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Now there are more and more materials stating that the attitude of the younger generation (millennials, the generation of YAYA) to work differs from the attitude of representatives of other age groups. They are not loyal, they are not ready to do boring work, they change it easily and are not always ready to spend 8 hours 5 days a week in offices. At the same time, the market itself often cannot meet these needs, which are formed largely due to the presence of examples based on the careers of successful freelancers. And at the moment there is no real alternative that can change the current organization of employment for most people. Having read up to this point, you can start scrolling down the page in order to leave an angry comment, but after reading the article in its entirety, most likely, you will agree with it, if not completely, then at least with its individual postulates.

Recently, many companies (what only Google Inc. is worth) refuse the concept of an 8-hour working day. The schedule in them is not strictly regulated, employees can work remotely and at a time that they themselves determine as working. At the same time, the rejection of the usual 8 hours does not in the least affect the success of the enterprise. So why don't others share this positive experience?

And it's not just the presence of close and understandable examples. Various kinds of scientific theories are also emerging, confirmed, including experimentally, about the principles of the functioning of the human brain, the maximum efficiency. For example, ultradian rhythms. The bottom line is that the brain can be focused on solving a specific problem for no more than 2 hours in a row. After that, a "recharge" is necessary. Not the one promoted by advertising (chocolate bar or coffee), but a change of activity during which the brain can “rest”. So why do the vast majority of employers pay no attention to such research? Why don't they listen to innovators like Richard Eisenberg? But in fact, there are several reasons why remote work or work with a free schedule loses to a standard 8-hour work day.

Market conditions

At the dawn of the struggle for an 8-hour working day in the industrial era, everything was much simpler: I stood at the machine at the factory - I made a certain number of blanks. Today, not only production is moving towards the intangible, but the approach to work is changing. It is much easier for an employer to keep a permanent staff and pay salaries even when, for various reasons, employment cannot be called maximum, than to search for the necessary specialists in a hurry. That is why many office workers have times when they can compare themselves to Barney Stinson. And it's not about going to a bar on a Friday night, but about the lack of a clear idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat exactly he does when there is no work as such.

The point here is that in certain aspects the labor market does not differ from the market in the classical sense. And the subject of bargaining on it is often time - a resource that can be easily measured, in contrast to the result (in the non-material sphere). Evaluating a secretary by the number of calls received per day is not entirely correct. After all, it is important that no matter how many there are (2 or 20), they do not go unanswered. Therefore, the purchase of time just guarantees that at the right time the right specialist will be ready to work. And 8 hours is just a ready-made and established system of organization.

Discipline and motivation

Often you have to read and hear about how hard it is to get up in the morning and go to work. About how uncomfortable it is to go to the office with a face swollen from lack of sleep, eating a sandwich on the go. The picture is familiar and even ironic. But will it be possible to do without this irony otherwise? Just imagine that people woke up one morning without having to drive or go anywhere. Will many people be able to readjust and work from home the same way they do in the office? The answer smacks of pessimism, but hardly. After all, remote work is not only an opportunity to manage your own, but also a huge effort on oneself, and responsibility. And it increases at times when only you force yourself to get out of bed and start doing something.

Undoubtedly, such a situation is the dream of individuals and efficiency experts. But let's be frank and think about whether humanity is ready for such a turn now and will it ever be ready? Most likely no. Why? Because, to be perfectly honest, we are lazy, disorganized, prone to postponing things for later. And this list can be continued, but the most offensive thing here is not even this, but the fact that “we” are a very large number of people who are much more comfortable working within long-established limits than trying to set them themselves.

Impracticality

Like it or not, there are areas where there is simply no place for a free schedule, like any other concept of employment organization that rejects an 8-hour working day. And it may very well be that sellers or cleaners would like to work 4 hours a day, but the harsh reality of such aspirations shatters. For at least two reasons. The first is material. Will the money earned in 20 hours a week be enough to feed a family? The second is technical. To organize an army of shifters, to plan everything clearly, to exclude many factors (for example, banal delays) is a very difficult task. There is only one way out: all this should be done by robots. But someone should not only design and build them, but also clean and lubricate them with oil.

Stability

When you look at how readily performers sort out penny orders on copywriting exchanges, you involuntarily think - is remote work as good as they sometimes say? Where is the guarantee that orders will be permanent? How quickly can you reach a satisfactory level of income? This is good for programmers, for whom there is always a job and highly paid, but what about everyone else? Even without a portfolio?

There are many questions, because these fears are not unfounded. Even being overconfident in his abilities, it is foolish to be confident in everything else. In contrast to the "normal" work, where everything is simple: from 9 to 6, salary 2 times a month, social package, 3 weeks of vacation. It's just that stability breeds confidence, and a person likes to be confident.

Habit and stereotypes

It is often very difficult for many people to understand "how can you not go to work." Home is something that everyone associates with a break from work and is simply not perceived differently. And questions like “what about the lack of communication?”, “where is career growth?”, “and who to ask when you don’t know how to do it?” and completely give out stereotyped thinking. This is not a problem, but a consequence of habit.

Judge for yourself. From early childhood, we observe how parents go to work. Then we go to kindergarten, school, university. Getting ready and leaving home in the morning is akin to a ritual that has taken root in our consciousness so firmly that the alternative is already rejected at the immune level. The 8-hour working day has simply become a part of life, which is very difficult to change without replacing it with something of equal value.

