Relevance of flexi hours to Zim

pressures.
This market has traditionally been surrendered voluntarily to South Africa and Europe.
The argument presented has always been that extending business hours would result in companies incurring losses due to extra people who will be employed. In the short-term period (up to six months) companies will definitely incur losses.
However, when people get used to going shopping at night the business will start booming alongside other businesses around the shopping centre such as food outlets, security companies, taxi business, sports clubs, cinema, pharmacies and gift shops.
The compounded gain will result in an increase in employment, business activities and general economic growth of the country.
Shopping is potentially addictive. A research carried out overseas revealed that “people who shop until they drop dead” derive some therapeutic effect from shopping.
However, the addition can only be fully utilised if the shopping environment is convenient. One enabler of convenience is extending shopping hours.
Another argument advanced by business is their security concern. Working late into the night exposes business to armed robbers as well as compromise the safety of their workforce. This is an unfortunately evil. Flexi hours is the future for business in Zimbabwe and throughout the world, therefore business will have to invest in security systems which will be used to combat crime.
It is not compulsory for all employees to start work at the same time. Some staff members do not have direct interface with the customers at specific times of the day. Staff members such as data capture clerks, underwriters, computer programmers, systems analysts, etc, do not have direct interface with customers. These employees can start work say at 10am and finish around 7pm depending on the task at hand.
The key is ensuring that the particular employee works eight hours. Employees are only rewarded time in attendance.
The company has to accurately measure the employee’s attendance. The employee has no right to payment if delayed by traffic congestion, planes or trains. These delays are at employee’s expense.
In Zimbabwe employers pay for these structural absenteeism such as late arrivals, taking a stroll outside the company premises, visitation to doctors, entertaining relatives during working hours, and visiting the restrooms. This then entails that companies should invest in clocking systems and stamping systems, which enables them to monitor employees’ attendance and presence at work.
Unless the management or employees have specific meetings/customer interface or work in a production line which cannot be interrupted, there is no actual logic in all employees starting work at the same time.
A lot of Swedish companies and British companies use this concept of flexi hours. Other multinational companies such as SITA and ABB Powerlines use flexi hours in their operations. Flexi hours can greatly reduce the stress and fatigue employees suffer from during rush hours.
Stress and fatigue can make employees unfocused. Unfocused employees and managers are less productive. The situation is worse during the rainy seasons. Imagine the relief some employees can get if they are going to start work at 11am. Going to work and coming home must be enjoyable not stressful. In addition extending business hours enables the employees to do other activities such as schooling before going to work. This is very common in countries such as the United Kingdom.
Flexi hours can help in reducing road carnage caused by careless/impatient emergency taxi drivers.
Taxi drivers maximise their occupancy rate during rush hours of the day, failure to do so would reduce their day’s takings.
If working hours are spread it enables these drivers’ adrenaline to go down as business will be spread throughout the day.

l The writer is a managing consultant at CLC Training International.

 

 

 

 

Over the years only tuck shops were conscious of extending business hours to 10pm.
As a result most of the tuck shop owners prospered. It is only now that supermarkets are slowly extending their business hours (even Sunday is now a working day). The sooner the whole retail industry catches on to the bandwagon the better.
In most supermarkets the peak times are between 730am and 9am then 1230pm to 2pm then 430pm to 630pm.
Most supermarkets close at 7pm. Their day end time coincides with the time low, middle and senior management will be leaving their work places.
This does not give them amble time to find shops for late shopping. This restricts time available for executives to shop around because most shops (clothing, supermarkets and hard wares) do not accommodate them during the day and at night.
The same executives find it easier to shop in Johannesburg than Harare because shopping centres such as Eastgate, Westgate, Kollonade shopping centres etc are open up to 10pm.
In certain dams there are time restriction such that fishermen can only start fishing at 8am and finish at 6pm.
These times are not negotiable. This also implies that there are also exceptions to usage of flexi hours depending on certain industries and companies.
Legal implications of flexi hours to Zimbabwe
Flexi hours are not provided for in the Labour Act but can be agreed to as long as there is no conflict with the collective bargaining agreement.
In addition the conditions should be more favourable compared to those prescribed and the employee concerned should be agreeable to the times and that they will not work more than their prescribed hours per week.
The writer is a managing consultant at CLC Training International.