The employee's chinta is not money

Case 1: An MBA institute that has consistently commanded respect for over a decade from not only students, but also from companies and other institutes. Students, faculty, directors have come and gone over the years, but the non-teaching staff (accounts, admin, library, gardeners, maintenance) have more or less stuck on. The commitment, courtesy and competence of the non-teaching staff has to be experienced to be believed. I am yet to see this level of professionalism in the corporate world. Something innocuous happened in the summer of 2011. It was vacation time, but the institute was working as usual. A few staff members decided to regularly play badminton in the institute's excellent sports center between 4 and 5 pm. Their ethics ensured that work (if any) was not affected by their pursuit. However, the institute's 'think tanks' took offense against this and issued a ridiculous circular as follows - "All staff members are hereby informed that they should not visit the sports center during working hours (9 am to 5 pm). Also, the sports center shall be closed duly at 5 pm)".

The commitment and loyalty of the staff has dramatically reduced after this incident. Almost every member who would happily come to work at midnight or work extra hours during events without extra pay now reluctantly stay back even for an hour after 5 pm.

Case 2: This happened when I was employed with an Indian company at Bangalore. For a research project I needed a statistical software installed on my PC. There are specialist analysts who would normally work on the software, but on this project I needed to run some analyses by myself. So I met the SysAd guy and told him what I wanted. He agreed. After an hour he called me and apologised for not being able to do what I needed. His boss had seen him with the installation CD and demanded to know what he was upto. When the SySAd guy told him the story, he was asked to ask me to ask my boss to send a requisition. I asked my boss who asked me to write the requisition which he would forward to the IT boss as 'approved'. So far, so good. After an hour when I checked on the status, the IT boss said he had received the approval, but he was unable to act on it as it was supposed to be routed through the office administration manager. I forwarded the mail to the office manager and also called him to say I have sent the same. After a couple of hours with no CD, I went up to the office manager and it was only then he checked my mail promising to get the work done. In the evening, when I checked again the office manager said that according to company policy, researchers were not allowed to install this software on their systems.

I left the company shortly after and joined another company overseas where upon a casual mention to my boss about my need for a dedicated printer at my desk resulted in the IT guys setting it up within an hour.

These two incidents should highlight the fact that employee commitment, employee happiness, employee eagerness to work doesn't depend on monetary benefits alone. In fact I believe salary and 'commitment', 'happiness', 'eagerness to work' are very poorly correlated. I am sure there will be quite a few studies with statistical proof endorsing this theory. I also believe that what employees need, want and appreciate is an environment where they 'feel like working'. Do not mistake 'feel like working' to be 'comfortable' or 'non-competitive' or 'easy' or 'non-demanding'. By 'feel like working', I mean where internal clients, colleagues, support staff and admin staff create an environment that can facilitate employees to work better. Make no mistake again. By 'facilitate', I do not mean comforts like central air-conditioning or fresh flowers on every desk. Neither am I referring to gimmicks like 'employee of the month' or 'office picnics'. In fact, in an earlier article titled 'Rise in Attrition: Is Work Culture Responsible?', Advancedge MBA, Dec 2004, I had vehemently opposed imposition of non-work related group activities like going for an office dinner, office party on unwilling employees. I had talked about how organizations evaluate an employee on whether he 'belongs' rather than whether he 'delivers'. Work culture rules are being set and measured more at pubs and cigarette shops than at work. Coming back to the present issue, by 'facilitate' I am alluding to everyday rules, regulations and policies that can either make or break an employee's day.

Not for a moment am I talking about discarding regulations and discipline. I am a vociferous proponent of a structure and control. But, provided they are sensible, logical and just. An employee shouldn't find himself uttering the words , 'the only way to uphold justice is to break the law'!

But senior management, policy makers and HR managers need to seriously look at the way we function. There is a need for some deep introspection on the objectives of certain procedures, effect of procedures on efficiency, happiness and eagerness to work. The staff of the institute later admitted that they would never dare let official work get affected by their break and that they would have willingly stayed back for an hour even without being asked. They didn't have to tell me. I know. I would have done the same thing myself.

Senior management, policy makers and HR managers need to understand quickly that employees are people with emotions and thoughts. They are mature decision makers and except for a few bad employees here and there, the majority love to work. Indian managers need to set aside their ego and get out of the mold of 'ruling' and 'controlling'. Power is meant to facilitate and not to restrict.

Dont focus on customer happiness. Focus on employee happiness - they will take excellent care of your customers for you.

Why I dont support the prevalent anti-corruption movement?

Mistake: "This is a very good way to teach those politicians a good lesson"
First of all, I am against this whole emotion and attitude of "us versus them". Let me clarify once and for all - politician is not equal to corruption! Politicians are not some aliens from some other planet. They are us. They have come from us. They are not different from us. Politicians are just the fruits of a polluted earth. We are the earth. Corrupt politicians are just an effect/ a symptom. The root cause/ disease is something else. We need to address the root cause. Honest politicians arise from honest people. Corrupt people give birth to corrupt politicians. Why only politicians? Corrupt people will give rise to corrupt teachers, corrupt managers, corrupt sportsmen, corrupt youth, corrupt parents... I can go on and on. A child that lies at home, will grow into a teenager who cheats in exams... who will break traffic rules as an adolescent... who will give and take bribes as an adult.

