OVERWORK

I have observed that many Private Companies as also some Government Organisations tend to overwork their people. Some people work for about 16 hours everyday, all six days in week. True, There are some workaholics who revel in working for 16 hours every day.  It is perennial overtime in some Private Companies in the Country. The middle Management cadre in such Companies are made to work much more. In some of the Government banks in the country, it has become necessary for a few people in every branch to put in more than 12 hours of work due to tremendous workload.  It is also true that some people tend to log in more working hours just to while away the time and some for the extra pay they get as a result. Apprentice workers in Accountancy and sales people for eg., are typically made to work continuously without break for 4-5 days or more at a stretch to meet deadlines. This is particularly during the financial year ending and half-yearly closings in finance and marketing departments.

What I want is to give some thoughts for the readers to dwell into the merits and demerits of overworking and find a solution to this.

World Health Organisation specifies 45 to 60 houirs of working hours in a week depending upon the Country and Region. This clause is inducted into the Factories act of countries, as in India, though such an Act is old, may be, more than 100 years old. France, for eg. has ruled a maximum of 45 hours of working hours per week for a working individual. It is also specified that making an individual work more than 60 hours may have dire consequences on his physical and mental health.

Merits of working more may be getting things done earlier, more productivity, more earnings & rewards. Tireless working can a great virtue for those who are in the public & charitable services. This may be advantageous for some of the professions such as politicians. Such work, however, is undertaken only for a limited time such as time of calamity, elections etc.

The consequences however are many and in some case not easily discernible. These may include;

Daily fatigue. Unlike the professions listed above, a Company workers’ work is ongoing and therefore tend to get regular. Fatigue over a period of time may have lasting effects on individual health.

Long hours in front of computers, machines, factory heat and in closed circulation rooms may be detrimental for one’s health in terms of many of psychosomatic diseases.

For a person who has worked long hours in a day, will he be fresh and alert the next day and expected to give his best?. Does not his effectivity reduce?. In my opinion, there will be much less productivity which is the primary aim of working long hours.

Travelling to & from home to workplace may not be safe and can cause accidents due to excess fatigue.

Working more hours mean less time for the family which may result in less tollerence, more irritability, a common problem nowadays.

Working more hours also mean less time for community work and quality recreation which are regenerative forces for one’s health and well-being.

Irregular working hours alter sleep patters, food intake and consequent digestion whose effects are long term and very damaging.

It is a well-known fact that our Country is on the forefront of the people with cardiovascular  and diabetes as compared to the world. These may be proof of the demerits listed above and if left uncorrected may lead to a catastrophe. Government has to act with necessary alteration to the legislation and people movement has to rise to contain the damages. 

VEDIC VS MODERN MANAGEMENT

The difference between Vedic and Modern Management.

Management says DREAM, but Vedas say dreams only can make you more unstable, create unease, a false sense of the world. According to the Vedas, dreams are not real and reflects an illusion. Can one expect to live under illusion?.

Management says, KILL COMPETITION. Every Company tries to be one up on the other and terms it healthy competition. But in reality it is is absurd. Spirituality says, competitions are not necessary. Just do whatever you do with dedication and perfection. We all are humans and have equal rights and responsibilities to live and let live.

It is mostly greed which makes a Company resort to overworking of employees to maximise their production figures. On the other hand Vedas opine that Companies exist for the welfare of its employees and the society for which it provides goods and services, and a quality material provided to the market shall suffice. Employees must spend equal time for duties towards their family and society.

Advertisements in the modern world attempts to increase the wants and needs of the people as against Vedas which teach that increasing wants and needs only lead to more of them and less of peace and happiness. After all does the satisfaction of a want lead to happiness?. The same medium of advertisement will not allow the individual his due happiness and will goad him to his next higher want. This does.not mean that Vedas advocate no wants at all. Wants should be limited to fulfilment of one’s circumstantial needs.

AGGRESSIVENESS is given a lot of prominence in modern management. But this is a negative trait in Vedic management. Instead humility is insisted upon. This is because aggressiveness leads to arrogance and destroys the fabric of the society.

Modern Management says that men and women have to be motivated in order to make them work. The motivation may be in the form of Monetary incentives, praise, public recognition, rewards and such. On the other hand Vedic Management has a completely different view. Like the constitution of a Country, it proposes that men and women are duty bound to work ( because they cannot sit idle). And remuneration is paid as a compensation for performing one’s duty so that his immediate family needs are taken care of.  Working is voluntary with a feeling of contributing to the welfare of the society. This way there is an auspiciousness in one’s working, the selfishness being absent. This feeling must exist at all levels in an Organisation, the employers being particularly magnanimous. This eliminates a motive for exorbitant profits and greed. 

