The recent ramblings of some elderly gentlemen (one a company founder, another a CEO) on how much we many hours we should be working, are symptomatic of all that is kaput with corporate India. The reason we have so few cases of innovators and path-breakers. The reason why Nadella and Pichai shine overseas. The reason start-ups and entrepreneurial attempts fail faster than you can say 1,2,3. These guys have got all the mathematics wrong!
The whole ecosystem in the workplace is designed to reward the raja beta slaving away rather conspicuously in front of his boss.
Attending all meetings the boss holds, he is available for after office hours too. Any outstation customer meet - off he rushes, suitcase in hand. He arrives earliest to office, leaves last. Doesn't matter if most of the time, he's trading stocks on his phone or playing games/watching porn on his laptop. As long as he keeps scowling and snarling at his minions, the bosses are happy. This man means business, he's our golden-eyed boy, management must keep him well oiled.
#70HoursofWork #WorkLifeBalance #WorkStress #Overwork #ExploitingWorkers #NonHuman
Machismo and Hot Air
I find these announcements to be glaring examples of the inherent tendencies of machismo, bullying, slavery, high-handedness privileged males in our country are used to.
At home, when raja beta works, rest of the family keeps quiet. When he needs food, wifey supplies it. Shhh, raja beta is sleeping, don't make noise. Don't irritate him, get him a cup of hot tea/coffee, quick, he's tired from working all day. You get the drift?
Attending all meetings the boss holds, he is available for after office hours too. Any outstation customer meet - off he rushes, suitcase in hand. He arrives earliest to office, leaves last. Doesn't matter if most of the time, he's trading stocks on his phone or playing games/watching porn on his laptop. As long as he keeps scowling and snarling at his minions, the bosses are happy. This man means business, he's our golden-eyed boy, management must keep him well oiled.
Now, this fellow acts like a role model of sorts, and the bosses expect everyone to follow in his steps. Nobody actually measures what quantum of work he does, but he becomes the beacon of hard-work, discipline and professionalism.
Like, really?
Who will save the World?
Problem is this is circa 2025. Today, attention spans have become miniscule. People are living multiple lives virtually. Work-life balance and mental health are screaming for attention and priority, not just stuffing money into your pockets. The environment needs our immediate attention - after all, if your office doesn't have power, or the sewers aren't working, you won't be thinking of the bottom-line, will you? A recent pandemic brought the entire world to its knees, proving how vulnerable we are.
Cities have come to a halt because of climate disasters. Wild fires, floods, cyclones, hurricanes are everyday occurrence. Wars and refugee crises have been looming large. And you are talking of 70 hours at work, doing some meaningless bottom-line enhancement?
And what about your employee - the individual?
Every one in three persons is staring at the black hole of depression, many are paralyzed with chronic anxiety and stress, some are contemplating suicide. Divorces and family breakdowns have shattered our social fabric. People are killing each other just because they didn't like what the other said.
Where do your 70 hours of work contribute in correcting the balance? Does corporate success come at the cost of social, familial, personal well-being? Is devotion to the company mission the be-all and end-all of human life?
Damn it, must you work till you drop dead??
Hold on, gentlemen...hope you aren't looking like this now??
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