WORK-LIVE Balance
(No, this is not a spelling mistake.)
The Second Wave (isn’t it scary that we use it almost like a proper noun now?) has wreaked havoc, and the storm is far from over. We have read countless articles and seen countless videos about how Positivity and Compassion are the need of the hour. How we need to help others and ‘do our bit’.
But are we?
Helping others?
Doing our bit?
Being compassionate? (Compassionate In business, too – and not just on our personal lives).
I’ve decided to write this piece as I have had some very perplexing experiences in the recent past. And it raised many questions in my head about how compassionate, how safe, how considerate each of us genuinely is during this difficult time.
Is there scope to be even a tad better, for each of us? I definitely believe so.
Remember, we are all in lockdown now. Here’s a Pop Quiz. (Answer honestly)
- The kitchen tap has sprung a drip-leak. The only way for you to stop the leak is bend down under the sink and turn the main valve off whenever not in use. Do you take the daily extra effort, or do you call the plumber home, pronto?
- Your water purifier is on the fritz! Do you go through the extra trouble of boiling water or spend a little extra by calling for mineral water home until the lockdown ends (and God knows when THAT is!), or do you call the technician home immediately to solve your problem?
- Your department printer is jammed. Do you trudge to the next floor each time you want a printout – or do you call your AMC provider to sort this out, like, NOW?
- Your bathroom door isn’t locking properly! Do you take the effort to use the other bathroom or lock your bedroom each time you use the loo? Or do you quickly summon the carpenter and offer him extra money for doing the work during the pandemic?
I hope you get where this is going, by now?
There are MANY businesses that are functioning through this pandemic. Hospitality, provisions & grocery stores, chemists, the entire medical and banking industries, a large part of manufacturing, IT and related services that are required for essential services, e-commerce, transport & logistics, handymen, house-help, etc. Many of the workers in these industries have little or no choice but to continue to provide us with our needs (and even luxuries), even though they expose themselves to the risk of being infected every single day. Many of us, meanwhile, are happily ensconced in our homes, relatively safe, but not necessarily mindful enough of the risk that these people are subjecting themselves, and in turn, each member of their family to, by going out to work everyday.
So, what does all this have to do with business compassion? These are few of the observations I have made due to some recent experiences:
- Instead of being grateful for our own safety and the risk that others (have to) take for us, we are often taking for granted these people who have no choice but to work. Forget appreciating them, we don’t even REALIZE their level of risk. We often call upon them to service our needs – even when these needs can easily be postponed. (please see the pop quiz above).
- Certain people (working in offices and executing ongoing projects on sites) make demands from service providers to come and fulfil requirements which can be easily deferred by a few days or weeks. At some level, it seems like they feel that “If I can take these risks and be at work, other vendors who are supposed to service us should also ensure their people work as well!” or “If we have paid for these services, we have all rights to demand our money’s worth (even during this pandemic)!”
- I have seen small and medium business owners put their staff, and often even themselves, at risk to make a little extra money. Most of these people are far more comfortable than the “need to put food on the table” phase. Some of them are even using the shortages to inflate prices, probably justifying it to themselves saying that it’s only fair to make up for the losses they have incurred in the past year.
- My colleagues in the Security and IT industries shared many stories of clients who are pressurizing them with unreasonable deadlines for completion of sites (to supply goods and services) during this pandemic. Some of these are projects that have been dragging along for months and even years before the pandemic began (due to customer indecision and funding issues). Now, suddenly, they seem to be in a tearing hurry to complete their projects.
Some of you reading this are Business owners. Others might be CEO’s or Mid-Management. Some of you may be working for Corporates (whom I believe have been the most considerate of all, with their CSR activities and towards employees (that they have managed to retain through their losses)). Some of you may be home-makers, or students even.
Whatever your position / status / economic strata- My sincere plea to you: Have a heart!!
Every single time that we frivolously utilize the services of any person who is exposing themselves to this pandemic, every single time that we call upon someone to do something that could have been postponed for a few days / weeks / months even, we are, definitively, in some small way, invoking Lord Yama. Yes, I know this statement sounds extreme. Think about it, though. One infection – asymptomatic even – may lead to one more, and then one more, and so on and so forth.
Lord Yama.
This is my call to action:
- Urgent vs Important
Please understand the difference between urgent and important. There may be many issues in your lives that are important, but not necessarily urgent. Do not confuse the two. Wait for a few weeks if possible. Do NOT force someone to come to your home / your office / your site if is not urgent AND important. - Show Support
Support your suppliers and your small local businesses. Support your staff – whether at home or in your SME. If you have been blessed with enough (and most of you reading this probably have been), please ensure that your staff receive at least sustenance in these insane times, even if they can’t contribute productively, even if it means taking the extra FY quarter or two to make up your losses once business comes back to normal. Look at the larger picture, and be honest with yourself about the importance of money in your life. I’m sure it’s NOT a be all and end all a LOT of us.
And if not – then show some (extra) support. - Don’t take advantage
Make your money – for sure, but avoid indulging in profiteering. Every rupee which is more than you would normally earn is something that someone else is spending, someone who has probably had just as rough a year as you, if not worse. In fact, I would urge you to please be a little extra generous with the people lesser fortunate, those that do not have the economic cushion that you or your family do. - Don’t be stupid!
Indulging in frivolous social and leisure activities not only exposes you and your immediate family, but the world at large, if you become a carrier (even an asymptomatic one). You owe it to the world to mask up, stay alert and socially distant, reduce risk, and avoid being a spreader. You aren’t doing the world a favour by doing this. You OWE it to Society – one that you are part of. - A D J U S T
I daresay that most people who have kids born in this century will agree with my belief that the younger generation does not adjust as well as us – their parents. It’s more the norm rather than the exception. With the mutations of the virus now affecting the youngsters too, it will be incumbent upon them to learn to adjust, accommodate, avoid and abstain. I sincerely hope they find the wherewithal to do so. With the prolonging of this pandemic – I feel we all – some of us old fogies included, now have a diminished capacity to adjust. It will go a long way if each one of us repeats this word to ourselves each time we feel strife. ADJUST. With family. With neighbours. With colleagues. With staff. As they say, little drops of water make a mighty ocean. - We are ALL losing our shit! STAY CALM and STAY COMPASSIONATE.
Personal issues, work issues, health issues, mental health issues. Like I learned in Whatsapp University, we may not all be in the same boat, but we are braving the same storm. We are indeed fighting the same war. We have a common enemy, and that enemy is not ANY other human being! Whatever your degree of hardship, there are others – MANY in your very immediate circles – who have it worse than you do. Stay Calm. Stay Compassionate. And you might just be the inspiration for someone else to emulate you.
I purposely titled this article, WORK-LIVE balance.
Work-Life balance can be relegated to the background until we win this war. For now, let’s understand who needs to WORK so that we all may LIVE. And let’s ensure as many as possible LIVE while we WORK or ask others to work for us.
So I come back to this question: Is there scope to be even a tad better, for each of us?
I believe so.
If by reading this even ONE person follows my call to action and this results in ONE less infected person in this world, I think that we have all done well.
—Rohit Chabria