Staggered office timings could be the answer we need

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The Central Railway (CR) made an unprecedented and surprising move recently, advocating staggered office timings in Mumbai to eliminate rush hours and reduce fatalities on the railway network. It has sent out letters to over 350 media organisations urging the implementation of this approach.

The CR in Mumbai practises what it preaches, with staggered timings at their own offices since November 1.

Though 150 additional suburban services have been added during peak hours in the past seven years, there is no scope for further increase in services, said a report in this paper.

The letter talks about loss of life, limb or even the extremely enervating rail journey, which has an adverse impact on employee productivity.

Railway passenger associations in the city have long advocated staggered office timings. It is time for workplaces to look into this very seriously, and see if they can indeed change timings or stagger them so that employees reach their workplace less tired. There is some expectation that the Metro network will decongest trains. Yet, that is still some time away, and is a possibility not a guarantee. Till then, and even after that, staggered timings may be our best bet to ensure people travel in some comfort to their destinations.

Though services have increased over the years, the population has risen too and then there is the inevitable saturation point that arrives, when a Metropolis already bursting at its seams, does not have any ‘give' at all.

While losing life and limb is extremely grave, there is the everyday problem of arriving at one's destination, completely wrung out from the journey. That certainly tells on the quality of work or productivity and in fact, quality of life itself. We cannot control numbers. We have little control over the services our transport facilities can offer. What we can do is control work timings.