The current movement seems to all about targeting politicians. That's why I don't support this movement.

Mistake: "CWG, 2G, Adarsh, Illegal Mining, Land Scam are examples of how corrupt we've become"
Secondly, the current movement seems to linking money with corruption. Allow me to express my utmost disappointment with this chain of thought. Corruption is not monetary alone. And even if it were, then the money yardstick that categorizes corruption as bribe (Rs.100), corruption (Rs.100,000), scam (Rs.100,000,000) itself is self-defeating. Corruption is corruption. There is nothing like pardonable offense and punishable crime.

- An MBA student who plagiarizes on an assignment is corrupt!
- A woman who drives her car on the wrong side of the road to avoid a U-turn is corrupt!
- A father riding a scooter who hands over his helmet to his kid for use only when a cop is around is corrupt!
- A person who breaks a queue anywhere is corrupt!
- A person who uses influence to get a job is corrupt!

None of the above have anything to do with a money transaction. But they are all very commonly observed and experienced examples of a corrupt mind, a corrupt society. There are millions of such non-money-related examples of corruption. And almost all of them start at home, at school, on the road, in college, in office. Opportunities! Opportunities! Opportunities!

Each and every such incident described above is an opportunity if you ask me. A wonderful opportunity to correct ourselves, our kids, our friends and our parents. Let us not forget that every Kalmadi, Reddy and Raja began their 'tryst with destiny' with a simple lie, a simple theft, a simple violation. And at every inflection point, someone who could have made a difference, didn't. Opportunity Lost!

The current movement seems to be completely off-track on this point. That's one more reason why I am disappointed with it.

Mistake: "Candle-light vigil, motorcycle rallies, black bands on arms are the need of the hour"
The third frustrating aspect is that of methodology adopted by those who support the movement. We seem to have picked up how to protest (and also how to protest protests) from the British Raj. It probably made some sense then to pelt stones, resort to arson and burn post-offices because it was their property. It is absolutely ridiculous to do the same now. The same goes for hunger strikes and roadblocks. On the same note, it probably was justified then to arrest, lathi-charge and jail protesters because they were them, it is unacceptable now.

What everyone - including those who participate in candle-light vigils and block traffic, who take out motorcycle rallies without wearing helmets, who gather in squares and bunk classes - know deep in their hearts, but do not want to admit it is this - it is a new-found fad to get a seal of honesty on their incorrigible conscience. It is akin to someone lowering their Mercedes' window pane to drop a one-rupee coin into a beggar's bowl at a traffic signal. It is analogous to a corrupt politician donating a million rupees to a temple. Such symbolic acts are meaningless like humiliating your father every day and then sending him a 'Happy Father's Day' card. A good man, who has a good conscience need not pray before god.

The leaders of the current movement should have strictly forbidden this public tamasha and should have requested their supporters that if they truly support the movement then they should sincerely attend classes, work sincerely in offices, conduct business honestly.

The current movement doesn't seem to be thinking on these lines and therefore I am saddened by the route it is taking.

Mistake: "The Jan Lokpal Bill should be tabled in parliament"
Finally, In a twisted, dark, funny sort of way, I try to visualize how the perpetrators and masterminds of terrorism might be rolling on the floor laughing when they hear statements like "Hum ati kathor shabdon mein is nirdayi hatya ki ninda karte hain" (We condemn this heartless act in the strongest words)
And I also try to imagine what a would-be suicide-bomber or terrorist thinks about "strong anti-terrorism laws".

The biggest misfortune of humanity in Kaliyuga is that we believe that laws are needed to enforce morality, ethics and values. Laws cannot and should not be resorted to address issues which dwell in the realm of the conscience and which are sown, nurtured and developed by upbringing. Let me ask this to each one of you: " Are you honest because of a law? Or are you honest because your conscience doesn't allow you to lie? If tomorrow there is a law banning truth, will that stop you from speaking the truth?"

I remember reading a distraught mother's letter in the agony-aunt column of some magazine where she has expressed her helplessness in imbibing "Indian values, morals and culture" in her 10 year old son despite sending him to Ramayana and Mahabharata sessions every weekend. All the poor lady had to do was to lead by example. Sad. Truly sad. We expect our children to appreciate, accept and assimilate behavior which they don't get to see at home! What can we expect of them when they become politicians? Laws? Bill? Somehow I don't see the relevance. Frankly. You see, when the prescribed medicine is wrong, of what use is the discussion on dosage, timing, duration etc? When you wrongly believe that a law is the remedy for corruption, what is the use of fighting over versions?

If at all something needs to be done, then...
- We need protests and agitations in our homes and hearts. Not on the streets.
- We need to target ourselves - as parents, teachers, human beings. Not politicians.
- We need each one of us to do our duty/ job sincerely, on time, every time. We don't need slogans/ banners/ candles.
- We need honest, moral, ethical parents at home, teachers in school. Automatically we will get honest, moral, ethical politicians in government.
- We need a pro-honesty movement. Not an anti-corruption movement.

