A shorter working week in Russia could lead to an increase in staff time or result in a decrease of incomes of Russians. This opinion was expressed to experts interviewed by TASS.
"We should understand that reducing the number of hours worked in the current environment is not only the decrease in the level of labour productivity and falling incomes. And reducing the number of hours worked is still a loss of competitiveness of the Russian economy", – said the rector of the Financial University under the government of the Russian Federation Alexander Safonov.
This opinion is shared by Professor of corporate management at the Higher school of corporate management (wscu) Ranepa Elena yakhontova. In an interview with TASS, she pointed out that the transition to a four-day working week without loss of earnings for staff, reducing productivity and increasing costs for organisations should be created by several conditions.
"Debugged without exception, all the business procedures effectively carried out the automation of all processes, an effective system of management of the organization, including production, personnel, customer relations, it is necessary to provide the company with qualified, motivated staff, loyal and involved in the work", – said the expert, adding that such conditions in the majority of domestic organizations is not yet established.
Premature decision
Yakhontova noted that in the current environment, given unemployment and lower salary expectations of employees are set the task of transition to a four-day workweek is premature.
"given the current situation of rising unemployment and lower salary expectations of the staff. The Russians in conditions of forced isolation, squandered their savings. Now they are ready to take on their shoulders a lot more work if it will enhance earnings. Discussion of transition probabilities for a four-day working week can be perceived as a veiled desire of the management to pay for four hours, and to exploit workers eight hours or even more. This can cause a growth of tension in society and loss of confidence of workers to management", – said yakhontova.
According to experts, the introduction of flexible forms of work may not be at the expense of reducing the quality of life of employees and their families.
the duration of the working day
In turn, Professor of the Department of labour and social policy, Institute of public administration and management (IIPAM) at Ranepa Alexander Shcherbakov said that due to changes in the number of working hours can increase the intensity of labor. Accordingly, may increase the professional��Aya and the overall incidence is background new epidemic diseases.
"Existing labour legislation of Russia does not provide for the measurement of working hours in days (today it is measured in hours) normally working hours of an employee should not exceed 40 hours per week. The duration of the working day, the working shift is now not set by law. Therefore, the distribution options specified maximum working time in individual enterprises can be different. In particular, if you divide the current 40 hours not five, but four days, then each worker will have to work 10 hours a day, that is 25% longer", – said Shcherbakov.
The expert added that flexible working hours implies a consensus of interests of the employee and the employer in the distribution of working time not only by days but also during the working day, the working shift.
Earlier, the Chairman of the security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said that the need to create proper labour legislation in this sphere. According to him, the theme of the four-day workweek "is in contact with the work "remote on".
