Sunday, 23rd April 2006
Salaried vs Hourly
A couple of days ago, i recieved an e-mail forward from my yahoo group from BMS. It described to a nicety, youth life in most software companies in Inda. I know it is true because i was doing the same thing during my 6 months as an intern before i came here.
Life is calling...
Scenario
It's half past 8 in the office of a software company in India. The lights are still on. PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing.And who's at work? Most of them! Take a closer look. All or most specimens are 20-something male species of the human race. Look closer. Again all or most of them are bachelors. And why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!! Any guesses??
Let's ask one of them. Here's what he says: "Arey yaar, what there 2 do after going home... idhar to net hein, AC hein, phone hein, khaana hein, coffee hein.. to jam ke khaao, jam ke piyo (burps), jam ke chatting/phone karo aur thak jaane par ghar jaao...aur boss bhi kush that I am working late...(burps) aur khaane ka paisa bhi bachtaa hein.".
Translation [Hey dude, what would i do going home. Here i have access to the internet, Air Conditioning, Phone, Free Dinner, Free Coffee. So i'll eat heartily, drink heartily, chat away to glory, yak away on the phone. And after i get tired, i go home and best part is that boss is thrilled because i am working late and i save money on food].
This is the scene in most software companies and other off-shore offices. Bachelors "time-passing" during late hours in the office just b'coz they say they've nothing else to do.
Consequences
Soon "working"(for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the company culture. With bosses more than eager to provide support to those "working" late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he's a hard worker. Goes home only to change...!) They aren't helping things too. To hell with bosses who don"t understand the difference between "sitting" late and "working" late!!
Very soon, the managers start expecting all employees to put in extra working hours. Bachelor folks dont realise that life changes when u get married and start having a family. Office is no longer a priority, family is. And that's when the problem starts. Because coz u start having commitments at home too. For your boss, the earlier "hardworking" guy suddenly seems to become a "early leaver" even if they leave an hour after regular time. After doing the same amount of work, people leaving on time after doing their task for the day are labeled as work-shirkers. Girls who thankfully always leave on time are labeled as "not up to it".
All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on "working" not realizing that they are spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they would have to regret at one point of time.
Here is where a big difference arises from being a salaried employee versus a hourly wage employee, which most people in US are. When you are hourly, your boss is gonna make sure your overtime is actually time spent working. So sitting late is really not an option. Which is why most folks look to get the job done and leave as soon as possible.
Moral of the Story
Here is the moral of the story for all those bachelor folks. LEAVE ON TIME!! Never put in extra time unless really needed. Don't stay back un-necessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause an inconvenience to you and your colleagues. There are hundred other things to do in the evening. Learn music. Learn a foreign language. Try go-carting. And for heaven's sake net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low and try cooking for a change.
Taking a tip from the Smirnoff ad: "Life's calling, where are you??" .
Posted by Nikhil on Sunday, 23rd April 2006 in Life in General | Fun | Nonsense