CURB ON CALLS AFTER WORK: NOT POSSIBLE IN INDIA, SAY DENIZENS
A law in Portugal that makes work calls after hours illegal has got professionals wondering if it can be implemented here
The concept of working hours has vanished ever since I started working from home. How I miss saying I’ve left office when answering calls after hours!
ESHA GILL, Product manager from Patparganj
This (law) can never happen in India. When we are at work, we can still wrap up on time. But, on days when we are working from home, there is no time limit.
SIDDHARTH ROY, Advertising professional from Rohini
Picture this. You’ve logged off for the day, plan to step out for a meal and just then, your boss asks you to attend an urgent meeting. Seems familiar? To make up for this loss of work-life balance, Portugal has reportedly introduced a new law that makes it illegal for bosses to contact their employees after work hours. And professionals back home are in total support of such measures, but feel it cannot be put into action here.
“I don’t think the work environment in India supports this culture at all. I am always getting calls from work after I log off, and I end up working all the time. Our legal contract says 8.5 hours a day, but that is not the case,” says Siddharth Roy, an advertising professional from Rohini.
Going out after work is seldom possible in such a situation. And on days one manages to chalk out time to step out, they’re often found attending calls from wherever they are. “In my previous firm, when I’d finish work and go out to a lounge or restaurant, I would perpetually be running to the washroom to answer calls. Especially during WFH, work never ends,” rues Yuvraaj Singh, an operations executive from Surajmal Vihar.
For companies that deal with clients based out of countries across the world, time zone is a challenge when considering implementing such measures, feels Kunal Mathur, director of an MNC in Gurugram. “We are catering to clients from all over the world, issues can happen anytime. We need to answer to the client in case we miss something, so things need to be in place. But as a policy, if all goes well, I do not disturb my team once they log off for the day,” he adds.
Dr Imran Noorani, consultant chief psychologist at a Delhi hospital, asserts one must divide time for personal, professional commitments. “We need to segregate time for work and personal life, else anxiety and stress creeps in, and performance dips. In the long term, this will be a loss for an organisation,” he adds.