Behind The Corporate Scenes: In every organization, there are individuals who choose to work extended hours. When these individuals reach to management positions, they often expect the same from their teams. In my experience, I have never encountered an assistant manager, manager, director or partner who openly states that they want employees to work long hours. However, they often delegate tasks in a manner that leaves employees with no other option. Receiving work at 5 PM, 6 PM, or 7 PM in the email or otherwise with the statement “I need it by EOD” speaks everything. The term “EOD” is not clearly defined in any corporate employee handbook. Ideally, EOD should mean the end of official working hours, but in reality, it is often interpreted as midnight (12 in night) or 9:30/10 AM the next day, implying that the work must be completed before the next workday begins. The major issue I have consistently observed is the difficulty in discussing work-life balance openly. The moment you bring it up, management or leadership may immediately assume that you are unwilling to work hard, which can negatively impact your career growth. That's why, majority of people recruited below manager levels hesitate to say this thing in the interviews or even on the floor. The standard statement is "looking for better opportunities" because if they would have mentioned "switching for work life balance", they might get rejected. In the service industry, there is no concept of overtime pay because the company conveniently labels you as a slow worker, which is why your work is usually pending. Just because you are working TO SERVE the client, you are expected to be always there and even pay for their delays. Client submit details after 10 days but you are expected to process it immediately as you receive. This is the darkest side of this industry. Reality is, Everyone wants to love their work, and this can only happen when work hours and personal life are equally balanced. There should be annual or semi-annual training sessions for team leaders and above to remind them how to lead their teams according to the company’s written policies, not based on personal preferences, grudges, favoritism or Ego. A lot needs to change, but unfortunately, much of it won't change. #consulting
Absolutely true CA Atul Khurana. Well articulated. Thanks for sharing.
Insightful
Makes a lot of sense!
Good insight✨
Valid point
Agreed 👍
Agreed!
Senior @ Pierag Consulting | Chartered Accountant
3moIt really makes sense…