to work against the very same organization that asked them to stay late for some pressing, urgent work, if it becomes a regular feature of one’s service condition.
The budding youth are greatly disappointed on seeing the true picture of HRD in public sector banks. They lose their interest and intention to continue in the same bank. The high attrition rate witnessed in most of the public sector banks today is one of the direct consequences of thrusting the late sitting culture on them. Many sincere, honest and talented employees quit and join the rival organizations, at the earliest available opportunity.
4. Taking up certain specialized jobs or assignments
It is often argued that certain jobs cannot be otherwise taken up and completed during the regular office hours, because such jobs call for total concentration, uninterrupted functioning and special type of skills. It is quite true. But, for handling such special and critical assignments, the management must hire additional people with specialized talent. Alternatively, the management may identify some of the existing employees with the required knowledge and skill sets and draft them for such specialized jobs or assignments. Without resorting to either of these, asking all or most of the employees to sit late and attend to special duties will be irrational, unfair and unjust. It only displays the feudal mindset and directionless behavior of the management.
5. Attending to certain confidential matters
When openness and transparency are the watchwords of modern management, the importance attached to confidentiality is somewhat perplexing in today’s world. The element of secrecy and confidentiality in many routine matters will give rise to rumours – harmful rumours - and the grapevine will have a field day.
Scandals and libels can also be noticed here and there. But there will be no one to confirm or deny the veracity of their contents.
Such being the case, working after office hours to attend to certain confidential matters is bereft of any legal validity and moral claims.
It must be the endeavor of the management to attend to all matters and issues during the regular office hours. Else, it will be construed as a failure on its part.
Certain critical, volatile and sensitive issues can be handled by a select group of people during the course of business itself. So, late sitting is not needed for such jobs.
Conclusion
We have demolished here all the myths and fallacies surrounding ‘late sitting’ in offices. No organization worth its name can today make ‘late sitting’ as an integral part of its work culture. Any forward looking and progressive organization will not venture to do that. If some organizations still retain late sitting practice in their day to day functions, it only goes to show how ignorant and outdated they are. Late sitting is a self-deceiving tool and self-defeating strategy. What else one can say?
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