9-5 must be 9-5 even in startups and must be legally enforced

[jadeemars]

A lot of people complain about 9-5 jobs in India as too draining and leaving no room for personal lives. But I think this us because most 9-5 jobs in the private sector are actually 9- midnight jobs and sometimes worse. I've worked in companies, especially startups, that expect me to keep on working even on weekends for very mediocre pay. I felt like most IT- tech jobs in India are some sort of semi-slavery where they dictate all your time. And I am assuming even outside if the tech sector this is true. Isn't there a way to enforce a time limit on working hours of private sector employees, even if it is a startup?
I know this is because of the cut-throat competition in all sectors in India. But if all companies follow this, can't it be levelled out? And I personally think an employee with a balanced happy personal life will be more committed to work and more productive. Thoughts?

 

[eileen7173]

@jadeemars Yeah for employees fixed working hours should be adhered to and clarified in the job description.

 

[jadeemars]

@eileen7173 Absolutely!

 

[carolyntormala]

@jadeemars 2 things.

1. Supply vs Demand
2. Beggars can't be choosers

This is why europe has such good wlb

 

[partyof9]

@carolyntormala 1 thing - Bad labour laws

Above things would be null and void if India had good labour laws.

 

[nazar345]

@partyof9 And the jobs in India too will be null and void as effect of that

 

[rathnakumar]

@nazar345 How do you justify that? I'm curious to know the logic behind that.

 

[nazar345]

@rathnakumar Only reason companies setup shop in India is cheap labour. If that facility is gone then they don't have any reason to move to India, they can move to Eastern Europe, South east asia etc.

 

[rathnakumar]

@nazar345 I think you may be severely underestimating the ease of finding relatively skilled workers who are ready to be underpaid in immense numbers as a factor keeping those countries here. The expenses incurred by companies due to fixed working hours would be drastically lower than setting up shop in a country with less population. Not to mention the variety of business policies and laws they would have to deal with in each of those countries. What do you think?

 

[nazar345]

@rathnakumar If fixed working hours are made mandatory it can cause many issues for companies. Who monitors these working hours? If they have to report to a bureaucrat it just opens up new avenues of corruption while nothing much would change for employees.

There are many companies where you need to work with global teams in such case if working hours are fixed then companies have to come up with shifts and enforce them strictly instead of giving the choice to employees to have flexible working hours.

Currently if I have to correspond with any foreign team members, during the day i take break for most of the afternoon and then work for 2-3 hours in the night.

One more problem with fixed working hours is that, micro management will increase. If companies have to get the work done during fixed work hours only then they will monitor every minute of your work to get maximum out of you.

 

[jadeemars]

@nazar345 By fixed working hours I didn't mean exactly 9-5 like in a governemnt office. But a fixed number of working hours.THat can be in any shift or timezone. Already teh big tech companies in India offer incentives to employees who work in night shifts and all. Even a nominal amount of payment like that , say 100 rupees extra for every extra hour you work, or a few hundred bucks extra for night shifts will actually go a long way in boosting employee morale and sel-esteem. And I am sure a lot of people will be eager to work longer hours if something like that is there without feeling like a modern-age slave. If an employee feels like his company has complete say over the entire 24 hours of his day and sometimes even weekends, then automatically their productivity and innovative spirit will die slowly.

 

[jadeemars]

@nazar345 Cheap labour will be true in India even with fixed working hours and extra pay for overtime work. I have worked in companies that feel that they own you for the pittance they pay you every month and can command all your time even on weekends. And these are not foreign cmopanies tha tsetup shop in India. These are mostly Indian comapnies and startups. A law would go a long way to humanize their work culture.

 

[jadeemars]

@nazar345 I hardly think so. I think steps are required inboth directions. TO make sure that it is easy to set up companies in India and also to make sure that employees are treated well inthose companies. Both needs positive reforms. The advantages that make India a cheap labor destination with lots of job seekers won't be affected with such regulations I think.

 

[jadeemars]

@partyof9 Absolutely!

 

[string_theory]

@partyof9 LoL, you can fix the 9-5 by labor law, but what happens when everyone gets paid according to govt suggested wages.

 

[jadeemars]

@carolyntormala Supply demand are factors in deciding payouts I agree. A person working 8 hours in India won't be paid as well as in Europe and overtime payments for those who work loner will be nowhere close. Let them pay us less but let them pay something! Also companies forcing employees to work till midnight and then on weekends should stop. There is no justification for that. Out of all the companies I've worked in only one company had such utter disregard for employees' personal lives and that is the only unprofitable company I've worked in with employees sometimes leaving a month after joining. Had they spent more time trying to retain employees rather than hiring and firing them, probably they would be profitable.

 

[blueberrycake]

@jadeemars Absolutely, I hear you. I'm in a startup myself, and our official hours are from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with Saturdays working and just Sundays off. Plus, we only get 1 paid leave per month, adding up to 12 paid leaves a year. It can definitely feel draining. It would be great to see some enforced limits on working hours, especially in startups, to ensure a better work-life balance. When employees are happier and more balanced, they tend to be more committed and productive at work.

 

[colinamey]

@blueberrycake Startups aren't meant for work life balance though. Pretty sure those are environments where you gotta deploy quicker to make a name for yourself.

If ya want WLB then corpo is your way to go, ngl.

 

[blueberrycake]

@colinamey Thanks for your input @colinamey! Startups are indeed known for their fast-paced, ambitious environments. However, I think it's worth considering that while speed is crucial, a healthy work-life balance can also lead to increased productivity and employee satisfaction. It's not about compromising ambition but finding that sweet spot where employees can excel at work and still have time for personal growth. So maybe there's room for startups to aim for a balance that benefits everyone.

 

[colinamey]

@blueberrycake Oh yeah a healthy work life balance will surely increase the production. I have worked in a startup where the environment to deploy quickly was there but I used to draw the line for my life there. Like I do love to work but after work, I'd draw the line that I am now not going to work and just play. Bossman would call me at 12 am or something (US based) and ask me if I was available and I'd tell him that I am playing right now XD. I'd maintain my speed as well and sometimes there would be days when I worked for 16 hours straight (happened for a good month cause I was enjoying the problem solving stuff)

So WLB is something you have to do on your own in startups and in corpos, the company usually gives you that from what I understand, still a young bud here who hasn't gotten past his internship phase yet.