Calling the ‘9 to 5’ work culture dead, Salesforce recently offered employees three new ways of working.
While few staffers will come to office daily, the ‘flex’ option allows employees to come in up to three days a week. Some can even choose to work remotely full time, even when it’s safe to return to the office.
Even Spotify unveiled its ‘Work from Anywhere’ programme, stating a “workplace isn’t built on the premise that employees need to gather in an office with traditional desk setups.” Personnel at the music streaming company can work entirely from home or in the office, or in a combination of the two.
The two companies join the league of Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, which have shifted to flexible work hours. In addition to safeguarding their employee’s health during the pandemic, these organisations believe that remote working can boost productivity, performance, and overall business health.
Closer home, Labour Secretary, Apurva Chandra, recently stated that companies in India will not be allowed to increase working hours beyond the mandated 48-hour limit per week. Employees will also get three days of consecutive holidays. Ranjith Premraj, Director of People and Culture at Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru tells Vinita Bhatia how this is likely to play out in the hospitality industry where long hours is a norm.
Will the proposed labour law codes work in the hospitality industry?
We are awaiting more guidelines on this matter to gain better clarity. My takeaway is that there is a flexibility on how 48 hours a week can be implemented, and that the three consecutive holidays is not mandatory.
Our industry is known for sudden fluctuations and a need for quick thinking on the feet. Business fore cast, even if done well, is prone to high or low pressure periods.
While long hours in hospitality used to be the norm, the pandemic has shown us ways to work around it. Upskilling, multi-tasking and other trainings have made work more flexible. At Four Seasons, when employees work extra on a particular day, they are compensated for those extra hours. This ensures
that the 48-hour period balances out. It will be interesting to see if and when this code gets implemented, whether there will be any changes to the guidelines on overtime.
How will these labour codes affect the hospitality industry?
The codes are done to augment employment opportunities and provide enhanced occupational health and social security measures for employees. However, in India there is also no provision for ‘on-call employees’ like in western countries where staffers can be called in any time, so this becomes tricky. We have a pretty fixed labour set-up and employees opting for longer shifts and a four-day work week, especially in operational departments, may see some challenges. But then again, the recent past has shown us that thinking out of the box is possible, so we will have to wait and see.
How can hoteliers offer flexible work hours keeping these labour codes in perspective?
Flexible working hours are possible in administrative departments. However, one should also consider if it is fair on the employees working in the operational departments because of the nature of their job. If this rule is mandated, we need to come up with creative ways of scheduling.
For example, an employee can be scheduled on split shifts, so that a server does four hours of breakfast shift and does four hours of dinner operations, with a break in between. Another way is by scheduling employees on a daily basis instead of weekly or a monthly roster, since it gives a more realistic business forecast.
At Four Seasons, we encourage employees to maintain work-life balance by letting them know their schedule a week in advance so that they can plan their days-off in advance. This could be compromised if the new code is implemented, so, we will have to find a viable solution.
How will this move affect hoteliers trying their best to revive business, which means putting in extra working hours?
Of course, this is the year of recovery and everybody has to do more with lesser resources. If these labour codes come to effect in April, it will indeed put a burden on an establishment’s financial
results.
Hotels will have to re-look into increasing their workforce to meet business demands. But then again, the government is trying to increase employment opportunities for those who lost jobs during the pandemic.
And how will that happen?
The new labour code is set to cover over 50 crore workers from the organised, unorganised and self-employed sectors. When implemented, industries have to file just one return for all four codes. The ease of compliance would mean increased formality, which will lead to proliferation of larger enterprises and more organised jobs. This, in turn, will ensure that more firms and workers pay taxes increasing government revenues. It will keep the wheels of the economy well oiled.
Can remote working become a reality in hospitality?
This pandemic has taught employers that remote working could be an option. However, since the nature
of the job in the service industry is personal connection with guests, it might not be possible for employees in operational departments. In administrative departments remote working is possible. But, it
comprises a small chunk of the overall workforce in a hotel.
Besides, this brings up the question of fairness. When the foot soldiers are working hands-on with guests creating experiences, why should back office employees, representing a smaller chunk of the workforce, get the advantage of remote working? Also, one loses the human to human connection in remote working.
The secret sauce of the hospitality industry is powered by this connect – the smiles, camaraderie and feeling of oneness.
Can offering flexible work hours help employees become more productive?
Every employee has to juggle between personal life and work life. When offered flexibility in work
hours, they get adequate time to sort out personal matters and come to work refreshed, which helps them
focus better. Also, superfluous travel time could be curtailed, leading to productivity.
