Not being scared of failure is tough in government because you have no incentive for innovation, but you have plenty of penalties for even bonafide mistakes. We collectively tried out more than hundred innovative experimental projects, some of which were partial failures as well. The ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ initiative, which had innovations like ‘Operation Sulaimani’ and ‘Tere Mere Beach Me’, wouldn’t have been possible without the collective brain-storming effort of the entire team. Not only have I received some of the best feedback and advice through this process, but I have also observed that our workspaces showcased better productivity and happier staffs.
This I believe, has enabled people working in my team, irrespective of their position, to feel free to pitch in their ideas and offer suggestions without feeling scared or apprehensive of rejection. Not only does this open up doors for cordiality and directness in an organisational structure, but it also helps dissolve the hierarchical gap that has always remained between higher and lower echelons.īreaking the hierarchical divide, using humour as a tool, has been one of my fundamental obsessions. Good humour is the best medicine to beat dullness at work. They all seem to know that all work and no play really makes Jack a dull, inefficient and ineffective boy. In France, there the right to disconnect under the ‘El Khomri Law’, which has been emulated to different measures in Germany, Italy and other European countries. And regarding productivity, we all know that they are at the top in the game. This applies to private and government employees. In Germany, there is a fine line between work and private life and this is valued so vehemently that their government has legally banned official calls and emails after office hours. Getting personal with work is cool, taking your work into your personal private space is uncool. But it was a great learning experience to work in an environment where you were a team – not seeking to desperately prove at every moment that you are the boss. Generally, in India, saying ‘sir’ to express ‘official’ respect is the divine rule. As a junior IAS Officer, I headed two World Bank Projects where we all addressed each other by first name and no sky fell upon us.
Is it good to get emotional or personal with work? Yes, provided it’s the fun part. It has more to do with equity and informality at the work-place and not compromising the self-respect of the employees. And this has more to do with work-culture than with the general prosperity of the place. One stark difference that I’ve noticed between India and many other countries, especially the European countries, concerning work culture is that, employees, irrespective of which sector they are engaged in, appear much happier. Why can’t workspaces in our country be less rigid and decorum-centric, and instead be work-centric, letting employees enjoy what they do – instead of making them continually dreading about what could go wrong? Why should we be obsessed with formal procedures and least concerned of the actual results? Why should a boss desperately try and show ‘who is the boss’ by picking faults and shouting at the subordinates? And why should a subordinate be servile to the boss? The idea that one’s working place can only function properly if there is extreme order and hierarchical reverence is something that is unquestioningly practised in India in all Government offices and most private concerns. IIn India, the phrase ‘work is worship’ is taken so seriously that people tend to exhaust decades of their lifetime toiling in a work environment devoid of fun and enjoyment.