In the rapidly changing landscape of work, especially in today’s urban environments where nuclear families are the norm, rigid workplace policies can often do more harm than good. As more organizations aim for excellence and higher productivity, the question they must ask themselves is simple yet profound: Do you want to satisfy your ego, or do you want satisfied employees? This isn’t just about offering perks or painting office walls with bright colors—it’s about creating an environment where employees feel seen, understood, and valued. At the heart of this transformation lies the concept of flexibility and human understanding.
Gone are the days when a 9-to-5 framework could be considered the universal model of productivity. In the modern context, where both parents work, the role of an employee often extends far beyond the professional setting. Imagine an employee who is supposed to drop off or pick up their child from school. If, during office hours, their mind is occupied with the question, “Who will receive my child at home?”—can we reasonably expect them to deliver their best at work? The answer is self-evident. Mental preoccupation, especially with deeply personal concerns, can erode an individual’s focus and efficiency.
Consider the case of a young mother who recently returned from maternity leave. She’s trying to juggle her professional responsibilities while ensuring her infant is well cared for at home. Her child is unwell and in the care of a nanny, but her heart and mind are not entirely at her desk. Every time her phone rings, she’s anxious it might be a call about her baby. She’s physically present in the office, but mentally divided—torn between her duties as a mother and her obligations as an employee. In such a situation, can we expect her to brainstorm creatively, solve complex problems, or engage wholeheartedly in meetings? The modern workplace must acknowledge and respond to such emotional and logistical burdens with compassion, rather than indifference.Or consider the example of a single father who must drop his child off at daycare every morning before heading to work. Despite his efforts, traffic and school timing sometimes mean he arrives at the office by 9:15 instead of 9:00. Yet, he consistently stays back late to make up the time, completes all his tasks diligently, and is a valuable team player. However, instead of appreciation, he’s reprimanded for his “lateness” and reminded to adhere to company hours. The message he receives is clear: it doesn’t matter what you contribute—what matters is what time you clock in. Such rigid approaches ignore the real-life responsibilities employees manage and signal a deeper failure to value people beyond their presence at a desk. The need for flexible timings is not revolutionary—it is, in fact, long overdue.
“When organisations are obsessed with minute punctuality but blind to dedication, commitment, and extra effort, it sends a disheartening message: your sacrifices are invisible, but your slip-ups are magnified. It is this imbalance that creates frustration, disengagement, and eventually, attrition.”
Flexi-timings do not mean allowing employees to come and go as they please without accountability. Instead, they are a recognition of the changing social dynamics and personal responsibilities that today’s professionals manage alongside their work. It’s about acknowledging the simple truth that humans are not machines. When an employee is given the trust and flexibility to balance both life and work, they’re far more likely to reciprocate with loyalty, ownership, and productivity. However, it is not just about introducing new policies; it’s also about how they are enforced. Unfortunately, many organizations fall into the trap of selective implementation—strictly following policies when it’s convenient for them, but conveniently overlooking the contributions of employees that go beyond the routine. A compelling story shared by a friend in the corporate, who is deeply committed to his organization, sheds light on this contradiction. His company, in an admirable move, encouraged employees to move away from the rigid 9-5 culture and instead embrace a sense of ownership in their work.
The idea, on the surface, is progressive and commendable.But when this employee, due to minor unavoidable circumstances, arrived five or ten minutes late a few times, his salary was docked based on a total of 100 minutes of “lost time” for the month. What the system failed to account for was that this same employee regularly stayed back for an extra hour every day, contributing an additional 700 minutes in the same month. This stark mismatch between input and acknowledgment raises a critical question: Is this how we shape responsible employees? Is this the kind of policy enforcement that truly promotes ownership, or does it send the message that only rules matter, not people?
This story is not an isolated incident—it reflects a broader issue in workplace culture. When organisations are obsessed with minute punctuality but blind to dedication, commitment, and extra effort, it sends a disheartening message: your sacrifices are invisible, but your slip-ups are magnified. It is this imbalance that creates frustration, disengagement, and eventually, attrition. Organizations need to ask themselves whether they are fostering a culture of collaboration or merely enforcing control. Trust is a two-way street. If companies want employees to go beyond the call of duty, they must also be willing to look beyond the clock. A small act of understanding, such as acknowledging extra hours put in or accommodating personal responsibilities, goes a long way in building loyalty.
(The author is Associate Professor, Department of Management, President Institute’s Innovation Council, ITM Gwalior and an IIMA (FDP) Alumnus. He is also certified Business Consultant by AIMA. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
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