Go to the profile of Varun Teja Salady
Varun Teja Salady

THE FIRST.

July 2015! A poignant reminder of the passing of 4 years of engineering life at one of the premium institutes in the most populous democracy in the world (of course, India). Friends settled in one job or the other. Interesting observation was a large % of them have earned jobs that has nothing to do with “ENGINEERING”. Determined to give back to the country, when GOI had in mind to subsidize expensive education so that millenia (like me) learn & contribute to the economic growth of the country, some chose to start their career in the manufacturing sector! And obviously, there’s “ENGINEERING”

Either lucrative “Consulting” (or) trending “Big-Data Analytics (or) risky-rewarding-stressful “Investment Banking” (or) boring-as-usual “Coding”. For many that was a psychological attraction. After being mesmerized by the words and appearance of recent graduates in polished suits at campus recruiting events every year, dreamy-eyed candidates are propelled to put forth an application.

And the adventure begins! Nonetheless, as expected, there were awkward experiences they all faced when starting a new job:

  1. You spend thousands in buying formal wear, only to realize that there’s a uniform dress code for all employees:/
  2. Refer point “1“. Still regret it:/
  3. You sniff yourself to ensure that you’re not stinking due to sweat, a sign of fear of making a bad first impression & constantly visit washroom to rinse your mouth to avoid bad breath, if any:/

Beep, Beep! The boarding process has now commenced. Passengers who are willing to take a ride into the life of “the OTHER GUY” can scroll down, fasten your seat belts! It’s gonna be a bumpy journey ahead. Gates of entry to that prestigious world will open before you. The so-called “Welcome to the real world”.

And the “real world”, the place where they work has certain important functions:

  1. Maintenance Department (Mechanical/Electrical): Who always follow “Cure is better than prevention” rule. Wait until the crisis hits you, then act!
  2. Quality Department: Where the actual data is intentionally fabricated to declare incorrect values to production (not always :P) to keep them on their toes.
  3. Purchase Department: Just like how the local GOONS are always on phone calls negotiating a deal for lower rate, throwing swears and tantrums for un-timely delivery of raw material.
  4. Accounts Department: Where the purchase orders are not signed in time, payments are delayed, blah bla blah! One common attribute of all of them — hair thinning due to abnormally high levels of stress. And finally…..
  5. Production Department: Ahaa, welcome to the world where there’s been constant commotion on cutting utility costs (steam/power) in one of the most efficient systems built. That’s a tough challenge and they’re all onto it. You gotta keep doing something, to keep incrementing your bank account balance at the start of every month.

Here’s comes the antagonist in this sad story!

BOSS! BOSS! Everywhere! Not a second to think!

If you hate your boss, you’re not alone in this world. A staggering 75% of employees say their boss is the worst and most stressful part of their job. Now that’s a cheery stat!

We Judge Ourselves by our Intentions. Others Judge us based on our Behavior. This is the universal truth.

One the flip side, most bosses may perceive they have perfectly good intentions towards their statements/actions and hence tend to justify their own bad behavior and as a result employees like me are left to side effects. Feel like humming the Eminem song — I need a doctor to being me back to life..!

  1. Takes all the credit of the good work done. Float your innovative ideas in front of senior management and score some points.
  2. Takes U-turn on critical decisions whether it is saying something and doing something else.
  3. Use your shoulders to fire. In a nutshell, not a risk taker at all due to fear of losing the job.

As some one on Quora quoted,

Bad bosses are like natural disasters in your otherwise smooth running life and bring havoc till the time you are living through that period. They create imbalance emotionally, physically and fill you with a low esteem so much so that you doubt your own self.
But in the end the entire experience will make you more mature and intelligent and most certainly make you realize the kind of person that you don’t want to become.

Regards,

theotherguy.