A HUMAN Resource consultant has called on employers to adopt flexi working hours to enable their employees to have better work life balance.
Praxis Skills Training & Consultancy Sdn Bhd director Dr Arivalan Ramaiyah said that in the age of technological disruption, employers can allow workers the luxury of working anywhere, even from their homes.
“We must strive to make our work space a happy one, as it has proven to be the right tonic to boost productivity and loyalty.”
Recalling his own job as a human resource consultant with a multinational company, Arivalan said that he deals with 120 project managers online, instead of face to face interaction.
“So I can communicate from home and need not be at the office often.
“Now is the time to redefine working hours by making it concurrent to the needs of the new millennium,” he said at a seminar organised by Wawasan Open University’s School of Business and Administration, where he presented a paper on human resource and talent management in the digital economy.
Arivalan said that managers must now learn how to manage their employees by determining who is an extrovert or introvert among their staff.
“We cannot pit together all extroverts in one division or office. There would be natural disputes and severe competition. We should instead offer a balanced mix of extroverts and introverts,” he said.
Arivalan said that the use of technology also means that workers may now be called to work from homes and to take their work anywhere they wish.
He urged employers to change their perception of working hours and the type of workers that they want; saying it is best to have those who offer constructive criticism so the company can have more ideas to grow and compete.