What to do with it?

Rapid development information technologies and technology, cinema, public opinion and availability heuristics can convince us that call-to-call work is unproductive, that it is an imposed framework that makes us unhappy. But it's not. It is not necessary to identify the content of the unloved work with the 8-hour working day itself, as is often the case. Don't be deceived by the fact that flexible schedules and the ability to work remotely are a super-productive trend that will kill the traditional workday. And most importantly, it is not worth giving in to an unconscious public impulse to deny everything and everything, to cultivate in oneself an attitude towards work, as something that restricts freedom and takes away time. Do not blame or reproach yourself for having to work five days a week from morning to evening "like everyone else." After all, the main thing is not how much and in what mode you work, but whether you love what you do. Therefore, we wish you your favorite work and the strength not to depend and not to blame everything on its organization.

Many of us firmly believe that the mandatory 8-hour workday is a stupid stereotype that is long overdue. And it is no coincidence that representatives of companies that practice non-standard approaches to the organization of work are experimenting with the daily routine. For example, they oblige employees to spend 10 hours a day in the office, while reducing the working week to 4 days. And freelancers, on the contrary, often take advantage of a flexible schedule to work seven days a week, but only 4-6 hours a day.

Who is right? And what is actually more beneficial in terms of employee health and productivity? Let's try to figure it out, based on the physiological mechanisms known to science.

What are circadian rhythms?

It's no secret that a person's sleep and wake patterns change not only under the influence of external factors (such as the same annoying alarm clock or sunlight breaking through the curtains), but also due to the work of the suprachiasmatic nucleus - a cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus, which, in its turn, stimulates the production of hormones by the pineal gland, another brain structure.

The coordinated work of this system allows us to alternate between activity and sleep modes, even in conditions where it is impossible to determine what time it is on the clock. For example, when conducting scientific experiments or in extreme conditions, when people were cut off from outside world, they continued to go to bed and wake up approximately according to the same schedule as in ordinary life: the duration of the “individual” day only slightly lengthened, reaching up to 30, sometimes up to 36 hours. However, about 8-10 hours were still allotted for sleep: the body did not need more.

If the orientation in the change of day and night was simplified due to the ability to observe sunrises and sunsets, most adults went to bed 4–5 hours after sunset, and woke up 1–2 hours after sunrise, thereby approaching the usual mode for all of us. : getting up around 7-8 in the morning, going to bed - at 11-12 in the evening.

Of course, let's not forget about chronotypes: individual predisposition to physical and intellectual activity in different parts of the day. However, “owls” and “larks” are not a characteristic of a person, but physiological feature which may change throughout life. So, children and the elderly usually wake up easier in the morning than adults. And those who, due to the nature of their work, have to get up early or go to bed late for many years, often retain this habit even after the need for a strict schedule disappears.

It is worth noting that the 8-hour working day did not appear due to attention to human physiology, but due to numerous economic, industrial and political reforms which were aimed primarily at improving the quality of life of workers. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the vast majority of hard workers were forced to bend their backs for 10–12 hours a day, and without any days off (and this applied not only to men, but also to women with teenagers).

One of the first businessmen to realize the benefits of the 8-hour day was Henry Ford, who not only reduced shifts at the plant to this rate, but also doubled the salary of his employees, which, contrary to the expectations of competitors, only increased their productivity. Subsequently, other enterprises were inspired by this example, and the trade unions of different countries defended the right to a 40-hour work week, which is now considered the standard for most industrialized countries.

The classic formula looked like this: "8 hours of work, 8 hours of recovery and 8 hours of rest." However, modern scientists are not sure that the working day should necessarily begin at 9 am and continue for the entire prescribed period with a single lunch break in the middle. As mentioned above, as you grow older, the peak of working capacity shifts to the evening hours, therefore, in accordance with the latest recommendations of experts, a delayed start of labor activity is optimal: for example, from 10–11 am.

You also need to remember about ultradian rhythms: unlike circadian rhythms, they are responsible for short-term physiological changes, which include changes in concentration during the day. It is for this reason that none of us is able to work with the same productivity for several hours in a row. Hence - all sorts of progressive techniques that return us to the school schedule: 45 minutes of work followed by 10 minutes of rest (or - a ratio of 90 to 20 minutes).

Moreover, it is important that the rest takes place away from the "machine" - be it a computer, a car steering wheel or a microscope. Of course, if you are a surgeon or an opera singer, then it will be problematic to interrupt in the midst of the work process, but for most of us, the schedule allows for some changes.

What else should be considered?

• If you find it difficult to maintain concentration during the working day and often feel sleepy, although you wake up early without any problems, try postponing fitness classes in the morning or at least organize a 20-minute run before breakfast: physical activity changes the hormonal background of the body in a certain way, and, probably, the tone will be maintained until the evening.
• Some people can stay awake through daytime naps. Alas, such a luxury is available only to those who work at home, as well as to the happy owners of a separate office with a sofa. However, in exceptional cases, you can even take a nap at the workplace - or in the back seat of a personal car.
• If the lunch meal inevitably knocks you out of your work rut and it’s difficult for you to focus on business after eating, give up a solid meal in favor of a few snacks (by the way, this approach fits perfectly into the “school schedule”).
• Even if you are your own boss and can take a day off any day, compensating for it with a shock immersion in business before or after a day off, try not to work more than 11 hours in a row. It has been proven that such processing significantly increases the risk of myocardial infarction and other vascular accidents. Therefore, try to plan your work in such a way as to avoid emergency modes.

