Posted inWork

Staff welfare: what is being done versus what ought to be done

Many companies and organisations these days have something like "staff welfare department". This is created for the purpose of satisfying some norms of the institution to show off that they care for their workers. Sometimes, it is created as a mandate to satisfy some labour law or government norms. What these staff welfare departments do: Celebrating staff birthdays Taking on one day or two day picnics and travels during the holidays! Conduct sports and games beyond the working hours Meditation…
Posted inWork

What we can learn about leaders from the demonetisation exercise

Let's go back. Modi comes to power in 2014. Things are going fine in 2016, although Modi govt has already started their attack on democracy. Out of nowhere, Modi appears on TV on an evening of November 2016 and announces demonetization! What followed his announcement on state television is serious chaos, never ending queues outside banks and ATMs, people struggling to get money out of their banks, poor bank staff overworking. The entire country's bank staff had to overwork to…
Posted inWork

Expressing thanks to housekeeping staff – the wrong way

My friend recalled one incident at his company where the boss asked for ideas to show gratitude to the housekeeping staff. Housekeeping staff is the one that cleans up the office and premises. So the HR came up with a brilliant idea. The idea was that the office staff will do the cleaning for one day, so that the housekeeping staff need not clean for a day. On the day, the staff members were juggling between their work and cleaning…
Posted inWisdom Work

A few lessons for young people

A few lessons for young people: First lesson is that be confident and do not be submissive. Know that you are an independent human being and develop your self worth. You do not need to bow down before people equal to you or even above you. Be kind to people below your hierarchy and also be assertive with them. Be assertive with everyone with whom you interact. The first time you meet a person is crucial. If it is a…
Posted inMemories

Summer nights

Back in my childhood... When we moved to this house, our area was less populated. Less houses, less people, no vehicles at all after 7pm, no shops and amenities. The last bus was around 8:45 or 9pm! Summers used to be sunny and summer nights would be hot. But after 8 or 9pm, sometimes during April time, we would get some good cool wind. So we would sit outside after our dinner to get some cool air. As we sat…
Posted inMy Ideas Wisdom

Are they all testing our limits and dehumanising us?

Take most of the businesses, they are all testing our limits and dehumanising us. Let me list out: Most political parties have taken their voters for granted. No respect for the voters. Voters keep voting their favourite political party, hence the voters are taken for granted. RCB management has taken their fans for granted, because they'll support the team, no matter what. Hence the fans of RCB have been taken for granted and the management takes wrong decisions just to…
Posted inPhilosophy Wisdom

“Yuddha kale” versus “koosu huttoku munche”

There are two interesting proverbs in Kannada and I feel the two are opposites and present alternate wisdom for the same situation. Situation: what is the right time to start a work? First: yudda kaale shastraabhyasa - probably borrowed from Sanskrit, it means: "practicing the use of weapons at the time of war". This proverb is directed at people who do the work at the last minute or when it is too late. I've seen this proverb being routinely used…
Posted inHacks & Tips Music

Once in how many months should a guitar’s strings be changed?

Direct Answer: It is ideal to change the strings of a guitar once in 3-4 months as per the technician who does the job. The same answer I got from seasoned guitar players. This is important because the strings of a guitar get rusted and there are chances that they get cut while you are tuning or playing the guitar. Once I was trying the guitar of my cousin and suddenly a string got cut and pierced the skin on…
Posted inFood Place

Why there are no chairs and tables in Rameswaram Cafe?

I just watched a clip where the husband-wife owners of Rameswaram Cafe (Bangalore) are asked by a shameless anchor, "was it a conscious decision not to put chairs and tables in Rameswaram cafe?" I wonder how the anchor has no common sense. Or these people lose their common sense when paid well! It's basic: the owners didn't want to spend on tables and chairs. They even wanted to save on the real estate cost incurred for the space needed for…
Posted inWork

How and why people are promoted in corporate jobs

A friend who works in a corporate job narrated this incident which happened in his company. This incident helps us understand how promotions and recognitions work in the corporate sector. In his own words: "we had a meeting of all the employees in our department. The meeting starts and the boss starts shouting at  some employees with allegations of inefficiency and not running certain events properly. In a few minutes, some 3-4 employees who are smart and self aware clearly…