Sense of belonging

Sense of belonging is a strange phrase nowadays; and loyalty an alien word;. And yet every one craves for them. They are rarely seen in many offices. There, you encounter undue favoritism, nepotism, enmity and apathy. If not lucky, you become the victim of office politics and gossip. 

Many are left with the feeling that they are ill treated and left in the lurch by few who are not qualified, deserving and professionals. Management theories are thrown to the winds and most of the time it is few men’s show at the expense of many. 

Because of a few negative characters many suffer the anxiety, tension and frustration. In a cordial atmosphere work becomes more productive which will result in betterment and progress of the organization as well as its people. Instead if harassment, exploitation is meted out to the employees, results too becomes negative. As long as there is no sense of belonging, you can’t expect loyalty.  

But who cares - those miscreants are ignorant of such feelings; and totally blind to the effects that affect all adversely.  

Pleasure of EDITING

If you write “he was working since”, the “EDITOR” changes it to … working from”- and if you change to “….from”  in the next letter, he reverts to “since”. If you use “many”, it is ‘corrected’ to “number of”; and if you make it “number of” next time, he promptly changes to “many”. If you write “further to “, it will be changed to “subsequent to” and if you use “subsequent to”, it is changed to “further to”… and thus it goes on and on…. .  

No doubt you feel bad -that your originality is not recognized, creativity is not acknowledged - it is just a passing phase, and hurts only initially. After some time, you get used to it- only if such changes are seen, you feel relieved. You will learn to take things stoically- that “even the best can be bettered” and that is what is happening to you! You too will learn soon to edit the “Editor”.  

Law Implimentation

 The place was AL Ithihad Park near King Faizal Mosque, Sharjah. Day – Thursday. Time- 7 pm. After a stroll we reached the park and was searching a place to sit and relax.

Found the place was flooded with football players. And just in front of them was big board saying “Football is not allowed in this place” The balls were flying like ballistic missiles. Many families were there with their kids including infants and it was a precarious situation. The missiles could have landed anywhere any time. And it happened- one of them landed on the back of an innocent visitor. The boy who went to retrieve the ball was not at all apologetic and the man being a soft fellow did not react.

If the place is for playing football then why the board reading it is not allowed is kept there; and if it is not allowed then why it is not implemented? Is it that the authority will take action only after some mishaps?

Credit Card Blues

The Sales Executives are highly professionals. Highly skilled and trained the lure the public into buying the beautiful Plastic cards promising earth ad heave and lavishly issue more than one card eve if you do not want even one. And they can give you as many supplementary cards too. You are impressed by their impeccable service – he fills up the forms for you ad run many an errand for you to ensure you get the cards at the earliest. Ad prompt come the cards by courier with lots and lots of offers, discounts and sales information. You are happiest – which is only the beginning of the problem. The gullible customer unknowingly, slowly but steadily falls into the self brought destructive trap and most of the time remain in the abysmal pit of debt.

The shops, malls all join hands with those professional sales guys – yet another professionals! Their advertisements are captivating – raffles, lotteries for the purchase of a “small” fixed sum. The greedy Customer king with his false prestige goes beyond his requirement and buys things whether he needs them or not just to reach the minimum amount so as to get the prize(s).

Unprofessional Professionals

A luncheon was to be offered in honor of some visiting guests, and the family head was recommended a prominent restaurant in Karama. Having seen the heavy crowd there on Friday, the invitation was postponed for the next day. The guests were informed accordingly and of course forewarned about the time to arrive so as to avoid the crowd and have some peaceful time during the lunch. Everything went smoothly until all entered the restaurant. They group consisted of almost 10 and was looking for tables to accommodate all. They saw two ‘gentlemen” occupy a table meant for 8 people and were simply sitting there chewing some snacks. The head of the family approached the manager and requested for the seats for the group. Instead of polite, decent dealing the manager was very rude. He simply looked around and uttered.  Six can sit here and 4 over there – “that is all possible”. All were shocked at the tone. He could have presented the same in a decent way. But why should he? He is fully aware that beggars are no choosers and if not this group, others will come. The head of the family had moved with his mob and so had to yield to the persuasion of the members and stay calml, patient. None was unaware there is more to come. There was no on to attend the customers promptly and it took more than 15 minutes for a supplier to appear.  He took the order and disappeared. It took another 45 minutes for him to attend to the tables from where he left.  Once the supply was done in a haphazard, hurried manner, he left again and the people had to wait again for him to reappear. Meanwhile the place was getting more and more people. The authorities were unmindful of that. They found a sadistic pleasure in making people sit and keeping others stand and wait.

