Have we lost our focus?
“The tech industry is one of the most spoilt industries in terms of the model of how we work. We are the only industry that is working so uniquely. The future of work is hybrid, which means people should have the flexibility to work from home but people should also be coming into organisations,” he [ Rishad Premji ] said.
The fact that people are negotiating about working from office befuddles me no end. While I hate to paint everyone with the same brush, the current workforce is indeed a pampered lot and spoilt for choice which in some sense is our own [Management] doing. Ironically, the very same Management has been pushed into a corner and forced to relent to the demands of employees…I would daresay the amenities, facilities and compensation that the software industry provides today are the best and far in excess of other professions, even those occupations which are more critical.
The pandemic made things worse and with-it adaptability, flexibility, passion and drive went out of the window and in many cases entitlement has set in. Before the pandemic no one complained about going to work, so why now….the traffic conditions and work environment was the same if not worse.
But my biggest concern is the attitude. It’s become about ourselves above all else….
I can only reflect on the early part of my own career which was a sharp contrast to today.
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My first introduction to the software industry was when I was hired by the largest software company in India, Tata Consultancy Services in 1990. A journalist by qualification and background, this was a radical new space that took me some getting used to but also laid the foundation for a great career in the software industry over the next 30 plus years.
Over the next few years, I worked in Wipro Systems [before its amalgamation with Wipro Infotech] and then CITIL [which later became i-flex and finally Oracle Financial Services Software]. The early years in the software industry across all these organizations offered a quality though frugal work environment.
We were expected to do our job, deliver excellence, go beyond if required, and ensure customer satisfaction at all times…we were supposed to put our best foot forward because this was a phase when India was proving itself as a tech powerhouse to the world…and we were completely invested in this mission.
When one engineer, at a Townhall, asked whether snacks could be served in the evening since most people reached home late as they had to overlap with their US clients’ timings, the CEO curtly responded, we are a software company and not a catering company!! Later of course, he acceded, though reluctantly. I can only imagine the reaction if such a statement was made today!!
Our objectives in those early years revolved around the customer and collaborating better to ensure we achieved what we set out to do.
Have we become more “me” centric in recent times? Are we taking the system for granted? Are we inviting trouble for ourselves as a workforce? Have we lost our focus as individual contributors?
Product Marketing | Communications | B2B SaaS
1yNice to read about your journey, Peter Yorke. The entrepreneurs and tech minds of the 90s were, like you said, mission-driven and so their focus was on building capabilities that could positively impact the economy at large. But can we say the same thing about the current breed of entrepreneurs/startup founders? There are scores of businesses mushrooming everywhere with no real differentiation in services. And with the Internet and collaboration tools, anyone can work for anybody in the world from where they are. It does seem like a case of skewed balance between opportunity and talent. But I do believe that the need for human interaction will win in the long run. There are multiple challenges even in remote work for serious professionals that people might start to see once the comfort of being at home starts to wear off.
Founder & CEO, Rezonant | IIT Roorkee
1yPeter, good point to think of. People may not realise it, but learning the nuances are only possible when one works with demanding yet considerate managers F2F early on. The way AI has been going, plenty of jobs are going to get obsolete as early as in the next 5 years itself. Those who are going about picking up crucial human interaction skills (client management, people management) are likely to stay employed.
Foodpreneur and Independent Communications Consultant
1yHonestly you said it right, Peter. And the trend of hypersensitivity only compounds this heightened aura of entitlement you're talking about. While I'm all for inclusivity and diversity, I too believe that we need to strike a balance in deciding between business priorities and creature comforts, for lack of a more obvious term. It's astounding how former business continuity ideas have evolved into imperatives, and there seems to be no line to separate the exception and the rule.