Management Perspectives

It is not easy to unbrace the thoughts of the workplace at the doorstep of your house along with your footwear. Having spent the most part of the day in the workplace, things such as pending tasks, mentally chalking out a schedule for the next day, or conceiving a meeting plan keep popping up in one’s mind. Similarly, thoughts of personal/domestic tasks too linger on in the mind when one is at work. Similarly, it is impossible to leave behind everything about home at home itself. So, the idea is to manage both. And this is what is called as work-life balance.

Work-life balance is central to managing one’s quality of life. It is much like walking on a tight rope. If you know how to balance both work life and personal life, you will certainly lead a happy life; failing to do so may leave you distressed. At work, you may have to face difficult situations or pressure from superiors or resistance from colleagues or even dirty politics. But, to remain cool at workplace is one of the key factors in work-life balance. Here are some ways to keep yourself stress-free at work:

• Have a good start
  Knowledge transfer (KT)—sharing of information, experience, and other aspects related to the assignment—is the first thing step by an organisation while onboarding a new joinee. However, most knowledge transfer sessions turn out to be frightening, as the outgoing employee emphasizes the problems instead of telling how to execute work.
  
  Your first assignment may not be what you are longing for. The handover from your predecessor to you may not be as pleasant as you wished. He or she may transfer their pressure more than the work to you. These are good reasons to be stressful, even before you start the work.
  
  The day I joined a new organization, my senior told me, “We were actually struggling with this, I was waiting long to dump it on someone; now that you are here, you will take care of it.” You need to be calm and smart in such situation. Remember Hamsa, the swan which is part of an Indian mythical story of Nala and Damayanti. When milk mixed with water was offered, the swan drank only the milk leaving the water behind. You need to be Hamsa, at times. Just absorb things that are related to the assignment and ignore your senior’s frightening views on it. Set off a good start.
  
  
• Everyone need not to be a pilot
  You may be working in a bank, a school, an IT fim, at a power generation unit, the shipping industry, or in transport. Sometimes, you may feel that your job profile is insignificant. If such a feeling is allowed to grow, it will only leave you dejected and stressed.
  
  In an aircraft, no doubt, the pilot is the chief. But, the pilot alone cannot fly the plane. Every crew member’s role is critical.
  
  Similarly, whatever position you are working at, it is significant to your organisation. That is the reason, you are still with the organisation. So, take pride in what you do.
  
  
• Understanding the language of your boss
  If you understand the language (cries) of your newborn, life at home will be peaceful. Likewise, if you understand the language of your boss, life in office will be peaceful. A baby may cry because he/she is hungry, or in pain, or feeling sleepy. If you can identify the cry, you can immediately soothe him/her. Likewise, your boss may not always be clear about what he/she wants. Here are some examples of what they will say versus what they actually meanWish to – Definitely needed Is it possible – Make it happen Can we try – You must do it May see – See to it that it is done As early as possible – Immediate Deciphering these ‘coded’ messages will help you in the long run.
  
  
• The myopic view
  Management’s decision is not always appreciated. As a result, employees resist accepting the order and they keep on arguing about it among themselves. This leaves them frustrated and causes stress.
  
  However, junior and middle management needs to understand that such decisions are mostly arrived at after a lot of thought and due deliberation. The decision may seem absurd to them, but from the top management’s vantage point, it suits the wider spectrum of an organisation.
  
  
• Why should we go to doctor when we are sick?
  When you fall sick, you get advice—from friends, family members, relatives—free of cost. Similarly, in today’s digital world, you have a plenty of sources that will claim to resolve your query. However, in sickness, it is advisable to visit the doctor than take unsolicited advice; a similar approach is recommended while performing crossfunctional assignments. Get the experts on board, take their technical inputs, and execute the task.
  
  
• Even a thousand hands cannot hide the sun
  Even though it is team work, everyone wants the bigger credit for successfully accomplishing a project. Everyone wants to speak about his/her personal contribution to it. Regardless of whether you speak up or not, your work should speak for itself. As a Tamil proverb goes: Aayiram kaigal maraithalum aathavan maraivathillai (even a thousand hands cannot hide the sun), if your work is as vibrant and powerful as the sun, you cannot be masked by anybody.
  
  Also, if you feel that there is a possibility of ‘credit poaching’ by someone on your team, it is better not to reveal trade secrets.
  
  
• Do your bit
  Sometimes, you will notice that colleagues who skip work still get credit whereas you are ignored even though you work hard with integrity. This may make you want to quit the job; but this is not really a solution. Such problems exist at every workplace. You need to ignore things with a negative vibe and focus on your work.
  
  
• Change the game
  Creativity is like a flowing river, it only needs to be steered to attain the goal. What you need is freedom to unfold your inner thoughts to bring out a wonderful ad copy or a corporate brochure or a video. But at times you may feel that doing creative works in a corporate, especially a government setup, is infuriating. Because, you will be left with lots of restrictions that obstruct creativity. My advice is, “learn to play within the boundary.”