In the post liberalization era, India has been steadily establishing itself as one of the most favored destinations for the multi-national companies across the globe.  But the real story of the Indian worker has failed to attract the eyeballs attention of the mainstream media. His contribution to the country has always been overlooked.  His aspirations and hard work have been branded as selfish and money minded. Even stories of a possible recession, gives him a few restless nights. Still he remains a socially showcased item who often does not deserve appreciation! In a world where ‘“survival of the fittest’”   holds true, we forget to realize that the average Indian is burning out in his work place big time!

A leading newspaper recently published a global survey report conducted by Regus, a workplace solutions provider, which indicated that over 50% of employees in India work way more than eight hours a day and over 40% of employees regularly take their work home. The survey, which was conducted among 12,000 employees from over 85 countries reveals that India is among the leading countries where employees worked beyond their stipulated office timings.  The compulsions of global business models have been clearly taking a toll on the working Indians.  Let us for a change, talk about the story of this struggling Indian who is caught up between family and work all his life!

When the information technology revolution took shape in the country in the early nineties, the world looked at us in wonder. Today even the mighty United States of America has begun to feel the heat of India’s growth.  But this growth has the blood and sweat of the ordinary Indian who sacrificed many good moments of his life for his career.  Today if we find ourselves terribly over worked, can we just blame it on these new age colonial rulers? Or do we deserve some taut criticism for degrading our work culture?  As many as 45% workers in India work for 9-11 hours every day. Comparing this to the worldwide average of 38%, we realize that our work-life balance is in a horrible state of affairs!

Let us further dissect the reasons behind this mess. A section of the society believes that the demanding deadlines and pressurizing clients force them to sit back late in office.  The amount of work is never proportionate to the time allocated.  The difference in time zones with your customer can also force you to sit late in office. People say it’s more of an organizational decision than personal choice! In this case, the question is that of an understanding employer. Does your company, while forcing you to sit late in office, feel for your personal life. Or is it just the size of your pay slip that counts?

Today in India most employees even while going on a short vacation are forced to carry their work with them. Compare this to the western culture. Forget about working, an employee on vacation does not even bother reading his official e-mail! Even if he is forced to get back to his work due to some urgency, the company compensates for his time and money.  How often can an Indian employee expect such a favor from his company? It’s high time we reflect on the fact that we are being squeezed by the pressures of a global market, where human values hold no ground. Perhaps that’s why it’s said love your job, but not your employer!

Where do we draw the line? Shouldn’t we have a common standard to measure work efficiency and commitment of an employee, which shall remain constant throughout an industry? Perhaps this standardization of work ethics is the need of the hour. Such an endeavor would make work more quantifiable, productive and employee friendly.  This standardization would help bridging the two extremes of the same continuum.  The real challenge that awaits us in this regard is whether  India can reposition itself in the global market as the world leader of work ethics and work – life balance practices than being a mere hub of cheap labor. This transition might seem utopian to any working class Indian, but optimism and hope is the only way out.

We would need a proactive government and a dominant labor policy to achieve this feast. There is bound to be high resistance from the influential corporate houses against any such move. But it will be worthy if everyone realizes that such a government policy, would help control attrition rates and thus help the companies cut down on their employee retention costs big time. There would be more smiling faces at work places and efficient resource utilization. This would probably be a Win-Win situation to the employee and the employer.

How long can we sit back and blame the system and continue ruining our lives? There is a bigger question of work culture. When one employee stays back late in the office, then the remaining bunch is forced to follow suite. Unfortunately in this new age, an employee’s efficiency and commitment are measured in terms of the time he has spent in office rather than the quality of his work. This unwritten precedence in our workplaces has caused more harm than one can imagine.