five good reasons to let them make their own hours.
by drew carrick
what i am about to say might cause you to break into absolute hysteria. depending on whom you are, you will either: share and embrace, or smear and critique. my intention is not to demand a change in the working world, but rather to stimulate a cultural conversation that can change the way we work.
employees should be able to make their own hours.
are you crazy, drew? nobody would ever work then!
well, while that may be your first thought, let me explain my thought process.
first, i am not saying employees can simply choose to never work. they still need to do their jobs and get their work done.
second, this isn’t meant for jobs that require around the clock service. we can’t have all the doctors and nurses deciding they all don’t want to work new year’s eve. we also can’t have the 24/7 taco bell employees all saying they don’t want the night shift. this is meant to be addressed to the business world employees-the people who work 9-5 sitting at a desk.
third, this is not to spite employers and to try to promote laziness. in fact, it is meant to promote efficiency. millennials, more than any other generation, have shown and emphasized how we value our time. companies have recognized this and have been developing initiatives to increase employee morale by creating programs focused on work-life balance. this not so novel concept is another example of how employers can increase firm efficiency and success while making employees happier at the same time.
each positive aspect creates a ripple of benefits. here’s how flexible employee hours makes everything better for all parties involved.
1. you can operate during your peak hours. throughout the day, individuals have different times of optimal effectiveness. some people operate at their peak efficiency during the afternoon, others during the early morning. some people exercise before work, and others hit the gym after work. if you are able to choose your eight hours based on your peak operating times, you’ll be able to accomplish a lot more than if you were forced to spend half your day in a slow grind. why force employees to work hours “just because it’s the hours we have always used”? yes, people still need to work when other companies are open so communication is still available; but there will undoubtedly be overlapping between when individuals show up. the key is openly communicating hours so that teams can plan accordingly.
2. you can save time with a less stressful commute. whether you take the train or drive your car, if you can commute during off-peak times, you’ll hate it a lot less. there will be fewer people on the train, thus allowing you to actually get a seat. if you drive, there will be fewer cars on the road and thus the chances of you getting road rage will decrease as well. the less variables (people and cars) that there are on your commute, the quicker the ride will be as well. if i work 9 to 5, i sit in two hours of traffic because everyone is on the road then. if i change my time by just one hour from 10 to 6, or 8 to 4, i can shave off an hour of that driving time. if that’s not an amazing argument in itself for flexible hours, i don’t know what is!
3. you’ll feel like you have power and control. everyone wants to be their own boss, setting their own schedule, working their own hours. millennials especially, want to feel as though they are making an impact and being valued. by giving employees the ability to work their eight hours as they see fit, they will be more inclined to work harder for the company when they are working because they want to prove they can handle being in control.
4. you’ll be able to live to your own lifestyle. if something comes up in the morning when you’re about to leave, you don’t need to stress about being late; you just work later. if you are the type of person who has all of your favorite television shows airing after 11:00 pm, you don’t need to be home at six-you can stay later and come in later. if you are an avid body-building enthusiast, the last thing you want is to be home after seven, still needing to eat, and then get a post work-out “high” when you need to go to sleep-you should be able to come in after your morning work-out so you can leave sooner and hit the hay earlier so you are energized for the next morning. flexibility of hours lets us live our lives as well as we can while we need to work.
5. you’ll be healthier. one of the biggest causes of many ofthe health problems people face is lack of sufficient sleep. the way that our society is makes it very impractical to get the necessary sleep and live our lives. not everyone is on the same circadian rhythm. some people require 10 or more hours of sleep, others can function find on less than six. being able to sleep during our body’s ideal sleeping times maximizes the effectiveness of our sleep. the stressful morning and evening commutes can be avoided, saving time, allowing for more ideal sleep hours as well. when we are not stressed and tired from lack of sleep and lack of time, we are happy-and happiness is the best cure for the problems we face in society.
flexible time off is the first step in changing the culture of how we work to maximize our time for living. flexible hours is the next step. after that, and we’ve already begun it, is mobile working. technology allows us to work whenever and wherever, so companies should be utilizing this. imagine if we can spend our hour on the train each way working and counting towards our eight hours?
when we can make our hours according to how we live our life, we can really live our life the way we want. we will fill fulfilled, grateful, and full of opportunity. when we can live how we wish, we appreciate the things in our life that make us happy-and after all, isn’t that what we are chasing in the end?
drew carrick, also known as petty ca$h: the rapping cpa, is a millennial expert, speaker, writer, and media personality. he works as the associate director of budgets at long island university in the greater new york city area, helping to bring a youthful, creative, and innovative spirit to the finance department as the college grows and transforms into a higher education institution of the future. prior to working at liu, drew worked as an auditor and consultant for grant thornton llp, the world’s 5th largest public accounting and professional services company.
over the course of his career, he has been heavily focused on companies’ abilities to adapt and transform into dynamic and disruptive innovators in their respective industries. among this innovation has been a push to change the corporate culture that creates the modern work environment. drew has been at the forefront of thought leadership as it relates to his generation, the millennials, working to illuminate generational differences that exist in the workplace as well as provide insight into the millennial mindset.
on top of his normal day to day activity, he produces and is featured in various media content, including videos, podcasts, vlogs, music videos, and publications. he graduated from mount st. mary’s university (maryland) with his b.s. in accounting and masters in business administration concentrated in marketing. he has since been branding himself as a millennial spokesperson in the business and finance industry ever since.
outside of business, drew is an avid beach bum, choosing to spend most of his days over the summer in the water. he enjoys staying physically active, playing every sport and hobby available as often as possible. his passion for entertainment transcends industries, enabling him to make content on both accounting, finance, and business topics as well as casual everyday life topics.
you can learn more about drew on his website, www.therappingcpa.com
- “attracting, retaining, and gaining the most from millennials” [article] – gt thought leadership publication
- “accountant & rapper: drew carrick” [radio show] – the green apple podcast with john garrett
- “the millennial conversation with drew carrick and nick nappo”– the daily cpa
- “why more millennials are getting into accounting” [article] – elite daily, aicpa
- “the public accounting anthem” – going concern, becker cpa