Each person has their own unique characteristics, and with age, we all adapt our capabilities to the specifics of our professional activities. Someone, out of habit, “accelerates” with a mug of coffee in the morning, while others prefer to stay at work for an hour or two after the official end of the working day, because it is during peak hours in an empty office that inspiration descends on them and creative activity. Be that as it may - do not be afraid to experiment, because the reward will be not only outstanding results, but also good health!

Olga Kashubina

Photo thinkstockphotos.com

Work schedules vary. So, some subordinates work in shifts or on a rotational basis, others work out an 8-hour norm per day. There are categories of workers who are allowed to work reduced or part-time. But still, 8 hours of work, 5 days a week, is the most common mode in our country. And it has a scientific and practical justification.

What is the reason for the introduction of the 8-hour working day?

The concept of "working time" is used in the norms of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

Working time is the time spent by a subordinate on the performance of professional duties.

The length of the working day and week in any organization depends on the goals pursued by the management.

Table: types of working hours

Name of the type of working time	Peculiarities
Normal working hours	The norm is 40 hours of work per week. This type is the most popular and is used in many organizations.
Reduced working hours	The subordinate will be involved in work less than 40 hours per week. For some workers, such a norm is established at the legislative level.
part-time work	Part-time work is expressed as: incomplete working week (the number of working days per week is reduced); part-time work (the length of daily work decreases). Such a schedule is established by agreement between the employee and the employer.
Irregular working hours	By agreement with the employee, the employer has the opportunity to involve him in performing tasks beyond 40 hours a week without additional payments for processing. But this should not be regular, but episodic.

When and why was the 8-hour workday introduced?

The working day, equal to 8 hours, was introduced in the USSR by a special decree (November 11, 1917). They worked 48 hours a week with one day off. Later, the daily and weekly labor standards changed several times, until in 1991 they were finally established. Then a law was passed that introduced a 40-hour work week. Subordinates could now work 5 or 6 days a week for 8 or 7 hours a day, respectively. This provision was enshrined in the Labor Code, and then in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

The introduction of an 8-hour working day was due to the fact that such a time is optimal from the point of view of human physiology. If a person works longer, efficiency decreases, which affects the quality of the work done. A shorter duration will affect the success of the enterprise. Forcing a subordinate to work more than 40 hours leads to penalties against the employer.

Video: why 8 hours of work is considered the standard and how to use it effectively

How to arrange an 8-hour working day in an organization

The procedure for introducing a normalized working day in an organization consists of several stages:

1. Rationale (the employer analyzes why the 8-hour working day suits him best).
2. Determining the category of workers who will work 8 hours a day (if this regime is not appropriate for everyone).
3. Reflection of the regime in the local regulatory act of the organization and a description of all the conditions that become relevant with an 8-hour working day.
4. Issuance of the corresponding order. This may be an order to introduce an 8-hour working day for an individual employee, a group, or the entire team. Or they introduce changes to the local acts of the enterprise.

The normalized working day is approved by the documentation:

• labor or collective agreements;
• agreements to the above agreements;
• internal labor regulations.

By finding a job in an organization, a citizen expresses his consent to the proposed work schedule. All the nuances of the normalized working day and week are fixed in the employment contract.

An employment contract is a document concluded between an employer and a new employee during employment.

The employment contract must include the following:

• labor functions of the new employee;
• working conditions;
• working hours (hours of daily work and days off are prescribed);
• rights and obligations of the parties to the contract;
• liability for violation of the terms of the employment contract;
• the duration of the agreement (if it is a fixed-term relationship), etc.

An employment contract is one of the documents that fixes the length of the working day of an employee of an organization.

If in the future working conditions change, an additional agreement is developed, where all innovations are recorded.

Internal labor regulations (PWTR) - a local regulatory act of the organization that regulates the procedure for employment and dismissal of subordinates.

The PVR contains the following:

• length of the working day (in this case it lasts 8 hours a day);
• start and end time of daily work;
• the start and end time of the break for rest and meals;
• duration of weekly uninterrupted rest - days off;
• the procedure for granting annual paid holidays;
• conditions for accrual of incentives for success in work;
• the procedure for penalties for violations of labor discipline.

The PWTR organizations are approved by the management only after the representative body of the workers (for example, the trade union) expresses its opinion on the content of the document being developed.

Most often, PWTR are developed with the participation of the trade union

As a rule, an order to introduce an 8-hour working day in an organization is not issued if such a regime has been in effect from the very beginning. If the subordinate worked in a different mode, the length of working time may be reviewed.

This often happens when a person worked part-time and wants to transfer to standard conditions in order to receive more. The initiative to transfer to an 8-hour working day is made by pregnant women, students, part-time workers, employees who have recently turned 18 (up to this age, they are legally entitled to a reduced working day).

If the grounds for reducing the work schedule are no longer relevant, the subordinate writes an application for transferring him to a full-time position. The personnel department on behalf of the head issues an appropriate order (instruction).

