Work time. Working hours: example, sample
Efficiency makes people successful,competitive. An excellent tool for researching how effectively you use working time is a photo of your working time, in other words, it's also called timing. What kind of tool is it, how to use it and what results it brings - read in the article.
What is a photo of working time?
This is a method of investigation in which the continuousmeasurement is subjected to a whole working day or a certain period of time. Thanks to this observation, you can get information about what the employee, a group of employees or a team is busy during the working day. Observation is conducted by a specialist, and similar research can be conducted independently. Fixation is subjected to all actions, both relating to work and distraction, smoke breaks, informal communication and so on.
Among employees who are addicted totime management and realize the importance of rational use of time, this is a popular tool. Moreover, if you are interested in the question of how to optimize working hours, the picture of working hours will be the first step. You can control only what is measured. Often, only monitoring, even without making changes to the working day, already leads to increased efficiency.
Objectives
This method pursues a number of goals. One of the most important is the identification of losses of time during the working day. The next is to determine the reasons for the loss of time and develop a system of measures that will allow you to work more efficiently. A photo of working hours allows you to develop time guidelines for work processes, to take over the organizational experience from the most successful employees and train other people to achieve high results.
Especially valuable, this kind of research becomes when the issue of expanding or contracting staff, redistributing responsibilities is being decided.
If you want to discuss with your supervisorincreasing the payment of your work or finding an assistant, self-made individual picture of working time will be an excellent evidence base. You will have weighty arguments, the leader will take your proposals more seriously, if you prepare in this way.
Holding a photo of working hours
Despite the fact that the name of the procedurethere is the word "photography", nothing of the photographic technique is required. Only paper and pens are enough. To simplify the task, ready-made forms with filling patterns have been developed. They can be found in legal systems such as "Consultant". The form can be developed either independently or by the ordinary table.
One day is not always enough, so observation can be conducted for several days.
The whole process can be divided into three stages: preparatory, process of observation, processing of results. At the preparatory stage, the forms are completed and completed, at the observation stage, a record is kept, at the stage of processing the results, the time taken for this or that type of work is counted, efficiency is analyzed, conclusions are drawn.
Calculation of results
To be more convenient to consider, the same type of operations are combined, grouped together. The most popular groups are:
- Work on preparation and completion (starting up the equipment, preparing the necessary tools, switching off the equipment, cleaning the workplace).
- Organizational matters.
- Time used for direct fulfillment of duties.
- Breaks for rest and lunch.
It is possible to single out smaller groups, if this is appropriate for a particular study. Then a coefficient is calculated that shows the efficiency or inefficiency of the employee's working day.
Blank for timing
There must be a "cap" on the form, where information is entered about the full name and specialty of the employee, the company that is being investigated, the date and time of the analysis.
Then there should be a table. The first column is the serial number, then the column for the name of the work to be performed. In the third column there is a period of time, from how many and to how much work was done. The fourth column counts the amount of time spent for work. You can add a column for notes.
Main types of research
Watch for one employee, then this will be an individual photo. Can watch a group or a brigade, then it will be a group or team photo.
If the observation is conducted throughout the whole working day, then such a photograph is called classical. You can subject the fixation not all day, but only its individual moments.
Another division has already been mentioned above. You can observe the specialist, or you can do photography yourself. If you use an outside observer, you may encounter a negative reaction from employees. They may refuse to work under supervision or, conversely, start working faster and more than usual, which will lead to incorrect data on time costs.
Studies can also be carried out with the help ofvideo equipment. On the one hand, it allows you to obtain objective information, on the other - not every action can be clearly delineated, observing it only from the outside, without comments of the person performing the work.
Psychological training
A study of how employees useworking hours - a photo of working hours, simple technically, but a psychologically complex way. Employees perceive such studies as an attempt to monitor them, worsen working conditions, identify shortcomings and punish.
Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the preliminaryexplanations of the importance of such a study. The psychological climate in the team exerts a serious influence. If people work in an atmosphere of trust and goodwill, they will willingly go to meet all that will help make the organization more efficient and competitive. If, on the contrary, the collective is characterized by mistrust, constant punishment, it will be extremely difficult to obtain reliable information that will really give results.
It is important to build a system of motivation, in which it would be advantageous for employees to work most effectively.
Let's take an example
Not for any employee it is possible to compileaccurate timekeeping of the working day. It is most difficult to conduct it from employees employed in managerial positions, especially the photograph of the accountant's working hours is particularly complicated. It is easier with those specialists whose operations have clear boundaries and distinctive features. As a rule, these are working specialties.
Let's look at an example. The employee is the manager in the corporate department. Before you is a photo of working hours (sample):
- The beginning of the working day is 9-00.
- Preparation of the workplace (computer loading, preparation of documents) - 9-10.
- Planerka - 9-15.
- Telephone conversation with the key client - 9-30.
- Email checking is 9-42.
- Preparation of the contract for the client - 9-53.
- Recess - 10-37.
- Preparation of presentation of a new product for the client - 10-57.
- Lunch is on the 14-05.
- Internship of a new employee is 14-58.
- Break - 16-15.
- Calling customers - 16-30.
- End of the day (cleaning the desktop, turning off the computer) - 17-55.
- Care home - 18-00.
Now we need to calculate how long it tookeach action, to distribute the types of work into groups, to calculate the efficiency factor of the manager. This photo of working time (example) will help you make your own.
Who needs this information?
First of all, stakeholdersare managers and owners of the company who want to understand how optimally loaded the personnel is, whether the labor resources of the company are being effectively used.
Employees of the department for work with personnel,personnel services also need similar studies to compile executable job descriptions, to select exactly the number of employees that is necessary in the organization, to carry out research work.
Responsible employees are also interested in making sure that the working day is used efficiently, without downtime and work, that there are no situations with reprocessing or work taken at home.
Now you are familiar with the technique that allowsto assess whether working time is effectively used (picture of working time). Try to apply the method in practice, you will find a large amount of reserves, you will see how to work optimally. Thanks to this approach it is possible to turn into one of the most productive employees of the company, and this is sure to be seen and appreciated.