Work Culture Spoilers

      I was going through an editorial, apparently written by Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys. He mentioned that a gigantic figure of software professionals are working for late hours these days which he termed as “Sitting late” and not “working late”. That’s in fact true. It’s a very familiar picture we see every single day where people sit beyond day's end. And when I looked closely I could filter each person out in following 3-4 categories.

I don’t have anything to do at home – I have mentioned this breed of  community before in one of my earlier blog Boost is the secret of my  energy, they exist to work and sleep. The intention behind this is still blurred to me because for them place of work starts at 11 pm (Instead of customary 8:30 am for everyone else) and to complete 8-9 hrs they hang around way beyond working hours. They are apple of manager’s eye for the sole reason that they are good in showing that they work a lot.  They have no hobbies, no interests. They generally slumber out the entire weekend. These are the same people belong to the group who say “Life is SO unexciting”.

I should be working always – This is one more variety of software engineers, Chicken hearted soldiers, as far as in my thoughts.

# They are frightened of Company’s business policies, they think each company policy is intended to throw them out,

# They are SHIT scared of their managers,

# They are terrified of their coworkers,

# They are petrified of every potential object around them.

According to them the solitary way to survive is to carry on working. It does not matter if it’s late or its weekend. Managers like this category of resources because they work a lot and managers need not give them back anything because they do not ask or demand for it. They are scared to demand for award or reward against the work they have given to the organization and yet are rated “Average Performer” ALWAYS. They are the No. 1 reason behind company’s revenue. Wake up guys, everyone in this industry molests you and yet you give them chance to molest you again and again.

Work for Pleasure – This is not a very familiar race of people but not uncommon also. They always do more then what is assigned to them just because they like working. It does not matter what rating they get, small salaries does not bother them and it does not matter if they will be given an opportunity to take a trip onsite or not. They just like to work work work. Day, night, Saturday and Sunday everything is same for them.

Now the point what I want to make here is if you unite these 3 categories, it will give you around 60-70% of the total software engineers but what about rest 30%. I belong to that 30%,

1. I don’t work/Sit outside organization defined working hours if not necessary because I have hobbies and interests which I have to follow every single day.
2. I say no to work on weekends because I work for money, the money for which I need time to spend. I get only weekends to spend and take pleasure in that money. If I start working on weekends then when will I enjoy and where will I spend??
3. I sketch my effort in such a way that I conclude everything by company set “end of day” which is highly UNACCEPTABLE to my supervisors, Reason ? No idea.
4. I do not take surplus work un-necessarily just because everyone else in my team belongs to one of those 3 categories.

I am not and I was never in my managers good books just because of those 3 categories. In past 5 years I have seen managers and companies like people who work beyond working hours even if there is no work and just because of this the fraction of those 3 categories is mounting radically. My new manager asked me once why people do not stay back in this project. What sort of issue is that?? When everyone finishes everything by 6 then why do you desire them to stay back??

I suppose I will not transform because I am proud the way I work.

I work to live and not live to work