The application must contain:

• name of company;
• the position of the head in whose name the document is drawn up;
• position and full name of the employee;
• a request for a full-time transfer;
• the date from which the worker is ready to start working in full time;
• employee's signature.

The date of the new working regime must be indicated in the application for transfer to a full-time position

The transition to an 8-hour working day is reflected in the supplementary agreement to the employment contract

8 hour work order

A full-time transfer order is drawn up in free form and includes the following information:

• date of introduction of the normalized working day;
• working conditions for an 8-hour working day;
• a list of breaks that a subordinate can count on during the day;
• signature of the employee (placed by the employee if he agrees with all the terms of the full-time transfer).

The boss has no right to force a subordinate to work full time. The employed must express his written consent to 8 hours of work per day.

The order on the introduction of an 8-hour working day must contain information about the beginning and end of working hours

In what cases can the 8-hour working day be reduced

The Labor Code of the Russian Federation provides a certain circle of workers with the opportunity to work less than 40 hours a week. There are two possibilities to reduce the length of the working day and week:

• reduce working time;
• enter part-time work.

A shorter working day is mandatory for a certain circle of people. Work is paid as in a normal work schedule (except for minors).

Table: list of persons eligible for a reduced work schedule

Category of workers	Working time
Persons under the age of majority	The following number of hours is established depending on age: from 12 to 24 hours a week if the employee is under 16; 17.5 to 35 hours per week if age 16 to 18.
Workers with disabilities	Working hours should not exceed 35 hours per week.
Citizens working in conditions that are recognized as harmful and dangerous	The duration of the working week is no more than 36 hours.
teachers	They work no more than 36 hours a week.
Workers in the medical field	Labor does not exceed 39 hours per week.
Part-time students and part-time forms learning	They can work 33 hours a week in the following cases: before the start of the graduation project (work); before taking state exams.

Part time

Part-time work or a week is entitled to work:

• pregnant women;
• one of the parents (guardian, trustee) who has a child under the age of 14 or a child with a disability under the age of 18;
• caregivers of a sick family member.

As a rule, a document confirming such a need is attached to an application for granting the right to work part-time

In case of part-time work, the salary will be calculated in accordance with the hours worked.

Breaks during the 8-hour working day

During the day, the organization's staff can count on certain breaks in the labor process. They are necessary to restore the strength of subordinates and increase their performance. Only a portion of these breaks count as working time and are paid.

According to the law, the manager must provide employees with the following breaks:

• special breaks for heating and rest;
• periods intended for feeding the child (after 3 hours for 30 minutes);
• breaks due to the nature of work (for example, for professional computer users).

The lunch break is not part of the working time, so payment for this period is not made. It is understood that the employee is free to use such a pause in the labor process at his own discretion.

If the specifics of production do not allow time for lunch, such a break is included in working time.

Breaks during an 8-hour working day should not exceed 2 hours in total. The employer has the right to independently decide when exactly the employee can go on a break. All the nuances of the suspension of the work process are recorded in the internal documents of the organization.

Advantages and disadvantages of the 8-hour workday

The benefits of an 8 hour workday include:

• work and leisure are easy to plan - everything is scheduled by the days of the week;
• it is easier for the body to devote 8 hours to work than, for example, 12;
• guaranteed rest on weekends and holidays;
• it is easy for employers to exercise control over subordinates;
• according to the standard 8 hours, it is easier to keep records for personnel officers and accountants;
• there is no undue attention from the labor inspectorate.

The disadvantages include the following:

• some subordinates employed in heavy production do not find it easy to work for such an amount of time;
• if you need a personal presence in the office every working day, you need to spend time and money on the road;
• 8 hours of a standard working day most often coincides with reception hours in official institutions, therefore, in order to obtain various certificates, you have to agree with the management about time off;
• if the nature of the work does not imply the possibility of postponing the unfinished process for the next day, there will be overtime (for the employer, these are additional costs, and for subordinates - a reason for dissatisfaction);
• such a schedule, as a rule, does not suit creative people.

Since the times of the USSR, many organizations in our country have had an 8-hour working day. Scientists believe that this is the number of hours a day a person can work most efficiently and without harm to their health. A working day with such a duration is fixed in the internal documents of the organization. When establishing an 8-hour working day, management should proceed from the specifics of the area in which it operates. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the advantages and disadvantages of a standardized working day.

Let's start with the lessons of history. At the end of XVIII - early XIX century, the working day in enterprises ranged from 14 to 16 hours. Moreover, both children and adults worked in this mode, and plants and factories worked around the clock. This is the time of the industrial revolution. It was then that Robert Owen, an educator and philosopher, began to actively promote the restriction on the use of child labor, and then he came up with the idea of ​​an 8-hour working day, motivating this approach by the uniform distribution of the time of day: 8 hours for work, 8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for recovery, i.e. rest. It should be noted that his idea of ​​distribution did not receive, as well as support from employers. It is not difficult to explain this: the benefit was primary, and upon closer examination of the rationalization proposal, it turned out that people would work less, which means that the profitability of the business would fall. Even Owen's apparently successful experiments did not save the situation, confirming the advantages of his proposal.

Owen's 8/8/8 idea was applied in 1914 by Henry Ford at his Ford Motors factories. The innovation was very risky. In fact, Ford reduced the number of working hours, while maintaining wages, which in practice meant its doubling. But at the same time, he was able to double the profit of the enterprise!

