The UKG Workforce Institute, a global think tank that talks about issues in the office, released a figure in March 2024, which is shocking. According to this, around 78 percent of employees working in India have reported burnout. It is a situation where both the mind and body are so exhausted that nothing productive can be done. The degree to which this burnout is real can be gauged by the fact that 64 percent of them admitted that they would happily take a small pay cut to reduce work stress.
The biggest week
The International Labor Organization also says that India is among the first countries in the world to have the longest working week. An average working Indian works about 48 hours a week, while in the US it is about 37 hours, while in the UK it is 36 hours. Our labor law allows working 48 hours a week. Although this is fine, the corporate situation is much worse. Working from home during Covid, working hours that have stretched, continue to stretch. Almost everyone who works in a corporate has this complaint.
In this regard, we spoke to employees of many large companies in Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune.
On condition of anonymity, a mid-level employee at a corporate in Mumbai says – We have many clients every day and many deadlines hanging over our heads. To make sure nothing goes wrong, I have stickers on everything from my laptop to my work wall at home. Even after that, the work is not finished. Even though the shift is 9 hours long, the laptop could not be shut down on time even once in the last three years.
So why don’t you change or quit your job?
Five more years, then I will do something on my own… Chetna continues saying – this is the race of 99. She will stop only when she knows.
Online meetings happen at odd times
For Chetna Bhagat, who works in an international MNC, zoom calls are the biggest harassment. She says- Our head office is in New York. We have to be ready 24 hours a day to match them. Every day there is an email which, in very polite language, mentions the meeting time, which for us is late night or early morning. We can never refuse. You always have to write ‘Yes Boss’, otherwise the assessment will not be received.
Archana, who is back from maternity leave, says – Returning to work after so many days was just as stressful. The boss had also changed. They know about my work only by listening. After my arrival I was sidelined for two weeks and then given a job far below my experience. When I complained I was put on shift duty. Now I’m slipping away from that little girl. Work-life balance has completely disappeared. At first the housemates helped, now they leave me to my own devices.
When it comes to complaining about work-life balance, almost all corporate employees also admit that they have their fists in a tight bottle. Now there is a danger in both the position of pulling out the hand or trapping it.
The situation of workers in India has now become similar to that of Japan.
Actually, the term karoshi was very popular in Japan in the seventies. It means death due to overwork. It so happened that after the Second World War, the Japanese began to work to overcome the pain of the nuclear explosion and defeat, and so much so that it turned into a passion. People started working so much that deaths started happening in the office. Many professionals also took pictures of people returning home from office. The series was titled The Man Machine. These include people lying down, pressed together, and even sleeping while standing. A similar situation has now arisen in our corporates.
The company released a statement on the latest issue
After Anna’s death, her mother expressed displeasure that no one from the company attended the funeral. Now a statement from EY has been released expressing condolences.
The company says Anna was part of their audit team in Pune. His promising career came to a screeching halt due to this tragic incident. Although it is impossible to make up for the family’s loss, as always we are and will continue to do our best to help them through this difficult time.
We prioritize the welfare of our employees and will continue to work towards providing a healthy environment for all 10,000 employees of our member companies in India.The UKG Workforce Institute, a global think tank that talks about issues in the office, released a figure in March 2024, which is shocking. According to this, around 78 percent of employees working in India have reported burnout. It is a situation where both the mind and body are so exhausted that nothing productive can be done. The degree to which this burnout is real can be gauged by the fact that 64 percent of them admitted that they would happily take a small pay cut to reduce work stress.
The biggest week
The International Labor Organization also says that India is among the first countries in the world to have the longest working week. An average working Indian works about 48 hours a week, while in the US it is about 37 hours, while in the UK it is 36 hours. Our labor law allows working 48 hours a week. Although this is fine, the corporate situation is much worse. Working from home during Covid, working hours that have stretched, continue to stretch. Almost everyone who works in a corporate has this complaint.
In this regard, we spoke to employees of many large companies in Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune.
On condition of anonymity, a mid-level employee at a corporate in Mumbai says – We have many clients every day and many deadlines hanging over our heads. To make sure nothing goes wrong, I have stickers on everything from my laptop to my work wall at home. Even after that, the work is not finished. Even though the shift is 9 hours long, the laptop could not be shut down on time even once in the last three years.
So why don’t you change or quit your job?
Five more years, then I will do something on my own… Chetna continues saying – this is the race of 99. She will stop only when she knows.
Online meetings happen at odd times
For Chetna Bhagat, who works in an international MNC, zoom calls are the biggest harassment. She says- Our head office is in New York. We have to be ready 24 hours a day to match them. Every day there is an email which, in very polite language, mentions the meeting time, which for us is late night or early morning. We can never refuse. You always have to write ‘Yes Boss’, otherwise the assessment will not be received.
Archana, who is back from maternity leave, says – Returning to work after so many days was just as stressful. The boss had also changed. They know about my work only by listening. After my arrival I was sidelined for two weeks and then given a job far below my experience. When I complained I was put on shift duty. Now I’m slipping away from that little girl. Work-life balance has completely disappeared. At first the housemates helped, now they leave me to my own devices.
When it comes to complaining about work-life balance, almost all corporate employees also admit that they have their fists in a tight bottle. Now there is a danger in both the position of pulling out the hand or trapping it.
The situation of workers in India has now become similar to that of Japan.
Actually, the term karoshi was very popular in Japan in the seventies. It means death due to overwork. It so happened that after the Second World War, the Japanese began to work to overcome the pain of the nuclear explosion and defeat, and so much so that it turned into a passion. People started working so much that deaths started happening in the office. Many professionals also took pictures of people returning home from office. The series was titled The Man Machine. These include people lying down, pressed together, and even sleeping while standing. A similar situation has now arisen in our corporates.
The company released a statement on the latest issue
After Anna’s death, her mother expressed displeasure that no one from the company attended the funeral. Now a statement from EY has been released expressing condolences.
The company says Anna was part of their audit team in Pune. His promising career came to a screeching halt due to this tragic incident. Although it is impossible to make up for the family’s loss, as always we are and will continue to do our best to help them through this difficult time.
We prioritize the welfare of our employees and will continue to work towards providing a healthy environment for all 10,000 employees of our member companies in India.
