The Hindu Business Line : Youngsters hung up on 5-day work week

The 22-year-old who has grown up on a five-day week in school and college is now hesitating the big job offer that expects a six-day presence at the workplace.

Ms Anusha Joy, HR Manager at a leading retail chain in Bangalore, says: "Money cannot pull people to work on Saturdays. We have at least three out of four people refusing jobs (like admin and HR) that demands their presence here on Saturdays."

Mr Rajesh A.R., Vice-President, Team Lease Services, agrees. "Convincing employees to take up jobs in sectors that expect a six-day commitment is indeed a big problem."

TeamLease has close to 60,000 temps on its rolls across sectors such as IT, ITeS, BFSI, pharma, manufacturing and retail.

At temp recruitment from Tier I institutes, students look for five-day work, says Mr Rajesh.

"Retail does demand long working hours and we find that people from manufacturing and army backgrounds are more easily convinced about working on Saturdays."

Ms Parvathy Krishnan, CEO of Cucumber Consultants, a Hyderabad-based HR recruitment firm, says: "Yes, people in India are getting into the `no work on week-end mood.' It's true that the tech sector offers perks like flexi hours and work-from-home which retail and manufacturing cannot afford to. But it's also true that retail salaries are so attractive that soon it will easily offset that drawback."

Ms Achal Khanna, Managing Director and Country Manager of Kelly Services India, agrees. "Yes, there is an attitude among a few people about five-day week, but retail salaries will become a bigger draw."

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