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Sun 3 Sep, 2006 09:10 am
Quote:Law Firm Honored for Nap Perk, Flex Time
By Associated Press
September 1, 2006, 7:57 AM EDT
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- A law firm that encourages its workers to take a nap if they are tired has won New Zealand's top award for helping employees to balance their work and personal lives.
The government's Equal Employment Opportunities Trust gave solicitors firm Meredith Connell it's "work-life balance" award for offering employees flexible work hours to take account of personal commitments.
One lawyer, Anna Longdill, said she took advantage of the flexible hours to do sports training that required her to get out of bed at 4:30 a.m. each day and run, swim or cycle for three hours before going to the office.
"After a few weeks of that, it gets to the point where you are hitting the proverbial brick wall," Longdill was quoted as saying in the New Zealand Herald. "I recall more than one occasion when the boss said, 'you need to go home, you need to go and sleep.'"
Longdill, 25, said she still spent 50 hours or more a week working, making up the time by working at night from home via remote access to company computers.
Meredith Connell -- official government solicitors in the northern city of Auckland -- credited the scheme for helping cut its professional staff turnover by 5 percent in the past year.
So, I wonder how many naps you get to take at work here before they tell you to get your butt to working?
Well, "Longdill, 25, said she still spent 50 hours or more a week working" - it doesnt sound like skirting is a problem there.
I like it. Makes sense to me: let each work at the optimum hours for him/her - the hours that work best with their private life and their mental rhythm - you'll be pretty sure that they'll be more productive, and will spontaneously do the hours you'd otherwise have to egg them on to (assuming they do kinda like their work).
I dont see how it would work for companies where people have to collaborate closely on projects though. But for rather individualised work it seems good. And those obligatory meetings are usually wasted time anyway.
I think the idea behind this is to keep you in the office as late as possible. This is definitely crafted to try to capture those pesky family hours that keep creeping into associates' schedules.
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