From the professional point of view they were misfits. From the business point of view, they should have seen the food is served promptly and made the people leave, leaving chance for the next group. It will be good if the owners make some surprise checks, find out the drawbacks of the system and try to rectify them, so that all concerned will benefit out of it. Of course the bad elements will have to be weeded out – if they cannot be mend, then services will have to end.

Hapless Souls

The  Labour Laws concur with the International Labour Laws regarding the working hours – 8 hours. Exception to the rules are there for some categories  – but nor more than 9 hours.  However in practice many are forced to work for hours and hours continuously without any break which can stretch to 12 to 14 hours or perhaps more; and without any holidays. And there is none to complain about it. If complained they can leave the job; many are in the waiting list for lower salaries according to the employees.

Much is talked about the welfare of the employees and human resource development. The talk remains as talks only and the development ends in getting human resources on lower and lower pay and make them work as slaves. The poor fellows cannot complain; for then they will have to leave. Threatened with punishments, delayed/non payment, loss of job, ban for reentry for six long months, they are fully aware of the fortune they had shelled out to get this land of milk and honey and are constrained to lead the passive life.  Wisdom dawns too late and in many cases it dawns much delayed or at times never dawns at all! The realization comes too soon, that the hapless souls are helpless. The knowledge that they are aware of the pathetic situation makes it more painful.

In many companies increment is unheard for many years though the cost of living is skyrocketing. Bonus is shared among the preferred and unknown and unheard by many. Landlords are increasing the rent mercilessly and the employers simply turn a deaf ear, blind eyes to the plight of the employees. It is strange that it happens in many companies who boast high professionalism and multinational status.

Is this called professionalism? Is this much talked about Human Resource Development? While the authorities try to inculcate professionalism, welfare of the employees there are many who try to sabotage the purpose and the procedure. They are not qualified, have no idea about manning, managing. They are not interested in the common welfare but only of themselves; and are absolutely unaware of the adverse effects they bring about by demoralizing the hapless souls. The end result – mismanagement leading to poor productivity, bringing more red to the balance sheet. Who can and will bell those cats – when, how soon, so that all concerned can live in peace and harmony!

Drivers’ Dilemma

Whenever an accident occurs on the road, the drivers are always at fault. But then who can and does feel their plight – how they are distracted with the modern inventions, scientific advancement.

First it was the radio. By providing soothing melodious music, it made the drivers forget the world they are living in and transported them to the world of fantasy and many times asleep. And then came the advertisement, misleading, confusing like sirens of Police vehicles, Ambulance etc. Latest addition is TV in the car. With all the distractions how can the poor drivers concentrate?

The most unkindest cut comes with the mobile phones. Considered a boon to many most of the times, it becomes a bane while driving. As the vehicle rolls and gain momentum, the first call comes – it is from the wife and is regarding the list of things to be bought while returning home (She always forgets to write and prefer to tell the poor hubby while driving who is supposed to remember every item until he gets to the supermarket and get all of them). Next are the calls from the children; of course with more demands. The children are ‘gifted’ with mobile phones and can use it indiscriminately. And then comes the call from friends just to say hello and know your how about. Even if you politely tell them you are driving through the crazy traffic, they take it lightly and continue the chatter oblivious of the dire consequences their seemingly harmless chatter can lead to. Call from the office, your boss will never disturb you while you are in the office, but only when you start your return trip after a hectic day in the office. And they want information/statistics off hand as if you are better than computers. The demands are many and the pressure always mounts up.

And if nothing of the above happens, then the dutiful drivers will have to contact the wife, children, friends, office and boss to find their welfare, for any other work to be carried out. In either way the poor drivers have many a reason for distraction. Any wonder they miss concentration ending up in accidents. But then no one tries to feel the poor fellows’ pulse and the how and why which lead them to the accidents!

Beggars are no choosers

Rents are skyrocketing and getting unaffordable, and the poor public cannot do anything about it but to surrender to the avarice of the Landlord and real estate agents. Expense for education is getting exorbitant but the parents have to educate their wards. And yet entitlements remains stagnant for the majority and nothing can be done about that ! 

Roads are strewn with traffic chaos and the public is treated as guinea pigs with experiments on a daily basis; but the poor lots cannot do anything about it. Few officials in the offices and banks are introducing more and more rules making the already tough bureaucracy still tougher. They want not only the photocopies, but signature on all copies while submitting a simple application which hitherto went on smoothly. For different applications from the office the officials insist different Trade License & passport copies. Instead of simplifying the procedure and saving time and energy of all concerned some are bent upon creating more and more problems. And the affected cannot react. Depositing a cheque which used to take less than a minutes due to the innovation of the rule by some ‘cranky genius’ now takes almost an hour thus wasting  much precious time of customers.

