Unraveling an enigma

One moment I see an expanse of wit & humour

The next moment, an epitome of silence

Reminds me of a heart wounded & scarred

And a soul that’s searching for something

I wonder what?

I stumble upon the thoughts he’s penned,

Beyond the ordinary… masterpieces

He has the makings of a genius

Yet all of it is a secret

I wonder why?

When I expect a straight-from-the-heart response,

He throws at me, one devoid of all emotion

I wish I could tear the façade apart

And get a glimpse of what lies beneath…

I wonder how?

I wish he would look around,

Believe in the magic of trust

And give his heart a chance… Set it free

I am sure he’ll come around

I wonder when?

Flexible Work Arrangements – Luxury or Compromise

 

Most employers today boast about how they make life easier for their employees – flexible work timings, work from home option, part time options & so on. Though these options are open for all, it most benefits the “Married women” segment. While they juggle work, family & kids, these options seem like a godsend to them.

But is it that hunky dory? Let’s find out about at least one option: WFH…

The moment one opts for a flexibility option, the yardstick for measuring his performance changes drastically. While most managers won’t agree, it’s sadly the truth. Here are some of the notions that the so called regular employees breed about those who WFH (henceforth called as FlexSeekers):

·         FlexSeekers don’t work at all

Suddenly “Being in office” is equated with “working”. The regular employees are not required to give an update about their tasks & bandwidth while the FlexSeekers are constantly on the radar even if they make every possible effort to showcase the work they’re doing.

·         FlexSeekers are very unethical

FlexSeekers are unethical because they don’t start their work at the same time every day. People who part time between being in office & working from home find it even more difficult when their managers say, “If you say you’ll be in office by 8.30 AM, you can’t come in at 9 AM. That’s unethical”. The fact is FlexSeekers are ill-treated not just by their managers but also by their teams. They are not included in discussions. They are not given any information unless they ask for it. They are not informed about cancelled meetings. Imagine how frustrating it would be to spend time debugging an issue that’s already fixed or waiting endlessly for the cancelled conference call to begin. The torchbearers have got the concept of workplace ethics all wrong, I guess.

·         FlexSeekers are not as dedicated as regular employees

This belief goes so up in the hierarchy even to the level of senior managers. If a regular employee is in office till 7 PM as opposed to the normal 4-5 PM schedule, the manager goes, “She stays back till 7 PM during release cycles. She’s so dedicated!” If a FlexSeeker works from 8 AM to 11 PM every day of the week (weekends included), all he gets to hear is “That’s okay… X has not done her work yet. If I was in your position, I would take up his work too…” Now that’s the new definition of DEDICATION.

 

One piece of advice for all the people who are considering opting for a flexible work option: Before jumping into it, remember, once you do so, you’ll no longer be rated based on the work you do but by the time you are present in office. Make a wise decision.

Being yourself... Always

There are three kinds of people in this world. The first kind is all for going out there and grabbing the olive wreath. These people will do absolutely anything to be successful. The second category includes those people who just don’t understand the word compromise. They’ll always do what they love doing and will care a damn about what others think about them. The third category is left with all the confused souls who really can’t figure out which way to go. They try to sail in two boats at a time – they try to do what it takes to be successful but shy away from attempting completely outrageous things.

Though I pity those who run after the success tag, I do admire the fact that they have a clear purpose that they relentlessly pursue. They meet happiness when they achieve what, according to them, is success. Whether the meeting lasts even after the next finish line is unveiled is a matter of debate. Moreover, is the definition of success set in stone? It is what you define it to be. For some, success means being the best in what you do; for some others it is closely associated with money – lots & lots of it; for some people it means power and for a really small group of people, it just means being happy every single day of the year. 

I’m a diehard fan of those who make it a point to pursue their interests no matter what. I salute those who don’t care about how they are perceived. They understand that perceptions and notions are never solely based on facts. A perception is like a recipe, a very complex one at that. A lot of things like the observed person’s behavior, language, knowledge and also situations go into making this recipe. But there is also a secret ingredient called the observer’s presumption. This ingredient is called a secret ingredient because most of the times the person forming the assumptions doesn’t realize its presence. Sometimes it becomes the core ingredient and yet one can’t even see the difference in the final product - the perception. That’s precisely why perception is called perception. It is what one thinks you are and not what you actually are. 

Having said all that, the only group that deserves attention is the confused lot. These are people who have no idea about what they want in life. They are so bogged down by how others perceive them that they start living a life that is completely devoid of joy. They spend their entire life trying to be what someone else wants them to be.

Living a false life is a dreadful disease that is hard to diagnose. To all those who are afflicted by this disease, please remember if you are not being yourself, no amount of success can give you happiness. Being yourself is the best gift you can give yourself.

Truly free

“Your future is in your hands. You can shape it the way you want. You live in a free world.” How many times have you heard this? I grew up listening to this over and over again. Teachers, Parents, Parents’ friends,… it was every adult’s favourite piece of advice for the next generation. At that time, it sounded really flattering. Every child grew up believing that they could make every single dream of theirs come true. Now I wonder how many of the adults really believed in what they said…

True, we live in a free world. A world where you are free to look around, learn, voice our opinions, love, care, dream… A world where you can do all this and more. But there’s only one catch to it. There’s a cage around you all the time. It’s a cage that you can’t see or feel but it’s always there to knock you down when you wander far enough from where you were supposed to be. You can dream about absolutely anything and pour your heart into it. But can you reach out & hope to realize your dreams? Apparently not! Most of us try to break through a few times & then settle for a half-life - a life where you enjoy dreaming big yet settle for what you get.

It takes a lot of courage and will to break through the barrier. You must find the right stone to throw at the cage – the stone of perseverance. Eventually the walls will come crashing down.

Then & only then you’ll be truly free.