Work stress among IT workers is overwhelming!!! Not withstanding the guarded comments by the IT leadership on this issue in the media, the stress is simply bursting seams. I quote: "Captains of IT industry are guarded in their response to anecdotal evidence of a spike in reported cases of depression among workers in the sector, as reported by ET last week." Without quoting anyone in particular, my informal interactions with IT workers, brings forth unimaginable work hours and pressure. There is no time to eat, no time to sleep and no time to exercise. The pressure of any escalation from the client keeps them on their toes 24/7, 365 days a year. No leaves, no breaks make it worse. In fact even if they take leaves, the work does not seem to leave them.
The 123 rule is clearly at work - Hire 1, Pay for 2 and Take work of 3! No wonder, IT companies are planning to hire less (do not think it is only recessionary trends)!
Audrey Tsui's research in Asian economies shows abnormal levels of work stress among Asian workers. He puts it perfectly as - 'Asian wellness in decline: a cost of rising prosperity '.
Is the cost too high? In fact, a news report in a reputed business daily has revealed that about 50% of patients at NIMHANS, Bangalore (a hospital for brain injury and mental illness) are IT workers.
This may not mean that all Indian IT workers are unhappy. Gallup's recent research shows that meaningful work and work environment can offset long working hours and can still lead to engagement. But meaningful work and reasonably length of work hours are key determinants. All IT work done in India may not necessarily mean meaningful work and long working hours cannot mean 18-19 hours of work everyday, no leaves, no holiday...its just way too much!
Profit maximization seems to have completely overshadowed people centrism.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The Ostrich Phenomenon and Burial of Engagement
Vice President Hamid Ansari wants to defer live telecast of Indian
Parliament proceedings, to prevent the world watching the unruly and unparliamentarily (softer word for uncivilized) behaviour of its members. Can deferred telecast
make our parliamentarians better behaved?
In response to the brutal rape of the 5 year old girl, our
home minister says that such rapes happen everywhere! Is this the solution?
Indian railways have announced that it is introducing
personalized SMSes and wake-up calls for its passengers. Addressing issues like
clogged website, making ticket booking a herculean task, poor travel experience,
stinking toilets, unsafe trains and unruly daily local passengers making life hell
for 'reserved' passengers, would have been prudent before introducing frills.
Will frills solve the 'chills' of our railways?
Ostrich buries its head in the sand and assumes that since
it cannot see anyone, no one can see it as well. This is called the ‘ostrich
phenomenon’.
Do you see some uncanny resemblance in the above paragraphs? I am
not surprised!
Organizations trying to address problems through interventions
(often cosmetic ones) fail miserably. The solution lies in impacting the
design. Fundamentally if the organizational design is flawed, then problems
will linger and become more acute.
Lets bury engagement!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
AIR clears the 'AIR' - Stop Sexual and Workplace Harassment
'Embarrassed by allegations of sexual and workplace harassment by its radio jockeys (RJs), public broadcaster Prasar Bharati took the strong step to sack two All India Radio (AIR) employees, suspend one and issue a show-cause notice to Delhi Kendra station director seeking an explanation on the matter.
Over 25 presenters had complained in March for being discriminated against work allocation and salaries and also alleged that they have been subjected to sexual innuendos and advances for the last two years. The RJs, under the aegis of the AIR Broadcasting Professionals Association (AIRBPA), had complained to the I&B ministry and the Delhi Commission for Women prompting an internal inquiry by Prasar Bharati and a ministerial probe to look into allegations of workplace harassment. A PIL was also been filed in the Delhi High Court with hearing slated for May.
According to the order issued on Monday with the approval of the Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, duty officers N K Verma and Shelly have been removed from their duties with immediate effect and banned from further employment in the pubcaster, while programme executive Danish Iqbal, who played a supervisory role in the administration and assignments of FM Gold, has been suspended to prevent his influencing the ongoing inquiry. Station director of Delhi Kendra L S Bajpai has been issued a show-cause notice for appearing to have not taken any effective action when informed of these "lapses". (Source: Two All India Radio officials sacked for sexually harassing radio jockeys by Himanshi Dhawan, TNN, Apr 17, 2013)
According to ILO, sexual harassment also falls under the ambit of Workplace Violence. Such strong actions by organization will send a tough message to all those who engage or encourage such sexual misdemeanors of an employee towards other employee or employees.
Indian parliament in March this year passed the ‘The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill’. Although the law has come after a long delay but sometimes it is better late than never! Under the new law -- which also covers students in schools and colleges, patients in hospitals, maids in private residences and agricultural labourers -- employers have to set up grievance committees to investigate all complaints. Employers who fail to comply will be fined up to 50,000 rupees. Repeated violations may lead to higher penalties and cancellation of licence or registration to conduct business.