Today, one can admire Henry Ford's concern for his employees, but in fact, he was not driven by philanthropy at all. In 1926, Ford, in an interview with World's Work magazine, explained real reasons abandoning the old system and moving to a five-day, 40-hour work week. He said that in a growing market, it is necessary to give people free time and the financial ability to buy and use consumer goods, which included the cars it produced. In fact, part of the money was automatically returned to his own enterprise.

It should be noted that this approach to organizing the workflow has also become a huge competitive advantage for Ford as an employer. The best workers went to get a job with him.

Such clear success of Ford Motors became a model for other industries, which also began to introduce the 8-hour work day. Gradually it became the standard. In Russia, this standard was introduced by one of the first decrees of the Soviet government.

So, there are no explanations for the 8-hour working day from the point of view of science, by and large there are no biorhythms. Unless, of course, one does not count Owen's experiments a century and a half ago. Maybe it is worth revising the accepted standards in terms of efficiency? Moreover, the changing economic realities are clearly pushing for this.

Efficiency and time

Work longer or work more efficiently? This is not a dilemma. There are different types of work activities that require, accordingly, a different approach. It is obvious that, for example, for a night watchman or a concierge, the main parameter of efficiency is "serving" the necessary time at the workplace, that is, a banal presence at work. But most specialties require completely different competencies, and the effectiveness of the staff is measured by the tasks performed.

I must say that literally 20 years ago, the workflow was seriously different from the current one. Development of the Internet and software has made its own adjustments to the effectiveness and speed of work. Some actions either completely lost their meaning, or began to take many times less time. Email, communication of computers over an intracompany network, mobile communications, the availability of information on the Internet, the availability of data processing programs have eliminated the need for offline contacts between people, moving around the city and even business trips. As a result, there was a separation of departments and structures within the company.

Let's take an example. If earlier reporting, information, planned calculations were transferred between departments and subdivisions of the company exclusively on paper, now it has been reduced to pressing a button to send an electronic message or entering data into electronic databases. Thus, a huge amount of time and human energy was released while maintaining the length of the working day! It remains an open question whether the volume of human work tasks has been significantly increased?

If we compare the work of a machine and human activity, there is one significant difference. The machine works linearly, the man - cyclically. For a process when a person observes and controls the operation of a machine, a mechanism, an 8-hour working day is quite good. The car does not get tired, does not switch attention, does not depend on biorhythms. And the man? Often, when an employer tries to increase the productivity of a subordinate, he automatically, without hesitation, bets on lengthening his working day. But numerous studies have already confirmed that the amount of work done in 8 and 10 hours does not differ significantly, however, as well as the number of tasks solved in 6 and 8 hours. So what is the efficiency of the worker?

Human biorhythms

It's no secret that people have different biorhythms. Opposite types are called "larks" and "owls".

At the same time, it is believed that any “owl” can be converted to comply with accepted standards. From childhood, "owls" are raised in kindergarten, then to school, and then they are forced to adapt to a standard working day. "Owls" sway around noon, after which their business and brain activity peaks. Do you think this “disease” can be cured with a regular daily routine? Unfortunately, most often not.

The division of people into "larks" and "owls" is genetic. The discovery of the “internal clock gene” was made relatively recently, in last decade. At the same time, in "larks" the internal day lasts 24 hours and even a little less, in "owls" they are 25-26 hours ("delayed phase of sleep", in scientific terms), this is the reason for the differences between periods of sleep and wakefulness. It is for this cycle that the above gene is responsible.

"Larks" easily wake up in the morning before the alarm goes off, they never wake up at the beginning of the working day, but they are completely unable to stay awake in the evening. This type of behavior is called "hereditary extended sleep phase syndrome."

Table 1 describes internal biological clock"larks". If we are talking about “owls”, then you will have to shift all time parameters by 3 or even 5 hours ahead.

Table 1

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The standard requirements of the modern working day are adjusted to the typical "larks", for them working from 8.00 to 17.00 (or from 10.00 to 19.00) is comfortable and, in principle, they could even come to work before 8.00.

“Owls”, on the other hand, when they come to the office by the beginning of the working day, they remain half-asleep for several hours, pumping themselves up with coffee. That is, talking about them effective work do not have to. Meanwhile, according to statistics, 44% of women and 37% of men are exactly “owls”! This means that almost half of the company's staff, having come to work at the required time, spend a few more hours (or, to be more precise, up to a third of the entire working day) not at all on solving problems, but on a senseless struggle with their own biorhythms. At the same time, most of the "owls" are accused of laziness only because they are not able to concentrate during those hours when "the business world is active." However, the point here, as you already understand, is not laziness.

Owls are often much more efficient workers than early risers. After ten hours of wakefulness, the concentration of attention in the "larks" sharply decreases, in the "owls", after a similar period without sleep, it remains for quite a long time. high level. That is, the productivity of these two types differs precisely in terms of activity in different time days.

The modern approach to planning the working day of the office, unfortunately, does not take into account such a feature. different people. At the same time, the efficiency of solving problems sharply decreases.

Ultradian rhythms

Remember the cycle human life, including performance. Rhythms lasting less than a day are called ultradians. The most studied rhythm that forms the structure of sleep is the alternation of REM and non-REM sleep. But absolutely the same rhythm is subject to fluctuations in the working capacity of a person during the period of wakefulness. The cycle of such fluctuations is from 90 to 100 minutes. What does it say? On one task human brain can be focused from 90 to (maximum) 120 minutes. Then you need 20-30 minutes to rest or change the type of activity.

