Are the Indian Software Professionals Marching Towards The Grave?
By With Automation, Latest Technologies, Visa Rules and Pink Slips, software professionals had got enough already. It is, in fact, a partial glimpse of 2008’s, The Great Recession.
Image Source: emaze
To Learn Was Never Been Difficult:
It is true that to be in the industry one need to up-skill at all times. This is something which the software professionals in India and abroad had realized without much delay. It is very clear from the insights provided by the online based learning platforms like Udemy, Simplilearn, Skillsoft, Upgrad and Coursera.
Yes, to gain knowledge on New Technologies had never been an issue when it comes to the Indian smart brains. But, there is one thing which has got a real potential to divert the professionals towards the Grave.
The Policy Changes:
Every country had tweaked their immigration policies recently which is their right. But, at the same time, these changes played a vital role in leaving a dent on the earnings of the firms in IT sector. Though, the IT firms are capable of handling the situation by looking at it in many angles not all succeed at all times.
Oh yeah… It is a very good sign that the IT firms are encouraging their employees towards learning new skills. But, what they fail to realize is that some of their new policies might lead to a worst rather than the best scenario.
The Path To Grave:
It is a fact that without the intervention of pink slips it would be difficult to cut the cost. Without cutting the cost it is difficult for the firms to stay afloat when the market is not great. But, the tweaking of policies related to Time and the benefits like Work From Home, for example, is not going to be fruitful. Because these are some of the benefits which had been most sought by the employees. These benefits are the ones that stand in front for the professionals to manage stress. They are the ones that support the professionals to balance between life and work.
It does not mean that the professionals do not want their employers to tweak the policies. Instead, they look forward to the policies which are employee friendly and reasonable. There are a countable number of IT firms in India, who had tweaked their time policies recently. But, obviously, the expectation from the software professionals to stare at the laptop and desktop monitors for a minimum of 8 to 8.5 hours is not a fair approach.
From my personal experience, I can very well say this. Most of the professionals who are on to a task will not even know how the time flies. At the same time, those who got some breathing time after handling a Priority 1 issue need a break to refresh too. I have seen professionals who work day and night to get an application run normally after the glitches caused by an upgrade. Expecting professionals to sit inside the cabin even when they can get some fresh air due to lesser tasks on their bucket is not a good sign overall.
The Newsletter Slogan:
Stretch A Bit & Stay Fit – Similar mantras are being sent to employees as a part of a newsletter at least once in a month. But, the policies tweaked/defined are just contradictory to what the employee had received in the newsletter about the fitness statement.
I am sure that the newly tweaked or resurrected time policies for-sure will gift the below mentioned to the professionals,
- A weak lumbar part of their back.
- A reduced vision.
- A hearing device due to prolonged usage of earphones.
And a lot more…
The only way these stringent policies help the professionals is to build their Tummies and nothing else.
The Work Loads:
It is no new thing for the professionals to handle many projects and deliverables at the same time. There will be times when they have to learn and then act towards some tasks. Not everyone can be good at everything and complete tasks at first sight. If we look a bit deep, the pressure the professionals undergo when they are in such a fix is tremendous. These pressures lead to stress in turn affecting their family life. But, they and their families can still handle the situation as they knew that it is a passing cloud.
Is The Time Protocol Good?
Yes, the time policies are fair but only if they are reasonable. The policy should ensure that the professionals are occupied and learn new things. And it should not be in a way that it takes a toll on their health, personal life and in depleting the generation of their brain chemical Dopamine.
The idea to rate an employees performance appraisal based on time will make things even worse leading to a spike in attrition which is not good for the firm too.
Incidents Not To Forget:
- Infosys techie Mr. Ilayaraja Arunachalam who is no more had traveled a distance of about 70km daily to reach his workplace. I am not here to speak about the reason behind the death. But, I feel that similar situations can be avoided if the employees have been provided with benefits like Work From Home etc.
- Another example is the demise of Mr. Ranjan Das, the youngest CEO of SAP India, whose reason for death has been zeroed in on to the lack of sleep.
There are scenarios where to connect remotely is not possible especially for the software professionals who work for a banking client. In such cases, it is the employee’s responsibility to open up on his/her concerns to the Manager and HR associates so that they can help. Remember, If you want something, Ask.
Reference Links:
https://www.transitioning.org/2009/11/20/what-killed-ranjan-das-and-lessons-for-corporate-india/
Disclaimer:
This article is an inspiration from what I have seen, heard from the software professionals. Some of the facts provided are based on the information from the web too. None of the terms and sentences in the above context have been written focusing any particular firm or firms.