The Hindu Business Line : The ties that bind

The other day, on a consulting assignment in an organisation, I chanced upon an animated discussion in a nearby office cubicle. I walked across and peering over the shoulders of the people gathered around a table saw that on it was the subject of the discussion. On the table were four oranges and four apples. Each of them was marked differently and the people around were totally engrossed — smelling the fruits, weighing them in their hands and arguing the merits of each fruit. No, it was not the back-end of a supermarket. This was a meeting of a committee to decide on the ayudha puja pack and the venue was the HR department of a manufacturing organisation!

I was transported back to my days in a manufacturing organisation. The ayudha puja celebration in the factory was an event that everyone looked forward to, especially the families of employees. The scale of celebrations, the décor and the prizes for performance through the year were all discussed, and debated. Every employee and his / her family attended the celebration. People eagerly and proudly pointed out their work places and families stood around in their best clothes full of awe and excitement!

Cut to a recent discussion with a group of young managers. The question under discussion: Do employees no longer value doing things together with the office group? Instances were quoted of employees preferring to spend the little time they get with their families rather than with a group of office colleagues. They said that attendance at office events done after office hours was often less than 30 per cent.

The question we debated was: In the new workplace is there a case for office teams to bond; is there a case for teams to build personal relationships as well as professional ones? Or is this an old world concept with little relevance in today's fast paced, short-term relationships driven world?

I think the answer lies in the role that the community celebrations of older companies played for the organisation. Simply put, they promoted community building and pride, and also gave people a sense of security and continuity.

Very similar indeed to the role that family traditions play in personal life. No matter how frenetic the pace of life, most of us do make time for some close family rituals — perhaps the coming together on the death anniversary of a loved family member or celebrating at least one festival with one's family. At the end of that puja or celebration, one always came away with a sense of wellbeing and fulfilment.

So let's come back to the question: Are such celebrations relevant in today's organisations? Or do we simply brush away those puja celebrations as an anachronism?

In today's organisations, most employees fend for themselves. With career tenures in the range of two to five years or less, instilling a sense of ownership down the line for the company's goals and identifying with the company are difficult propositions to achieve. Creating an ambience of warmth, belonging and collaboration are more easily talked about than achieved.

Secondly, the answer to the question `when have you felt most engaged with the company' has invariably thrown up the answer — when there was a crisis in the company or a common enemy to fight. While we may not welcome crisis all the time, a community celebration recaptures almost the same esprit de corps. My stand, therefore, is that at no other time were such community celebrations as vital as today.

Man is by nature a gregarious creature . But if the organisation does not try to provide an environment for employees to come together socially (and even better, along with their families), employees will also seek an impersonal and arm's length relationship with the organisation. Organisations and teams, if they want to hold together, must initiate and sustain certain practices that will bring people together; that will soon form part of the cultural fabric of the company and will be identified as "our way of doing things". So given that this is important, how do we get the younger generation in organisations to participate?

In the first instance, the practice needs to be seen as something different from the usual tamasha that HR dishes up. It must be thought through, sit well with the profile of people in the organisation. It must stir people up; get them to be passionate.

Also, managers need to own this as much as HR. It must also involve as representative a group of people from the organisation as possible in the planning stage.

And do involve families. The reason many employees shirk such company events is that they get precious little time away from work with their families. While families may initially be reluctant to attend, once they get to know each other getting them to come together is not a difficult task.

Timing is critical. In the initial days it may be necessary to sacrifice some office time for this. Scale, branding and communication are all important. Finally, the leaders in the organisation must be seen to actively champion the initiative.

(The writer is a Principal Consultant at Totus Consulting)

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