As a parting note, I recommend you all to watch Manoj Night Shyamalan's (flop?) movie "the Village". If that's too much, then at least try and recall the story of the boy who stole a classmate's pencil, but his mother ignored it only for the boy to grow up into a criminal in later life. I'm sure we all heard this story as kids. But it is now that we should understand it.

Inflation and obesity

I'm so flustered on this matter that I am going to keep this short.
Growth of economy/ industry = growth of your child (expectation)
Inflation = your child becoming obese (undesirable side-effect)
Money = food intake (the culprit???)
Rate hike = cutting down on food intake (also what the RBI wants us to believe is the solution)
Exercise, wholesome diet, cutting down on fast food (what, as responsible parents, we need)

So, think about it. The RBI 'thinks' that reducing food intake will solve your child's obesity. You know (and your nutritionist-cum-dietitian-cum-paediatrician will vouch for this) that cutting down on food usually compounds the problem, if not creating a new one and as such, should be the last resort. Proper exercise, nutritious food and saying 'no' to fast food is the right approach.

So, shouldn't the planning commission be thinking on these lines? What, for the economy, is nutrition? What exercise can keep the economy fit? Are we, if at all, feeding junk food to the industry?

Where the hell are the thinkers when we need them the most?

Inflation, Mahin Niyas and Hubli

My friend and colleague at Godrej, Mahin Niyas believed that the best way to repay a debt is by treating the debtor to a meal. His logic was that the desire or hunger for everything else is never satiated. People are never satisfied with whatever they get - gold, money, gifts, land - they always feel they deserve more. Except food. Hunger for food can be satiated. With food, the most voracious of foodies will ultimaely say "enough, I can have no more". More about this later.

I was born and brought up in Hubli, Karnataka. We left Hubli in 1985. Since then, I have visited Hubli twice. Once in 2003 and more recently last December. There were certain localities in 1985, where if you stood on the terrace, you could see acres and acres of fields - jowar, cotton, groundnut - upto the horizon. Now all you can see are layouts. More on this too.

When inflation started rising to significant levels at significant rates, the UPA government made us believe that it was due to excess liquidity in the system. Their explanation was that during recession, due to fiscal stimuli aimed at sustaining economic growth, the market was flush with money and this led to higher demand among consumers. Therefore it was demand-side pressures that was driving inflation.

Of course, the UPA government did not want to talk about supply-side triggers because it was an inconvenient truth for them. Admitting that there were problems in the supply would translate into poor planning in agricultural production system, poor efficiencies and lack of control in the agricultural storage and distribution system, inaction against hoarders and black-marketeers and so on. So, the UPA made us believe that because of economic stimulus, we had more money and we spent more and more of this money and this led to rising inflation.

But, can someone explain which of the 1 billion Indians got this "stimulus"? As far as we know, this money was injected into institutional frameworks and were largely in the form of reduced taxes, reduced duties, tax holidays etc, which was never passed on to people.

Second, from when did Indians start spending (please spare us those glitzy reports on the new-age, bold, globalized Indian consumer, flush with disposable income who wants to shop and splurge in malls) when they have more money? As far as we know, Indians continue to be the best savers and investors in the world. So, if we had more money, chances are that this would go into FDs and Post Office Schemes, MFs etc. At best, they would be spent on luxury items like a better television set, a car, a 3G handset, a new laptop: products whose prices have been stable or declining.

This is where the story about Mahin Niyas comes in.
No one will eat 10 chapaties or drink 4 litres of milk just because he/ she got a bonus. If at all a household's food basket inflates as a result of more money, it is the BPL household for reasons we all understand. But, there is no indication that a significant proportion of BPL households have suddenly become richer. So, please do not tell us that Indians have suddenly developed a rapacious appetite just because we experienced a recession in 2008-09.

So, it has got to be supply-side pressures. We all know that the population is rising. But the rate of population rise is dwarfed by the rate at which fertile agricultural land is being converted into layouts. Everyone wants a 30x40 if not a 40x60. After all, a flat in an apartment is maya. You dont own the sky, nor the ground, nor the four directions.

This is where my Hubli observation comes in.
Spare a thought for mother earth. Nature has its own pace at doing things. We cannot force our womenfolk to deliver our children in 5 months. Nay, that would be criminal and the phenomenon would be termed premature.
But that doesnt stop us from converting 1/2 of our land into a layout and then feeding all sorts of plant growth promoters and fertilizers to squeeze more from plants. Can someone tell me what is the probability of birth defects among premature babies?
A year ago, I read an article in the editorial page of Deccan Herald about how falling levels of nutrition in everyday foods like milk, pulses, fruits and vegetables is no longer a figment of imagination of our grandparents, but a rude shocking fact staring us in our face.
Nature is what makes us, nature is what we are, who we are, nature is what protects us and nature alone has the power to retaliate. Hell hath has no fury like nature provoked.

So, what do we do? It's simple, but not easy considering human behavior. We need to formulate and implement a law banning further horizontal expansion of human settlements by conversion of precious agricultural land. At a time when human food needs is rising, allowing shrinkage of available fertile land is simply unacceptable and unpardonable.