If you use this feature of the brain correctly, you can significantly increase the efficiency of work. There is another significant point. When solving any issue, it is desirable to avoid multitasking. Maximum productivity achieved with:

• solving one problem within 90-120 minutes,
• then switching to 20-30 minutes for less important issues,
• and then re-inclusion in the previous task, or switching to a new volumetric problem.

In such a rhythm, the abilities of the brain are used to the fullest extent. If, at the same time, the biorhythms of the individual are also taken into account, then this is ideal organization goal management.

"List of Happiness"

By the way, there are studies that track the level of happiness of an individual. Here is what makes a person happy every day:

• a small number of work questions,
• the opportunity to work on an important task for the company,
• enough time to sleep
• creative tasks,
• focused work
• time to spend with family and friends,
• sports,
• healthy food.

Agree that the management of short tasks in accordance with ultradians and biorhythms is fully consistent with this “happiness list”.

Short tasks and long-term goals

Carrying out management by long-term goals and planned indicators, we are trying to ask ourselves the question of how long an employee is actually able to solve a particular problem. But as the famous joke says, "I will solve this issue in two hours within two weeks."

Most workers have no desire to increase their productivity, so they “prolong the fun” and instead of starting work right away, they put it off until later or take too long. This is due to many factors, including mental traps of consciousness, the presence of other important things, the inability to plan, fatigue, multitasking. This is exactly what the principle of management by short tasks struggles with. Let's explain its essence.

The manager sets short tasks for subordinates, the solution of which takes about 90-120 minutes, respectively, the subordinate solves 3-4 such tasks per day, for which he reports. Mail browsing, tea drinking and smoking breaks fall into 20-minute periods between 100-minute periods. It can be argued that not all departments of the company can implement such a principle, however, if you analyze it more closely, it turns out that in most activities it is more than realistic.

Adjusting to a new rhythm takes some time, but the efficiency is worth it!

Six or eight?

Recent studies by physiologists and psychologists show that with the maximum increase in the efficiency of using working time, a person is able to work productively 5-6 hours a day. For example, in Sweden and some other European countries, companies are actively moving to a 6-hour working day while maintaining wages and the amount of work performed. At the same time, the efficiency of the enterprise itself not only does not decrease, but even increases.

According to the proponents of this approach, a person is not able to focus on completing tasks for 8 hours. He begins to intersperse work with other activities, often meaningless and even more tiring.

All leaders of organizations that have implemented a 6-hour working day system note an increase in employee enthusiasm. This is due to the fact that they leave work not “squeezed out like a lemon”, and therefore the next day they go to work with more motivation. There is also a decrease in the number of conflicts in the workplace and an increase in the level of life satisfaction in general.

As in the case of Henry Ford's innovative proposal for its time, the 6-hour work day is a competitive advantage over other employers. Employees who feel an increase in free time do not want to change jobs.

So, the advantages of a 6-hour working day include an increase in concentration on the work performed, an increase in motivation, an improvement in the climate in the team, and a progressive performance.

And for employers in difficult economic realities, this may be a reason for a proportional reduction in salary. Only it cannot be reduced along with the length of the working day for those who are used to getting and working more. It is better to start applying this approach to newly hired workers. Those who wish will be found! Because family circumstances everyone is different, and this mode of work allows you to better combine personal life with a career. Then the mode of working hours for the organization will remain the same, and for the “experimented individuals” its specifics can be prescribed in the employment contract. Such a smooth transition will help you save on the payroll, while maintaining or even increasing the efficiency of your activities, and at the same time find the “pros” and “cons” of this approach, the possibility of docking “standard” workers with those who have a shorter working day.

Biorhythmic work day

So, the 8-hour working day does not meet the criteria of economic and personal efficiency in the new conditions. What are the options for getting out of this situation? Their mass, it is possible, for example, to combine management of short tasks with a biorhythmic working day.

To understand which biorhythmic type an employee belongs to, relevant questions should be included in the job interview plan. It also becomes necessary to fill out tests for belonging to "owls" or "larks".

The working day is divided into 3 different modes. For departments dominated by internal work processes, 2 shifts of 6 hours are being introduced:

• the first mode for "larks" - from 7.00 to 13.00 without a break for lunch. At the same time, workflows are divided into tasks: from 7.00 to 9.00 - one internal task plus a 20-minute coffee break, from 9.00 to 13.00 two more tasks (internal or external) with a break between them. Thus, during the working day, the employee solves 3 short tasks;
• the second mode for "owls" - from 13.00 to 19.00 without a break for lunch. From 13.00 to 15.00 (lunch time in most companies) - one internal task and a 20-minute break, from 15.00 to 19.00 - two more tasks and a break.

The third mode is designed for departments that are dominated by external workflows, communication with other organizations tied to a standard working day. They remain the same, 8-hour mode.

Significant "pros"

Now about the advantages of this system. The first everyday stress of any resident of a metropolis is the way from home to work in traffic jams or in crowded public transport. Even before the start of the working day, a person receives not only stress, but also significantly spends the emotional, mental, physical energy that he could spend on work. By 7.00 a lot goes to work less people than by 9:00. And this means no traffic jams and crowding in public transport, saving nerves and reducing the likelihood of being late.

