The Hindu Business Line : Setting limits in the workplace

Children are masters at doing this all the time; many young people who are recent entrants into the knowledge workforce do it too. Pushing the envelope is a game that many have mastered, but one that also surely challenges authority continually. In many ways, this behaviour becomes a stalking horse for other activities that can ultimately challenge efforts to build a system that strives to combine informality with discipline on deliverables.

Cafeterias are a sine qua non in almost all software companies and they cause the most amount of per capita moaning by employees. Software companies in Bangalore invariably serve curd rice.

It may even be said that one of the great levellers for employees in this industry is the ability to get to like curd rice within a 12-month period, even if it is an alien culinary item. And thereby hangs a tale.

There was turmoil in one such company as angry e-mails were exchanged about how lousy the premixed coffee was and why it was imperative to keep the coffee liquor and milk separate so that people could mix and match as they wanted it. Given the fact that India is a democratic country, it was fairly clear that yielding to this request would promptly set up a counter lobby that would equally passionately declaim that premixed coffee is best for all concerned. Sure enough, once the change was made, the second lobby strongly vented its feelings and more irate e-mails flew back and forth.

At this point, it would have been a cop out to take a call that nothing needed to be done, and I decided that it was time to reiterate the fact we are all socialists at heart and that there needs to be equity and justice.

I decided that every fortnight, the system would oscillate between one camp and the other. In perpetuity, one group or the other would be happy/ unhappy half the time.

The battle then moved on to curd rice. There were complaints that premixed curd rice was an abomination and that "real curd rice'' means keeping the rice and yoghurt separately and then, people could mix it as they wished.

Well, this was done too. Predictably, within a week, there were further problems. Some people complained that since the yoghurt was kept in a large container, after the first few people had dipped a ladle into it, the yoghurt became a mess.

The suggestion was that yoghurt should be kept in small cups so that each person could take one and have firm, unblemished yoghurt. It was time to act and my decision was to call for an immediate `all hands' meeting, making it clear that attendance was mandatory.

The next scene opens with everyone being present at the terrace cafeteria. I kept the meeting short. The events leading up to the meeting were covered in brief and then I had one question for them: "Are we a software company with a cafeteria attached to it or is it the other way around? If the latter is the case, then everyone is being paid way too much."

There was immediate silence and I told everyone that there are limits to informality and freedom and that these limits are best self-imposed. If they are not, they will then have to be imposed externally. A cafeteria committee with a mandate to run it well was formed and the first members were the most vociferous denouncers of the original system.

This committee was asked to supervise the working of the cafeteria for three months, after which they were asked to pass on the responsibility to a new group whom they would choose. The next year was peaceful on this front!

Given the age profile and the limited exposure to corporate culture, most young people naturally tend to view the companies they work in as extensions of their beloved college campuses. It is the responsibility of the senior managers to make sure that while the young people get freedom, they understand and appreciate the limits to such freedom. The focus should be on constant learning and personal growth. Informality should never be confused with indiscipline. Allow the envelope to be pushed, but don't let it get torn, should be the guiding principle for senior managers.

(The writer is corporate advisor to 3i Infotech Ltd and Manipal Education and Medical Group)

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