The Trapeze

“Hello, EY employee’s news is a reminder that we shouldn’t sacrifice our health for work. Luckily, the culture in our office is not like corporate, where they treat employees like slaves. But the nature of our work itself is stressful at times. 
Just wanted to say – don’t miss out on having food on time and catch up on the sleep lost whenever possible. Use some healthy de-stress methods such as Yoga, walking, art etc. 
Due to lifestyle changes, the timing of the occurrence of illness has accelerated; early-age heart related diseases is one example. In case you are experiencing health issues including mental health, please don’t hesitate to share with any of us or Ma’am”

This warm, alerting, responsible internal message by one of our team members reflects the underlying concerns of youngsters today, the work culture in our firm and the open-talk environment that we have created over the years. Needless to say, it spurred a barrage of responses that concluded with a “No amount of money, position, recognition, promotion etc. can bring back life or health”. However, it was assuring to note that the team felt comfortable talking about work-life balance openly in an air  of ‘we are here for each other’ camaraderie !

Is that so in all organisations ? The need of the hour in our fast-paced lives is – Balance, Equanimity, Resilience in the backdrop of the most oft heard terms in the last 1 month #worklifebalance, #toxicworkculture, #stress, #burnout #dropdead, #demandingbosses, stretchhours, #abusivelanguage, #mentalhealthchallenges #sleep, #sleeplessness…..

In a recently conducted employee-engagement activity in our firm, when asked to write “What made you happy recently ?”, we got a variety of answers ranging from 

• a walk in Cubbon park with my dog
• playing badminton on the weekend
• sketching, trekking, a casual walk by the sea-side 
• enjoying a comedy show, watching movies, meeting friends 

to one of them even claiming ‘Always happy. Need no occasion or event to be happy’  

TO the best response being “Good and sound sleep after a long time. Sleep is the best meditation”. Not having adequate time to sleep, not getting to sleep on time, not able to sleep deeply ….. these are the serious issues across age groups today. In my opinion, nothing can be more therapeutic than being able to sleep blissfully like a dog on a garbage heap !

Just like the Nirbhaya case eons ago, the recent horrific rape and murder of a young doctor in the land of the Durga and Anna’s story of death due to work exhaustion in a top-notch consulting firm have shaken the conscience of people across the country. There are protests and outpourings of anguish, anger and indignation by many. Whether things will really change, whether a revolution will set in, only time will tell. The hustle culture in corporates across sectors, the bane of overpromising, the desire to deliver more with less resources, the justification to dangle an incentive-carrot for unreasonable working hours…..all these were there before and will continue or hopefully change. But, but the change we see now is that more and more overworked, overwhelmed employees (more so the younger lot) are coming out in the open to share their experiences and act, where required.

Corporates, startups, consulting firms, law firms, CA, CS firms, investment bankers, investors, advisory firms (the list is not exhaustive!)….are all birds of the same feather. The moot question is who is to bell the cat ? In the quest for client-satisfaction, in the race for expansion and outperforming the peers, in the mayhem of getting to the top, who is to take the call ? who is to pause and decide how the most precious resource of an organisation – its PEOPLE – are feeling, faring and living their lives ? 

Is it enough if employers provide fancy workplaces, attractive monetary incentives, exotic holiday options, fun-filled party choices including sleep pods, sleep corners, yoga sessions et al without ensuring employees actually have the time to use most of the facilities ? While some advocate work hard, party harder (read on weekends) OR work, work, work, earn handsomely and then take a long sabbatical to recharge and return OR quit the race and pivot into something entirely different that is less demanding, some of us may not have such luxury. In today’s work environment, other steadier options for balanced life seem rare except, say in government sector. The responsibility seems to squarely lie on employees to make a choice – either to run the race or quit.

As employers I guess we can do our bit (add more to this list please and practise…..) 

• set realistic expectations with customers and other stakeholders
• politely and professionally pushback where required
• train the team to manage expectations with colleagues and others
• learn to prioritise between urgent, important, critical work
• insist on clear and candid communication
• assess and set realistic performance goals aligned with organisational objectives
• encourage employees to have personal and professional goals aligned with performance-pay
• recognise achievement of personal goals as well
• ensure a buddy-system
• put in place both mentoring and reverse-mentoring mechanisms
• create and nurture an open-voice culture
• be bold to course-correct, where required

The demographic dividend that we gloat about can soon become a demographic disaster, if we do not create and nurture a healthy and balanced work-life environment. It is a collective responsibility of all the stakeholders in the interest of the economy and society at large.

You are reading the 304th issue of Samhita. Just a single scroll and you will find some interesting takeaways from a high-profile panel discussion on corporate governance. Don’t miss it. So also the important announcements – changes in cross border M&A procedures by MCA, SEBI’s press release highlights that focus on EODB, CCI’s regulations that mark a major pivot in competition law and RBI’s new rules for compounding under FEMA. 

For any previous issues of Samhita and the readers’ feedback, please visit sharadasc.com.

Invoking the divine feminine power within us to stay empowered and battle all challenges with grace, poise and energy ! Wishing all of you Happy Navaratri !!