Adjusting to biorhythms guarantees an increase in labor efficiency, but among other things, in the period from 7.00 to 9.00, you can achieve complete monotasking, since distractions are minimized at this time (the phone will not be distracting, and email notifications can easily be ignored). Thus, during the most productive hours for the “lark”, he will work, and not stand in a multi-kilometer traffic jam.

For "owls" also there are many advantages. They don't have to overcome the morning stress of waking up. They come to work in an active state and perform tasks at the most productive time for themselves, and then, at the end of the working day, they can afford dinner, going to a night session in the cinema, or any other comfortable nighttime pastime (the possibility of a long morning sleep allows this).

With an 8-hour work day, having a mid-lunch break “pulls out” additional productive hours of work. In addition to a whole hour for lunch, you need to take into account the decrease in efficiency before the break (at least 10 or even 30 minutes before the start, employees begin to prepare for it), and then the same period after - to be included in the work. Thus, in fact, it takes not an hour for lunch, but 1.5-2 hours, which are paid by the employer. Wouldn't it be easier to officially reduce working hours by 2 hours, while receiving a decent amount of bonuses in efficiency?

In addition, the use of multi-mode (two shifts of 6 hours) allows, by reducing the working day of individual employees, to increase the time of the enterprise as a whole. If, with an eight-hour working day, the company operates from 8.00 to 17.00 or from 10.00 to 19.00, then with two shifts of 6 hours, this time can be increased to a 12-hour working day. It should be noted that this scheme is very convenient when working with clients from cities located in a different time zone. With this approach, the competitive advantages of the company increase significantly.

For those who think the 6-hour day is new modern society Let's say that at the time when Henry Ford introduced the 8-hour working day, Will Kellogg introduced 4 shifts of 6 hours at his enterprises, keeping wages at the same level. Thus, the company worked around the clock, and Kellogg created many new jobs and reduced costs. By the way, it was 1930.

Another advantage of this system is that employees have to a minimum the need to take time off from work to resolve personal issues, whether it's going to the doctor or visiting government organizations. The presence of almost half of the working day as free time allows the employee to dispose of it at his own discretion.

It is impossible not to note the benefits in terms of finding employees. The 6-hour working day is convenient for families with young children. This is an opportunity to spend more time with the child, take him to various sections and circles, and do homework together.

An indisputable advantage for a person is the fact that he finds part of the daylight hours (whereas with a standard 8-hour working day, he spends daylight hours in the office). It has been proven that a lack of sunlight leads not only to depression, decreased immunity, but also to weight gain and even diabetes (with disruptions in sleep and wakefulness). For the head of the new mode of operation will mean a reduction in the number of paid sick leave.

By the way, if we talk about the biorhythmic mode of operation (recall that this is not only a division into “owls” and “larks”, but also ultradian rhythms), then it has a positive effect on health, increases the overall emotional background, and restores working capacity.

If an innovative working day is introduced at the enterprise, it is ideal to combine it with management by objectives. To do this, management will have to revise the goal-setting system in the company, streamlining short tasks to ultradian rhythms, and set KPIs for these goals. A one-time reformatting of work processes to biorhythms will significantly increase the productivity of the staff. In addition, the freed time can be recommended to employees to use for training and improving competence.

Any turning point in the economies of countries is a requirement to be more flexible and abandon the classic business schemes. New time aims at customizing relationships with both clients and own employees to increase efficiency, motivation and, ultimately, business profitability. The incentive for managers to apply the biorhythmic work system is to use the maximum potential of the employee at the peak of his activity, as well as to reduce costs and downtime.

Currently, Russia provides for a normal one, which cannot be more than 40 hours. This is stated in article 91 of the Labor Code. That is why there is an 8-hour working day during which each employee of the organization performs his official duties. is not included in this period of time and is not paid.

From the history

In November 1917, a very significant event took place in Russia that changed the lives of many working people of that time. A decree was passed that fixed the day. By this time, in many countries there was an exhausting struggle to reduce the number of workers.

In the future, the 8-hour working day lost its relevance, and in 1928-1933 a transition was made to a 7-hour work period. The duration of the working week was 42 hours. After the outbreak of World War II, an 8-hour working day was established. Later (1656-1960) the working day was again reduced to 7 hours. And only in 1991, a law on the protection of workers' rights was adopted, which stipulated that the duration of the working week could not exceed 40 hours. This provision was enshrined in the Labor Code.

Break

In accordance with the labor legislation of Russia, every employee has the right to rest and eat. Breaks during an 8-hour working day cannot last more than two hours. However, lunch cannot be less than thirty minutes. Here it should also be noted that a break for rest and eating is not included in the working time of the worker. And that's why it's not paid.

Example

The employee goes to work according to the established schedule from 8:00 to 17:00. In fact, she performs her duties for 8 hours a day. Because she has a five day work week. In addition, she is given one hour to rest and eat. This is provided for by law and labor regulations. She cannot ignore them. If you set her a working day without lunch, then this will be a violation of labor laws.

