My heart genuinely ached when I came across the news of Anna Sebastian from EY. One question didn't leave me when I was reading news article after news article about Anna's death; that was, how many more Anna's do we have to sacrifice until there are more robust laws, and regulations and focus on employee wellbeing in corporate sectors?
How many more Anna's until we realize that this is not okay?
What is going to happen to Anna's manager now? Give him a promotion to a different team with a handsome hike so he can sit on a cricketer's lap in the next match? Does EY have the guts to terminate the manager at all due to gross misconduct or will you force the manager to resign after termination so it still looks good in their track record?
How come things are not up to this level in the company's counterpart outside India? Is there a different work culture just because the company is not in the same geographical region? In the letter by Anna's mother, she quoted that her manager said "You can work at night. That's what we all do".
Why did the higher-ups become okay with the employees working way past their work hours? How was that considered normal? Didn't the HR take note of when an employee logs in and out and notice something off? Why should employees bear the weight of their manager's poor time management skills on their deliverables with their next-to-impossible unrealistic deadlines? The questions don't; stop here but these again scream, HOW IS THIS OKAY? WHY IS THIS NORMALISED?
I have been on a job hunt ever since I liked a post and I have noticed that not many companies have an employee wellness concept. The only concept is that there is no space for mental health in the workplace. Does leadership only want the budgets approved for free lunches or parties and not the salary of a Wellbeing Officer? Only when your employees are happy can your company succeed.
Employees do not need parties or free lunches. Employees need empathetic leadership/management, they need awareness about workplace issues and how to navigate through them, and yes that includes how to deal with micromanagers as well. It shouldn't be that hard to treat your teammates like human beings and not slaves.
**We should encourage more psychoeducation for leaders, and managers as well.
**Managers should attend a quarterly training on people management and employee satisfaction/ concerns should be looked into at least every 2-3 months.
**There should be a platform, space, or a person for employees to voice out their concerns about the workplace without the repercussion of losing their jobs or being put in PIP for no absolute reason/ fake reasons.
**There needs to be a complete rehaul in how Indian workplaces function, especially corporates. 4-5 day work days with 8-9 hour work hours. If the West can do this and develop, then why not us?
**How come their work gets done in 4-5 days but we have to work weekends, and even till the wee hours?
The difference is, that they have labor laws that protect employees of all levels but in India, those dust-collected laws are only beneficial or applicable to those with designation power, money, and the most crooked thoughts.
I hope and pray we don't have to sacrifice another employee anywhere to have a safe place to work.
May Anna's soul rest in eternal peace and mindkritha's deepest condolences to her family.
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