My 7th Youtube upload video in response to State of ESH Nation -INDIA, is on “Vehicle Safety – covering Company folks driving for business as well as Hazmat transportation” I have attempted to give hands on overview of what are best practices that are done from keeping people safe in horrible road situations and transporting Hazardous material in a safe manner. Many thanks to companies who excel in this area whose information I have used from public domain to correlate to my work experience. I hope ESH folks may find this 45 minute presentation useful. ( I am sorry to post 24 hrs late as Software bug issue!!)!
Following post is not about Clint Eastwood for sure!!
25 years on, from my exit from Indian cultural work environment, I am sad and deeply pained to hear of work culture in many Indian entities have not changed one bit! I am hearing of ESH folks being subjected to humiliation by Senior managers and proprietors by verbal abuse, throwing the cellphone at employee (The owners are rich, so can afford) besides dangerous act of hurling paper weight like a missile at hapless employee!! I am very sure that this treatment may be dished out not just to ESH folks, who are seen by many Indian entities as necessary Evil to be had to manage Factory inspector and Pollution control board! (Some safety folks are seen by management as Spy of government agencies) as well as to other functional heads! I am personally aware of an Owner trying threatening plunge of knife on work desk, warning the CFO the next one would be on his chest if the data is not fudged so ESH Folks that way are relatively Safe!! (Sanjayaa U are safe!!)
I can only hope that ESH personnel can work some resilience, and follow the saying”When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough gets Going”
It is very difficult to keep your mental well-being and work your best in such hostile environment. I am aware in certain culture, the boss power is so strong, (Korea, Pakistan) but never physical abuse and threat!! While things are not all that bad, especially for ESH folks employed at MNCs in India, the High ethics works norms can be used by disgruntled colleagues to settle scores and to complain to parent HQ outside India anonymously (Sarbanes- Oxley Zindabad!!). Thus, they make you undergo hell where you are “PRESUMED GUILTY, UNTILL PROVED INNOCENT and then you are then wrecked morally”!
I am also aware that there are great Indian companies like Thermax, whose culture can give any MNC a RUN for the money! I can be optimistic with more and more global collaboration happening with global entities trying to set footprint in India, the work culture may change for better in decades to come! (May be say 20 -30 years!!)! I know of instances of GIANT Indian organisations struggling to bridge the culture gap so that Foregin companies can own some stake that have been pointed out during due diligence !!
So What can ESH folks do to overcome the situation, till they find the tools, resources to Escape from Alcatraz and be done with Jerk of boss and a lousy employer!!
- Develop strong family values,family ties! Nothing like caring and loving family that can be a safety valve. Your spouse understand the issue better and provides a much needed emotional support.( I assume men undergo the bullying issue 99% of time, more so, in manufacturing environment)
- Develop self belief, try to shift the thoughts away from such situations. Positive thinking produces positive results. YOU BECOME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT!
- At the forefront, keep you calm, go about the job in a professional way, try to work your best to satisfy the job requirements. Work the data, work the relevant information, keep asking yourself what can still go wrong, how to work the PLAN -B!! Never retaliate. Will take you nowhere! Your giving ammunition to your enemy!
- Never complaint & vent frustration in public or complain to authorities. In corrupt environment like India and sub continent, would get you nowhere! The whole system is rigged! As I keep saying many places is more rotten and corrupt and immoral, especially in the last 15 years. Internally, many places it is Bad HR that governs (HR-Hitler’s Regiment, is what we joke!) so work your own safety vent outside the system you are in. You are on your OWN!!! Some consolation that Bad-HR is a Global epidemic.
- Develop a strong network of friends, professionals to bridge support. Sharing is caring. Work to try help folks beyond work place,keep the “emotional credit” more by trying to do whatever help you can. What goes around, comes around. If you are good to people, people are good to you. May be a jerk of a boss, bad employer may turn things to see +ve aspects of life, which otherwise folks missed until then.
- Unless you are asked to do unethical, unlawful aspects never quit the job. That would take you no where. (Unless you have 9 months take home pay in your a/c as bank balance) It takes that much time for transitions to happen. More so in these days of indecisive, painfully slow, legally questioning, bureaucratic dragging situation even in pvt sector. Positions advertised, being put on HOLD after months is new Norm even for senior positions, who cares, ESH,? they are open for months even as mandatory back fill !!!!!!!.
- This is the only exceptional rare situation, where it is worth paying to recruiters (However an act of sin be it) to explore and push for possible job opportunities for the jail break. Be ready to move from your comfort zone, who knows you may get to live in a better place and life could be far different! May be Bad boss + bad company was blessing in disguise after all !!!!
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In job interviews, never bad moth your Jerk of a boss or the current organisation. Never goes well, and it is a big NO NO! Always indicate your excitement to join the new company. Do good research on company that is interviewing you. Try to respond how you can work your best to fit in to that organisation.
- Make sure the change is not from Fire to FRYING PAN!! Many times that can happen! My experience with folks with Indian bosses are, is while you may have aversion,disagreement etc, the moment he leaves, and new guy comes, the previous boss appears an ANGEL, 6 months down the line!! So make sure that you do a thorough work about the company, work culture, ethics etc. ( I was very lucky that 15 years of International assignment were under 2 bosses they never changed, I left them!!)!!)
I know it is easy for me to write, but I had had not a good boss for about 8 months about 2 decades back. Hence, I can relate to that and some of the aspects are tested by me drinking my own cool aid,on myself to wriggle out of ALCATRAZ!!Good luck and god bless!!
Karthik
25/3/17 1800 Hrs.
PS: Please feel free to share your thoughts, U can do anynomously, BLOG has the provisions! As I told a guy in email yesterday! U can post yourself as John DOE as common name in west or may be Narendra MODI !!!!!!!!!!!
Health, Environment, Safety, Sustainability (HESS) 