Early to bed, early to rise was what we were taught and believed to be true even to date. But with times changing fast, incorporating new technologies into our lifestyle, with eroding values, our work culture is still believed to remain the same with a typical “NINE TO FIVE” routine. This article gives a glimpse of why working 9 to 5 is a vintage idea.
Back to Henry Ford’s days, when he wanted workers in 9 to 5 gig to achieve success in the factory by achieving mass production. Fast forward One hundred and twenty years to 2021, where the working style of people have changed drastically, by working from home or hybrid mode. Novelty, Enjoyment, Being your own boss, have lost their meaning with a typical 9 to 5 job.
The phrase “NINE to FIVE” is perceived differently by different personalities. But a majority of millennials feel controlled in such setups which are leading to diminishing productivity, efficiency, and most importantly employee happiness.
From “Oh No it’s Monday” to “Thank God It’s Friday” an average person spends most of their life with just Rs 31,900/- as an average salary per month. When they look back, they have nothing left, apart from regretting the job that they were into. To overcome this gap it WOULD have been great if organizations have heard employees’ opinions and it WILL still be great if we give a chance to the companies to incorporate the timings that the employees are convenient with. This is because, not everyone is creative at the same time, and not everyone’s mind operates the same way. Each and every human being is different. For a few people, 8 hours of work is equal to just one hour of work, we just need to understand the employee's capabilities, skill sets to help them scale up their career instead of pressurizing them in monotonous setups every single day. If not, everyone will be stuck in the same phase of life, likewise our economy even after twenty years.
In my personal experience, I had client calls even after 8:30 PM and I had to answer them to not let the lead go away which will impact my targets set by my team head. This situation in fact disrupted my Work-life balance, which led to stress and anxiety. At some point in our lives, we often forget what we are working for and why are we working for, the only barrier, “family” stops us in the way to not letting that income go away.
Instead, if people loved their jobs and people loved the flexibility offered by employers, we cannot even imagine the success of companies and economies because the vision and mission of each and every individual becomes much stronger every day. It will definitely be a tremendous eye-opener to realize the way community, freedom, and learning are interconnected to the employees in the organizations. In the era of Great Resignation and extreme burnout of employees, we need to rethink the idea of working from 9 to 5 because achieving a healthier and happier state of work is imperative for all leaders. HR leaders should be at the forefront to innovate new strategies because old metrics are no longer sufficient to measure the diverse circumstances. To seize the moment and succeed is to incorporate diverse needs and understand the employee’s wellbeing.
Every employee waits for the 30th of every month because this vintage idea of making people work from 9 to 5, compromises their goals and vision of leveraging their income and compromises their lifestyle. Creating a sense of purpose, ensuring the personal support and financial health of employees isn’t an easy task. It is the need of the hour to understand that employee needs are evolving. Remuneration and perks aren’t enough to retain the best talent. Instead, employees want more meaningful and holistic benefits.
In the process of building a company brand, we often forget to build a personal brand ourselves, which is a black mark in society. Because this country needs young blood, this country needs innovative ideas and none the less this country needs more power in the form of development because “We’re all in this together”.
About the author:
Vyshnavi Konakalla is an enthusiastic reader, recently featured on Times of India for her passion towards reading books and her path towards entrepreneurship. She is a recently passed out graduate (MBA) from Christ University. It is her immense interest into her career that helped her to capitalize her interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills in the field of marketing. She has been a part of eight major internships that helped to shape her skills and knowledge towards her family business. At 22, she decided to become an entrepreneur. Today she proudly states to be the first woman running her family business which is 45 years young named Konakalla Steels. She is a person who embraces challenges and inspires many people of her age to take bold steps towards their career.
👏