BUSINESS MODEL OUR OWN

Why can't we have our own business model. Americans have their, the one they set the trend in the world. Japan has Zen Management. Europeans conduct business on their unity and however Germans have their quality to guide them. 

Our vedas have a good exponent on the way business can be conducted. Lot of good business ideas are available. I am listing some of them below.

Emphasis on doing things well rather than just doing. This means making quality products which surely will be useful to the ultimate consumers.  

The Head of the Company should be selfless. His prime focus should be for the good of the people through his products which are useful as well as affordable. He should fulfill his social responsibility through his organisation. He should develop good and competent people. He should not expect that his Company be inherited by his sons/daughters but by some competent people.

The tenure of the Head of the Company should be limited during which he should develop a competent person to take over the reins. He should never amass wealth and stock them for his children. In fact, if he has accumulated property during his tenure, he should leave a major part of the amount to Charity and only a minor part to his children.

The employees should be treated equally and should be provided with adequate needs. They should be made to reach their 'self actualisation' rather than financial wealth. Money should never be the criteria. An example is the setting up of colonies where employees can reside and provide them with amenities such as schools, playgrounds, hospitals, recreation centres, community halls etc..

The employees in turn should give their best without expecting anything in return. Whatever they are given, they should develop a sense of contentment but give their best. They should not think that they are working for a Company but they are a significant contributors for the welfare of the society as a whole which is true.

The Company should make products which protect the environment and help to preserve the ecosystem. No shortcut method should be employed in the conduct of business such as seeking undue favors from the Government or contribute to corrupting the system.   

SALES TARGETS

Let us suppose that an Indian Company has performed well and has shown a growth of about 30%. One can take it for sure that the next year sales target will be 70-100% growth. No doubt the sales team is upbeat, but the reason for the phenomenal growth has to be examined. Next year sales targets are decided without taking along the other departments into consideration. The result is that sales people are under tremondous pressure. Even if they generate good sales orders, the production department is unable to fulfill the orders. The orders, invariably get delayed in execution. This leads to sales peoples' frustration. A steady growth target is always good and sustainable in the long run. This increases the credibility as well as its reputation. Showing greed is counter productive and does not serve the Company well.

WAY THEY WORK IN INDIAN COMPANIES

A typical Indian wing of a multinational Company behaves in a manner which is far apart from their principals in advanced Countries. There is generally too much of pressure working in Indian Companies. Many employees are asked to work late hours in the office and are repeatedly bombarded with questions by many seniors within the Organisation. An Employee is not let alone to attend to his core work. In addition to a higher unplanned work he/she is asked to answer several consultants engaged by the Company for Safety, Quality, Productivity, Sales review etc.. At other times they are subjected to too many training programmes. In other times they are made to engage in countless meetings. The person is constantly kept in a state of avoidable stress. I do not understand why in India people are made to work all six days full time when their foreign counterparts are given 2 days weekend. A rethink is MUST in the way employees potential are tapped.

WAYS OF DOING BUSINESS

There are two ways of doing business;
1. Letting the END justify the MEANS.
2. Belief that MEANS will justify the END.

Theory 1 one indicates that one can adopt any means good or evil, harmful or benign, to achieve an end. In this method, End (Target) is decided before and people are driven to achieve that. In my opinion, this method can serve only the self-interest of the master without regard for fellow humans and surroundings. This was the American method whose people believed in the invincibility of Man. Big Corporation in the USA founded on this principle turned arrogant. We all know what this method led to for those Corporations in the US. Presently those big Corporations are sick wanting care.

The other was the 'Oriental way'. Ancient Indian scriptures abound on the appropriateness of this theory. According to the scriptures it is the more natural form. The Japanese followed this principle in the 70s and 80s and emerged winners. They worked hard perfecting the development of products to suit human needs and the rest is history. In this method, the 'target' was not a self-serving number but satisfying human needs. This brought huge prosperity to Japan.

If the target is a number that satisfies the greed of the master, then it is pure oppression just as Hitler, who tried to destroy the world to prove his hegemony. The END is actually not in the control of the human. It is again said in our scriptures that one can only put efforts in the right direction, the fruit of labour is dependent on many factors that are beyond human comprehension. But it is a fact that right efforts will surely bring in good results (cause and effect theory), the quantum of which is dependent on those same factors.

Therefore it is a lesson for the Corporations that their focus should be on creation & congenial employment of resources such as human, machinery and knowledge with a vision for better world and the environment will take care of its well-being and growth.

QUOTES ON CORPORATES

Consumerism is like smoking and alchoholism.
Too much of it leads to addiction.

Consumers have many to satisfy them
Employees have only their Companies to look up to.

If a boss supports his subordinates, the Company will grow.
If a boss supports his higher-ups, only he will grow.

3Ps to be a good salesman;
Personality, Presentation, Product knowledge.

Let Corporates worldwide begin to understand that an individual is worthier than money.