What if we could all set our own working hours?

What’s better than two public holidays in the same week, even if that means salaries will be delayed? It’s great to sleep after months of having to be at the office by 7.00am! Speaking of which, I envy our colleagues in Britain who now have a right to request their employers for flexible working hours. Somebody get me a Visa and a job over there. Imagine if we too could set our own working hours! I’d do well with a 10.00am to 4.00pm routine, and since I hate Mondays, I’d rather work Tuesday to Friday. I wouldn’t mind putting in a few hours on Saturday but not Sunday as I’m sometimes required to do at my current job. Most of all, I wouldn’t mind working from home. All my employer would have to do is buy me a laptop, pay for my Wifi and I’d be good to go. Employers need to rethink this whole 7 to 5 must-be-in-office arrangement. I know many people who report to work on time but do little more than chat or watch movies all day. More hours don’t necessarily mean more productivity. Of course there are tasks that require one to be in office but there’re also those that can be executed remotely. A friend was just showing me pictures of his baby daughter and later asked when I plan to have mine. I told him it will be a while and laboured to explain that having a child is not as easy on women as it is on the men. There are many things to take into consideration before taking that step. Aside from money, you need to think about your career. Many people assume that because your partner has a job or some source of income, you can just take time off and have children. There are many women who don’t want to sit at home and wait for a man to provide and yet at the same time, balancing career and motherhood is not easy. That is why most women have had to choose one. Right now, my friend is carrying on with his job but his girlfriend is at home looking after the baby. Don’t forget the nine months she was pregnant. Some women have difficult pregnancies that require them to make frequent hospital visits. Others suffer mood swings and various forms of discomfort. You may not want to be around certain people and everyone will assume you are just being fussy. Things don’t get easier after you have the baby. Women who get three months’ maternity leave are considered lucky but would you really be comfortable leaving a three-month-old baby with a maid? Why can’t your employer allow you some flexibility and let you work from home? The way I see it, the new mom would be at ease and wouldn’t spend more time dashing in and out of office or making endless calls to check on her child. But I guess we’re not about to see that kind of flexibility here.