The flexible start to the workday has become a popular trend in corporate time management. If used properly, it can offer many benefits for company specialists, from reducing emotional stress to increasing overall productivity.
Let's be honest, we've tried several times to deviate from a strict work schedule. But none of the experiments were successful, so we decided to return to the usual mode - Monday to Friday: 9:00–18:00.
Days went by, followed by weeks. During a regular survey of our employees on improving work in the company, the topic of flexible scheduling came up. A significant number of votes were in favor of its introduction. As always, we accommodated our colleagues to create the most comfortable conditions for "creativity".
We began with a two-week test. Everyone had the opportunity to come in the morning between 8:00 and 10:00. After this period, we convened and held a brainstorming session. We assessed how convenient the new schedule seemed and identified its pros and cons.
PROS OF FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING
- Choosing times when the roads are less congested to avoid traffic jams.
- The ability to complete personal tasks before starting the workday.
- Emotional relief as there's no fear of being late.
- The ability to prepare for a morning meeting, plan, and assess the situation.
- Flexibility in the schedule: if you come in early, you leave early.
CONS OF FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING
- Those who come at 10:00 are slightly upset that they have to work until 19:00 when the early birds are free by 17:00.
- Lunch breaks now occur at different times, distracting nearby colleagues.
- Because managers don't know when the required specialist will arrive, they have to spend their time reallocating urgent tasks.
- When an urgent task arises, the person responsible may no longer be in the office.
- A slight discomfort in collaboration with outstaffing clients living in a different time zone. When it's 8 in the morning in Yekaterinburg, it's only 6:00 in Moscow, and some of our developers like to come in at dawn.
The outcome of the meeting was an extension of the trial period for another month. At the end of it, we will finally decide "to be or not to be," i.e., whether or not to introduce a flexible schedule in MediaTen. Even though such a schedule disrupts processes established over years and causes inconvenience, what's more important for us is to implement what our specialists want. We know that comfortable working conditions lead to satisfied employees, and it's their performance and dedication that drives the efficiency and growth of the company.