Is it productive

IN modern life the question of reducing or increasing the working day and, in general, the length of the working week is quite acute. Of course, all state and municipal enterprises are accustomed to the fact that the working day begins at 8 am and ends at 5 pm. And is it productive? And how much can an employee do during this time? Many entrepreneurs believe that a person is able to work well and productively only for a few hours. After that, the subordinate is simply distracted. Therefore, with an 8-hour working day, it is difficult for an employee to fulfill all the instructions of the management competently and quickly.

Not so long ago, in 2010, Mikhail Prokhorov proposed to increase the existing working week by as much as 20 hours. However, no one really supported his idea. After all, a person, in addition to work, must rest and do other, no less important things.

How to plan your work time

This question is asked by many citizens of our country who have a job. An 8-hour working day implies that a person must perform certain job duties and instructions from the management throughout this time. Therefore, it is important here not to be distracted and not to engage in your personal affairs. This is especially not worth doing in the case when the head of the organization does not treat his employee very well.

Man must learn to do the most important work, and then deal with the remaining documents (if we are talking about an office).

Example

Three new employees were hired by the company at once. Accordingly, the HR specialist had more work to do immediately. In addition, he needed to draw up additional agreements to the existing employment contracts. The specialist began to deal with both, as a result, he did not manage to do anything.

Schedule

Each organization or enterprise has a working time schedule. It's called a chart. It reflects the beginning of the work and its end. It is also necessary to specify the work schedule in the employment contract with the employee. After all, infringing on the rights of a citizen is simply unacceptable. What are we talking about?

Suppose a person working in an organization has an 8-hour working day. The schedule of the duration of his labor activity should be strictly limited to a given period of time. After that, it is unacceptable to detain an employee at the workplace. He has the right to rest and engage in his personal affairs.

In addition, lunch during an 8-hour working day cannot be less than 30 minutes. This rule is enshrined in labor law.

Other categories

As a general rule, the working week is 40 hours. This means that there are eight hours per working day. But there are always exceptions to the general rule. For example, for some categories of workers, the average per day may be less.

Yes, employees educational institutions cannot perform official duties for more than 36 hours per week. Accordingly, their working day will be less than eight hours.

Employees of medical institutions should work no more than 39 hours a week. Therefore, with a five-day work week, the duration of their official activities per day will be no more than seven and a half hours.

pros

During the working day, which is 8 hours, the employee manages to do a lot of good deeds and fulfill all the instructions of the management, it is possible even to visit other institutions. In addition, we should not forget that citizens who work at enterprises according to such a schedule can safely go on sick leave, take a vacation. They also do not have to work on weekends and holidays. Because their salary is fixed and is written in the employment contract.

The management of the organization always sees the advantages of an eight-hour working day in the fact that subordinates are under their control all this time, which means they will better perform their duties and will not be able to go home earlier.

In addition, with such a stable schedule, a person can set aside time for lunch. With an eight-hour workday, it is at least thirty minutes, but in most organizations this is allotted whole hour. This period of time is not paid, but the employee gets the opportunity to relax, get distracted, normally, slowly, have lunch. This is his legal right, which is provided for by labor legislation and the contract. And no one can attack him.

Minuses

Most people work in enterprises and organizations where an 8-hour working day is set (lunch lasts, as a rule, one hour), which is quite convenient. Nevertheless, many still believe that it would be better to shorten the period of service. This is especially true for people engaged in heavy physical labor. This is primarily due to the fact that people are very tired, as a result of which they do not always have time to complete their tasks. For employees, this is a minus, and for unscrupulous heads of organizations, on the contrary, a big plus. After all, a person who is tired after an 8-hour working day will not demand promotion and salary, because he will no longer have free time for this. He is not able to develop and set new goals and objectives.

People who work on a standard schedule most often spend their free time at home in front of the TV and computer, they do not want to play sports. On the prescribed two days off, they go shopping and pick up a lot of unnecessary things and products. Because after work, you don’t always want to go to the supermarket for a new portion of vegetables and fruits.

In addition, office workers gain weight very quickly during the 8-hour day. After all, you need to spend all the time sitting at the table at the computer, and at lunchtime you want to eat something tasty. The movements of such workers are minimal.

People who work 8 hours a day get sick very often. As a result, their income decreases and their expenses increase.

In what cases can the working day be reduced

In a 40-hour week, a normal working day is 8 hours. This time does not include a lunch break, that is, it is not paid. Before a holiday, working hours must be reduced by one hour. This rule is enshrined in the TC. In addition, persons who work part-time in another organization must work there for no more than four hours. On weekends, they are allowed to work a full shift.

In addition, the eight-hour working day can be reduced for certain categories of employees. For example, for women in position, mothers with children under 14 or disabled people under 18, people who care for sick relatives. Citizens who are on parental leave, but are forced to continue their official activities, should be given a part-time job (4 hours).

Important

Despite the fact that most people work in factories for 8 hours a day, their efficiency does not increase from this. Because employees who have a stable salary, independent of performance, are not interested in performing their job duties more quickly. Because this does not affect their wages. This is despite the fact that all official activities are under the control of management. The lunch break for an 8-hour working day should not be less than thirty minutes, but not exceed two hours.

All employees working in this mode are entitled to vacation and sick leave. The payment of the latter will depend on the length of service of the subordinate.

A citizen who works eight hours a day cannot always immediately fulfill the tasks assigned to him. But even in this case, the head of the enterprise cannot detain him on the spot after the expiration of working hours.