Organizations need to take a leaf out of this incident. If such a thing can happen in a premier Media Centre in India, then it can just happen anywhere! As much the perpetrators of such crime, the one who ignore the complaints and encourage such acts are equally deplorable. The latter must also bear the brunt for their ignorance or inaction that further prompted such acts. Zero tolerance for such 'sick minds' at workplaces can alone provide a healthy and engaging work environment for the rest of the employees. Inaction as well as late action only contributes to mental anguish of the victims and erodes engagement fast like nothing else.
Here’s wishing a miserable life for all those who sexually abused the women RJs at All India Radio (AIR)! May the law weigh on you heavy!
Over 25 presenters had complained in March for being discriminated against work allocation and salaries and also alleged that they have been subjected to sexual innuendos and advances for the last two years. The RJs, under the aegis of the AIR Broadcasting Professionals Association (AIRBPA), had complained to the I&B ministry and the Delhi Commission for Women prompting an internal inquiry by Prasar Bharati and a ministerial probe to look into allegations of workplace harassment. A PIL was also been filed in the Delhi High Court with hearing slated for May.
According to the order issued on Monday with the approval of the Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, duty officers N K Verma and Shelly have been removed from their duties with immediate effect and banned from further employment in the pubcaster, while programme executive Danish Iqbal, who played a supervisory role in the administration and assignments of FM Gold, has been suspended to prevent his influencing the ongoing inquiry. Station director of Delhi Kendra L S Bajpai has been issued a show-cause notice for appearing to have not taken any effective action when informed of these "lapses". (Source: Two All India Radio officials sacked for sexually harassing radio jockeys by Himanshi Dhawan, TNN, Apr 17, 2013)
According to ILO, sexual harassment also falls under the ambit of Workplace Violence. Such strong actions by organization will send a tough message to all those who engage or encourage such sexual misdemeanors of an employee towards other employee or employees.
Indian parliament in March this year passed the ‘The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill’. Although the law has come after a long delay but sometimes it is better late than never! Under the new law -- which also covers students in schools and colleges, patients in hospitals, maids in private residences and agricultural labourers -- employers have to set up grievance committees to investigate all complaints. Employers who fail to comply will be fined up to 50,000 rupees. Repeated violations may lead to higher penalties and cancellation of licence or registration to conduct business.
Organizations need to take a leaf out of this incident. If such a thing can happen in a premier Media Centre in India, then it can just happen anywhere! As much the perpetrators of such crime, the one who ignore the complaints and encourage such acts are equally deplorable. The latter must also bear the brunt for their ignorance or inaction that further prompted such acts. Zero tolerance for such 'sick minds' at workplaces can alone provide a healthy and engaging work environment for the rest of the employees. Inaction as well as late action only contributes to mental anguish of the victims and erodes engagement fast like nothing else.
Here’s wishing a miserable life for all those who sexually abused the women RJs at All India Radio (AIR)! May the law weigh on you heavy!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Monday, April 1, 2013
JWT-Ford Figo Ad 'Controversy' & Spineless Organizations
Heads have rolled at JWT. The ‘controversial’ Ford ads have taken their toll on the chief creative officer and managing partner.
Where is the sense of humour? Or is there any sense or just crude sensibilities at play?
Ford has publicly distanced itself from these ads. JWT has apologized and fired its creative heads. They feel that the ads have hurt sentiments as in India, likewise in US.
The logic presented? In India the sentiments have been wounded because of the national outcry over rape; and in US because the ads were in pure taste!
C’mon!!! you got to differentiate between humour and criminal acts. Problem of a society with the alleged ‘bunga-bunga’ of Silvio Berlusconi is understandable, but a creative sarcasm on that – should that be decried? And the other ads – Paris Hilton packing Kardashian sisters or Michael Schumacher packing his peer drivers in the boot of Ford Figo just shows occasional competitor’s hidden comical fantasies. How can that be offensive?
One has to be dumb to interpret these ads as sexual innuendos, racist or insulting. By that measure all political cartoon strips should be pulled-down and all those newspapers taken-out of circulation.
Besides shockvertising is not new. United Colors of Benetton has scored immensely with such a strategy. In fact during the ‘unhate campaign’ controversy, although the company pulled-down some ads, the Italian art director and photographer Oliviero Toscani was credited with creating Benetton’s daring advertising campaign. Breaking the age-old advertising tricks, Benetton has always pushed sensitive subjects and challenged realities.