Telephone Department is not charging any commission on Credit cards, but  Electricity Department are bent upon charging commission to the poor public for the fault of their using credit cards. Air Lines and Taxi drivers are hiking the charges; for they cannot afford to run with the old charges- their burden is conveniently thrown to the public again. Supermarkets, shopping malls, pharmacies, Restaurants all are continuously increasing the prices of commodities and again the public has to bear the brunt. Beggars are no choosers – are they?

Why Why Why ………….????

Many a time I am bothered by the following whys! My friends instead of giving me a convincing answer shirk their shoulders and take a resigned attitude.

·         Why is that many cannot stand in the queue and jump the queue oblivious of their fellow beings who dutifully stand without grumbling and patiently await their turn?

·         Why then the authorities attend to those who jump the queue, forgetting those are standing in front of them for quite some time?

·         Why when a customer stands in front of them, the service executive always are busy on the phone?

·         Why when a meeting starts, promptly the mobile sounds and why the person likes to talk over the mobile than the person in front of him/her?

·         Why we have the slowest moving personnel to man the busiest counters who never understand the situation and respond appropriately?

·         Why is that the slow moving driver chooses the fast track always and still drives slowly?

·         Why is that letters of relevance are thrown to the gutter and those of private interests are published?

·         Why many are bothered about other places, people and events when they do not do justice to their home, country and society?

·         Why is that people who toil and toil get less while those who do less work get  more?

·         Why is it that public employees work less and enjoy more holidays where as private sector employees have to work for more than the stipulated 8 hours and still have less holidays?

·         Why when the Municipality employees strive and strive to keep the place neat and clean many are bent upon keeping it dirtier and dirtier?

·         Why is that many parents behave so callously endangering the lives of their siblings and learning the same still many others continue to do so?

·         Why is it that the same product has different prices in the same area but different shops?

·         Why many prefer to pay more for a product and get it from big shops when it is available at a lower rate in smaller shops?

·         Why many prefer cheaper products than the costliest one even they can afford?

Still more whys are there ……… ! According to my friends “that is life” and “ we can do nothing about it.” Is that so? At least we can think about them, write about them and. ponder over them; and try to find some answer/solutions. Can’t we?? Shouldn’t we make a beginning somewhere, sometime???

Keeping the time

The market is flooded with the timepieces - wrist-watches, wall & table clocks. The prices vary from 5  to 50000 affordable to all and sundry. And they adorn the wrists of many, houses and offices too. So what ? Any one is interested in, concerned about keeping the time. Perhaps they are keen on keeping late. The more late, more important they are.

Be it to the school, office, to the meeting or any appointment, they prefer to reach late and do not feely any iota of guilty conscience about that. They come late because they are busy and had many other appointments. Traffic block is yet another excuse which is common and accepted without any objections. They can come late; but if others are, will object it vehemently.

We have accepted it as a routine in our life and are absolutely unaware of the adverse effects behind it. What happens if the doctor comes late for the emergency or for that matter the ambulance? What happens if you miss the flight and fail to meet your dear parents in the deathbed?  

Bad Joke

Bad Joke

It was a small function held to congratulate one of the Sales Executives. He was a versatile figure. Apart from selling, he had many other talents too and he had won a cartoon contest held by the company. The MD who flew down to give the gift was introduced to the extra artistic talents the winner has and was happy and impressed. And then came the comments from his manager- “ he is active in all fields except his selling!”

Many laughed a hollow laugh to ease the situation. The MD tried to make the ugly scene acceptable, by commenting the manager “did not mean what is said”. However the caustic comment marred the function. Many felt embarrassed and annoyed at the senseless comments- for he had proved his selling prowess and was the best in the company.

No doubt the joke was in very bad taste. And the result was really frustrating. But then that happens to be prerogative of the boss, absolutely unaware of the damage it can cause not only to the individual concerned, but to other employees as well. Even if he cannot motivate the employees he should ensure they are not dejected and de-motivated.

Second Class Citizens

IT has happened once more- holidays have come and the step-motherly treatment towards the Private sector has repeated as usual.

Why the segregation? In what way the employees of private sector are inferior and deserve the current discriminatory treatment? How much productivity can be increased by forcing the employees of the private sector to attend few hours on Thursday- when all others are enjoying continuous holidays for almost a week? Are the employees of private sectors second-class citizens and do not contribute to the growth of their organization and the country they live in? Those who have less work and more remuneration enjoy more holidays; while who have  to work more than the normal working hours are denied even half day holiday. Why the disparity, discripancy? Who creates such classes and why??

This is not a healthy trend at all. The frustration inculcated in the employees of the Private sector due to the ill treatment is enormous. It is high time the concerned authorities put an end to this once and for all.