Working Time Expert to speak at manufacturing masterclass

Due to popular demand, working time expert, Jim Whittam, will return to Manchesterís Manufacturing Institute to present a Flexible Workforce (Annualised Hours) Masterclass.

The Manufacturing Institute is an independent charity founded by North West manufacturers and universities. The seminar, which will advise manufacturers of the best practice for working hours, will take place at Trafford Park, Manchester, on Thursday, May 4.

Demand was so great for the Flexible Workforce Masterclass in January that the Manufacturing Institute is repeating the event for those companies which were unable to secure a place on the original date.

The popularity of the theme is evidence of the ever-growing need for British firms to work more flexibly and cost-effectively, says Jim Whittam, who is the Director of Consulting, and founder of Manchester-based Working Time Solutions Ltd.

Jim, who is a specialist in assisting companies struggling with managing the working hours of staff, said: ìI have seen many manufacturing and engineering companies pour money down the drain ñ and lose good staff ñ because their work schedules and shift patterns are poorly managed.

ìPeople in manufacturing traditionally work long hours, which are often unsociable. They become notoriously dissatisfied with their jobs, but this doesnít need to be the case,î said Jim.

ìWhat you get with poorly managed staff rostas is high levels of fatigue, stress and short-term sickness.

ìIt affects performance physically and mentally, morale and motivation become very low, and family life suffers which often breeds resentment.

Jim added ìThe problems associated with long-hours mean staff turnover is very high.

ìPeople in the UK work the longest hours in the European Union ñ but our long-hours culture is seriously damaging productivity.î

He says many bosses of manufacturing companies are ditching traditional work patterns and switching to a system of hours worked out over the whole year, called annualised hours

Jim said: ìAnnualised hours allows shift patterns to fit production and service requirements - cutting down on costly overtime and labour wastage, but giving employees more acceptable working patterns and more usable leisure time.

Working Time Solutions is leading the way to help the army of over-worked staff, thanks to its expertise in workforce forecasting, scheduling and management, including annualised hours.

Prysmian, (previously Pirelli Cables), which employs 150 people at its Aberdare plant in South Wales, has recently benefited from Working Time Solutionsí help.

The plant, which manufactures electrical wire cable, introduced annual hours contracts for 115 shop floor workers in May 2005.

Prysmian estimated sickness and poorly managed overtime and holidays were causing a net productivity loss of 16%. Since the introduction of annual hours this figure has dropped significantly, and is continuing to fall.

The company can now plan ahead more confidently to meet its customer requirements, and it no longer relies on staff working overtime to provide holiday cover.

Employees at multi-national companies including Coca Cola Enterprises, Siemens Power Generation and Unileverís Colmanís Mustard and Ice Cream Frozen Food Division are also amongst those benefiting from Working Time Solutionsí expertise in working time change.

Jim added: ìFew employees really want to work long hours and the increasing focus on work-life balance and family priorities is changing our views.

ìOvertime and long-hours cultures may well be institutionalised in some industries, and difficult to change, but the promise of shorter hours, family-friendly working patterns and more accessible leisure time is alluring.

ìAlthough annualised hours is not a new concept, it is now coming of age and, as a country, we need to radically re-think the way we work to become more efficient.î

Jim Whittam will be presenting a case study of the work it carried out at Prysmian Cables at the Manchester Manufacturing Instituteís Flexible Workforce (Annualised Hours) Masterclass on Thursday, May 4.

For more details about the masterclass, please contact Jon Tudor on 0161 874 3325.

For more information about flexible working and scheduling solutions, including annualised hours, please contact Kevin White at Working Time Solutions on 0161 929 3333 or visit