Ford takes the promotion and also the PR points
Anuja Chauhan in her opinion column in ET has termed these ads as prtoducts of award disease. She has siad - "And this is the crux of it. In these confused, insecure, commissioncutting, knee-jerk times, nobody knows what a good ad is any more."
Really!
What is a good ad, Anuja? When did Ford have a promotion, the way it got this time around? Everyone know that Figo has a big boot after these ads! That was the message intended and it got across to the customers loud and clear. Anuja Chauhan may keep her opinion to herself. for she has no idea!
After all those promotional gains, Ford is now bust gathering some cheap PR points. Infact Ford India has also fired one of its employees over these ads.
Spineless Organizations
Organizations need to have little more guts than JWT and Ford. Finding scapegoats out of employees when they were just doing their work is cowardly. In the event something goes wrong, firing employees seems to be such a spineless act. In fact some professionals from the advertising industry see it as an appeasement strategy ( to appease the 'globals gods or the clients'). I wonder how the creative minds would work from now in JWT!
Young India
A British survey has revealed that India is by far is the youngest nation in the world. A BPW Foundation’s Gen Y study published in April 2011 also noted that by 2025, Generation Y will make up roughly 75% of the world’s workforce. With this many millenials making up the majority of the workforce by 2025 — only 13 years away — employers can’t afford not to take notice.
With a teeming Gen Y both at workplace and as an emerging dominant consumer base, JWT & Ford’s actions would hardly engage this generation. I fact some casual interviews with Gen Y on these ads and the controversy that followed, reveals that most of them see Ford and JWT's reactions & actions as 'silly', 'harsh' and 'abandoning' (their employees).
Where is the sense of humour? Or is there any sense or just crude sensibilities at play?
Ford has publicly distanced itself from these ads. JWT has apologized and fired its creative heads. They feel that the ads have hurt sentiments as in India, likewise in US.
The logic presented? In India the sentiments have been wounded because of the national outcry over rape; and in US because the ads were in pure taste!
C’mon!!! you got to differentiate between humour and criminal acts. Problem of a society with the alleged ‘bunga-bunga’ of Silvio Berlusconi is understandable, but a creative sarcasm on that – should that be decried? And the other ads – Paris Hilton packing Kardashian sisters or Michael Schumacher packing his peer drivers in the boot of Ford Figo just shows occasional competitor’s hidden comical fantasies. How can that be offensive?
One has to be dumb to interpret these ads as sexual innuendos, racist or insulting. By that measure all political cartoon strips should be pulled-down and all those newspapers taken-out of circulation.
Besides shockvertising is not new. United Colors of Benetton has scored immensely with such a strategy. In fact during the ‘unhate campaign’ controversy, although the company pulled-down some ads, the Italian art director and photographer Oliviero Toscani was credited with creating Benetton’s daring advertising campaign. Breaking the age-old advertising tricks, Benetton has always pushed sensitive subjects and challenged realities.
Ford takes the promotion and also the PR points
Anuja Chauhan in her opinion column in ET has termed these ads as prtoducts of award disease. She has siad - "And this is the crux of it. In these confused, insecure, commissioncutting, knee-jerk times, nobody knows what a good ad is any more."
Really!
What is a good ad, Anuja? When did Ford have a promotion, the way it got this time around? Everyone know that Figo has a big boot after these ads! That was the message intended and it got across to the customers loud and clear. Anuja Chauhan may keep her opinion to herself. for she has no idea!
After all those promotional gains, Ford is now bust gathering some cheap PR points. Infact Ford India has also fired one of its employees over these ads.
Spineless Organizations
Organizations need to have little more guts than JWT and Ford. Finding scapegoats out of employees when they were just doing their work is cowardly. In the event something goes wrong, firing employees seems to be such a spineless act. In fact some professionals from the advertising industry see it as an appeasement strategy ( to appease the 'globals gods or the clients'). I wonder how the creative minds would work from now in JWT!
Young India
A British survey has revealed that India is by far is the youngest nation in the world. A BPW Foundation’s Gen Y study published in April 2011 also noted that by 2025, Generation Y will make up roughly 75% of the world’s workforce. With this many millenials making up the majority of the workforce by 2025 — only 13 years away — employers can’t afford not to take notice.
With a teeming Gen Y both at workplace and as an emerging dominant consumer base, JWT & Ford’s actions would hardly engage this generation. I fact some casual interviews with Gen Y on these ads and the controversy that followed, reveals that most of them see Ford and JWT's reactions & actions as 'silly', 'harsh' and 'abandoning' (their employees).
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