A recent article, by a well known Indian business person, started me thinking about a particular aspect of office time management. How many spend time unnecessarily in the office after the normal working hours The author describes this trait as a typical Indian executive mentality undertaken to make others believe that they are hard workers. I believe the author is incorrect to pick on just Indian executives as in my opinion this is a widespread tendency amongst business executives regardless of their origin to subscribe to this attitude. This according to me is a wrong work culture as it has a negative impact not only on one’s work but also on his family life. If you spend time unnecessarily in the office, even after you finish your work, you miss the opportunity to enjoy the spice of life which lies outside the office world. You miss your family, your children and your friends. In this context “Variety is the spice of life”, takes on its full meaning. Time spent on entertainment, doing something different, definitely invigorates energy levels. One returns to work full of bounce and ready to give a refreshingly better performance. Another well known proverb also supports my view. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. We need to forsake such outdated ideas about working late in the office and replace them with a philosophy of working hard but playing harder.
We all had an exciting time when our Snake boat “Devas” lifted the prestigious Nehru Trophy in the recently concluded boat race in Alleppey, Kerala. The enjoyment we cherished as a team by spending quality time at events like these will infuse better performance in the office and greater success in the future.