40-hour weeks

[Damien Braniff]

It's all about balance, good management and a degree of give and take.

At one place I worked we worked flexi - 37.5 hr week, core time 10-12
and 2-4
If you built up the time you could have up to 2 flex days/month
All this was done on a 'trust' basis with no clocking in/out
They came down hard on anyone abusing the system
When daughter No.1 started school I dropped her off and got to work
around 9. Left at 3 to pick her up. They were happy for me to make the
time up at home as long as deadlines were met.
Annual bonuses for everyone based on company profits.

What all this meant was a happy work force with high productivity. If
the need for OT arose then people were prepared to put in the extra
effort knowing they'd get something back - the give and take principle.

The company was sold and the new managers thought this a very lax system
until it was pointed out that we were the most profitable group in the
company, despite the 'bad' management. They left us more or less as was.

Been sold again after I left and the new bosses have made changes. The
result has been that a lot of the best people have left. They're still
making money but that's in part due to 'savings' made when part of it
was closed.

I guess what I'm saying is that a good company (environment, pay, hours
- the whole package) = happy staff = productive + profitable company.



Damien Braniff
Sr. Technical Writer
damienb at asg.com

Waterfront Plaza
8, Lagan Bank Road
Belfast, N. Ireland BT1 3LR
Tel: +44 (0) 28.9072.3124
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