Corporate Culture: A Culture of Harassment
Government jobs have always been the
most sought-after career choice in India. These are considered to be
well-paying, secure, permanent, and considerate. There is very tough
competition among the aspirants to secure a job. Candidates who find themselves
fascinated by lots of stuff often find it even more challenging to get ahead of
the crowd because unlike the hardcore enthusiasts, these people's attention is
diverted and spread in multiple matters. People who are unable to secure a
government job or people who reject it by their free will often find
themselves in the other alternative - the private sector.
Life in the private sector has
always been subject to harsh criticism. Private employers are considered to be
unreasonable, cruel, and capitalistic in nature, who are only interested in the
output, with the least regard and respect for their employees and their lives and
welfare. Nothing can be generalized anywhere but this is a general
perception.
Now the question is, to what extent
is this perception true? The answer is that every word of it is true, though
the severity may vary from organization to organization, from department to
department, and from officer to officer. The fact is that corporate culture is
a reality. It is a swamp, making an exit from which is a difficult task once
you find yourself there for a bit too long. And the bigger problem is that it transforms
you, it makes you like itself. Because you are being dominated by your
superior, you assert your authority over your juniors. The dominance many a
time takes the form of torment, bullying, and harassment.
If you are someone who doesn’t care about being politically correct then you are in for a ride. Till the time you are submissive, you are fine; the moment you raise your opinion, as soon as you question you get into the bad books. Problems start to arise when you stay out of dirty marsh of politics and don't concern yourself with being diplomatically shrewd. All of this vindictive tamasha is justified in the name of the corporate culture.
In essence, if you are an ass-kisser you are the embodiment of an ideal employee. If you are a boot-licker you are the epitome of a company person. Some people may find these words to be extremely harsh but deep down inside they know that it is the harsh reality, the bitter truth.
If you are someone who doesn’t care about being politically correct then you are in for a ride. Till the time you are submissive, you are fine; the moment you raise your opinion, as soon as you question you get into the bad books. Problems start to arise when you stay out of dirty marsh of politics and don't concern yourself with being diplomatically shrewd. All of this vindictive tamasha is justified in the name of the corporate culture.
In essence, if you are an ass-kisser you are the embodiment of an ideal employee. If you are a boot-licker you are the epitome of a company person. Some people may find these words to be extremely harsh but deep down inside they know that it is the harsh reality, the bitter truth.
A lot of is to do with the current social and political scenario. With skyrocketing population and educated unemployment being at a record high, private organizations are aware that if one employee goes, two more are ready to come. These people with capitalistic mindsets use it to their advantage and exploit staff by making them work for remarkably long hours and pay them peanuts in the name of salaries.
Employees are being
beleaguered. Offices have been turned into jails. Staff is not allowed to
leave premises even if they wish to have a glass of juice from a vendor
standing adjacent to the gate. They are asked to report details of every minute
of the day. If you are suffering from constipation and you spent 15 minutes in
the toilet, you may be asked to justify your absence for those 15 minutes,
because the company probably lost 15 lakhs during the time when you were taking
a dump. The employers need to learn that confining the staff won’t give any
better results.
What employers fail to understand is that efficiency comes with independence and freedom. Quality comes with a tension-free, cool, and calm mind. The biggest misconception that these self-proclaimed extraordinarily smart people have is the belief that sticking on to a chair all day is the biggest trait of an excellent employee. What they fail to realize is that the number of hours within a premise or on a chair does not really reflect the quality or efficiency. Moreover, for a person to work efficiently, a 5-minute break in an hour or two eases the nerves, refreshes the brain, relaxes the eyes, and gives the body the necessary physical movements to stay fit. The number of hours spent sitting on a desk should not be a measuring scale for productivity.
If an employee is given some authority, it will automatically reflect in their quality, which will also consequentially increase the quantity because a fresh mind works faster. The employer should not be a jackass to monitor the movements of the staff. Employers tend to assert their power and while doing so they tend to micro-manage. They must just manage
If an employee is given some authority, it will automatically reflect in their quality, which will also consequentially increase the quantity because a fresh mind works faster. The employer should not be a jackass to monitor the movements of the staff. Employers tend to assert their power and while doing so they tend to micro-manage. They must just manage
Furthermore, these
organizations lack a systematic approach, they lack planning, they lack the right work ethic. Every
employee should be assigned tasks with reasonable respective time frames. How
the employee wishes to carry out the allotted tasks should be left to their
wise sense of judgment. The employer should be concerned with the outcome. If
an employee wants to have 5 cups of tea and 2 sandwiches while doing their work,
the employers should be least bothered about it. If the employee provides satisfactory work in the predefined time frame, the employer should not be
worried if the employee takes a 5-minute stroll after every 45 minutes, or if he gulps a
cup of coffee every 2 hours. If someone feels that their concentration is
better when they hear a song, let them hear (unless of course, they want to play
songs in a loudspeaker). You want work, you get work. Don’t try to impose your
style of working, what suits you might be problematic for the other, and vice versa. Stay the
fuck away. Let the employees work in a way that they deem best for them.
Besides, employers need to be humane. Job is a part of life, it is not life. There are many
other things in life that are to be looked after. Employers need to be
considerate and reasonable. They ought to not be stone-cold-hearted disrespectful
creatures. They must remember that they are availing the services of their
employees, they have not bought them. Employees are not bonded labour, they are
not slaves. And the employers are not some noble prize-winning world-renowned personality,
they are a product of this bloody muddy mess.
Cases of hurling abuses have also not remained uncommon these days. Professional integrity, morality, ethics, and etiquette seem to be fading away in this corporate world. All nuisance is justified here.
The biggest issue with
this matter is that people have started to accept this style of working. People
fear to take a stand for themselves. People are happy being subjugated. This mindset
troubles the handful of those who are brave enough to keep away from being
trodden under the foot. If 9 out of 10 employees in a department are
submissive, the 10th who refuses to accept this persecution and wants
to work with his self-respect intact would be termed as egoistic, hard to work
with, rebel, unsuitable, problematic, recalcitrant, etc. He would be troubled intentionally. The silence of the employee is the shield of the employer.
The employers must realize
that irrespective of how much fabricated untrue self-appreciation they shove in
their LinkedIn biographies, they are a part of this terrible work culture that
lacks ethics and reason, and one day they themselves can be a victim of it.
You can read the same article here, at Youth Ki Awaz. Spare some time to have a look at my blog there.
You can read the same article here, at Youth Ki Awaz. Spare some time to have a look at my blog there.
Comments
Post a Comment