Work Hours
I was just reading about asymmetric information (a topic in economics). The problem of asymmetric information is when the two parties involves in a transaction donot have the equal amount of information. Eg. when one is buying a second hand car, the buyer does not have complete info about the health of the bike, but the seller does.
One way to deal with this problem is thru signalling. When companies give warranties on their products, they are sending a signal to their customers that u can trust the information we are giving u, that our products are reliable.
This concepts of signalling works even in organizations, wherein employees have to be appraised (this is what i intend to mention in this post). Employees working for long hours, working their arses off over weekends, are actually sending signals to their managers which would enable their managers to gauge their dedication and performance etc etc.
I found this somewhat disturbing. I was part of a large organization (i hardly mention names) wherein the CEO had mentioned that he or the organization does not expect its employees to work for more than 8-9 hours a day. The organization wants it employees to have a life beyond office.
But then on my last or second last day, i went for a team meeting (we had those every week...total waste of time....n a time whn my manager used to try n find ways to humiliate me or others whom he didnt like, in front of the other team members, but in a subtle manner). There he praised one of my colleagues (that colleague is a good friend), gave him a certificate of merit, and went on to say that this guy had shown great dedication, working for 15-16 hours regularly, missing team outings etc etc. This is the kind of dedication expected from other team members also for the benefit of the project.
F*** that arsehole.
On one hand, the organization says u shld maintain a proper work life balance. On the other hand, a manager is telling his team that to get appreciation u have to give me ur arses for eternity.
But why I suddenly felt like writing this post is that this is what many or rather I feel a majority of appraisals take into consideration, at least in the IT service companies.
Damn, we are cyber coolies.
One way to deal with this problem is thru signalling. When companies give warranties on their products, they are sending a signal to their customers that u can trust the information we are giving u, that our products are reliable.
This concepts of signalling works even in organizations, wherein employees have to be appraised (this is what i intend to mention in this post). Employees working for long hours, working their arses off over weekends, are actually sending signals to their managers which would enable their managers to gauge their dedication and performance etc etc.
I found this somewhat disturbing. I was part of a large organization (i hardly mention names) wherein the CEO had mentioned that he or the organization does not expect its employees to work for more than 8-9 hours a day. The organization wants it employees to have a life beyond office.
But then on my last or second last day, i went for a team meeting (we had those every week...total waste of time....n a time whn my manager used to try n find ways to humiliate me or others whom he didnt like, in front of the other team members, but in a subtle manner). There he praised one of my colleagues (that colleague is a good friend), gave him a certificate of merit, and went on to say that this guy had shown great dedication, working for 15-16 hours regularly, missing team outings etc etc. This is the kind of dedication expected from other team members also for the benefit of the project.
F*** that arsehole.
On one hand, the organization says u shld maintain a proper work life balance. On the other hand, a manager is telling his team that to get appreciation u have to give me ur arses for eternity.
But why I suddenly felt like writing this post is that this is what many or rather I feel a majority of appraisals take into consideration, at least in the IT service companies.
Damn, we are cyber coolies.
Labels: experiences
posted by Anurag at
12:29 PM
2 Comments:
Seriously..work-life balance is very tough. And having managers actually applaud long hours doesnt make things easier.
From the spiting remarks and his emphasis on long hours alone, he certainly doesnt seem to be a great manager or a person :)
even though u didnt mention the company of which u were a part of..i know..and it scares me that i'll have to go thru all of this in the near future!!!
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