When the Lines Blur

“You can`t do a good job if your job is all you do”

These lines strike a chord with many of us, for this is the truth of modern life, being frenetically busy all the time. The easier life gets with all the technology we have at hand, the more we find ourselves entangled in the world wide web of work, with hardly any time for ourselves at the end of long, busy days which leave us drained and exhausted, not just physically but also mentally.

Do the words of Viru Sahasrabuddhe, the hard- taskmaster director in the cult hit 3 Idiots, “Life is a race. If you don’t run fast, you will be like a broken anda” hold more truth than we care to acknowledge? Perhaps yes.  When you want everything, you have to work that much harder to get it and this is where the all-consuming beast that is workaholism raises its ugly head.  The high that comes with better outcomes at work are no less addictive than any drug, and though initially we out of necessity consume the drug, we hardly ever know when the drug starts consuming us!

There is indeed an extremely fine line between work being worship and worshipping work which is becoming increasingly blurred, with most people now bearing the brunt of “being available 24-7”.  This commonly used phrase has now come back to haunt those who happened to use it without giving it a second thought.

THE WHYS AND WHEREFORETOS

Work-leisure lines have been gradually blurring with the advent of globalization but the speed and reach of this have increased exponentially in recent times. With rapid technological advances, it has not only become easy to peek into the personal lives of others, but to invade their private space too.

This often takes the form of work- related matters being communicated at all hours and all places, some as mundane as the office and others as unique as a holiday destination. Being totally switched off from technology is becoming increasingly difficult for most of us. It is now the norm to check or send emails right up to the time one goes to bed with quite a large number of people actually waking up in the middle of the night to make sure that they haven’t missed the latest communique.

We have talked the hind legs off donkeys and written reams about the sanctity of the family dinner hour and proudly boasted about the rule of “No phones at the table”. Ironically, each of us definitely recalls an incident where there was that ‘extremely urgent’ call from the boss which made us miss our dinner altogether! While this occurs only few and far between for the luckier ones, most of us are slaves to the whims of the powers that be.

If the dinner hour can be sacrificed, small wonder then, that a holiday where one is totally isolated from the world of work is the stuff of dreams. You only have to look at the number of travelers toting laptop bags at any bus or train station or at any airport to know that by and large we are happier when we carry our work with us. Perhaps it keeps us grounded to the reality to which we have to return or perhaps, it just lends a sense of security that we have a job which will pay for the lovely vacation we are taking!

Working from home is yet another culprit, proving that every rose comes with its inbuilt thorn. Yes, we are now saving enormously on commuting time, have the freedom to work from remote locations which are very far afield and of course corporates are making a killing by saving on office space and all the paraphernalia it entails, but it comes at the cost of ‘the end of the working day’. Anyone is expected to available anytime of the day or night. If children as young as twelve and thirteen are no longer spared from the vagaries of school and/or tuition classes at odd hours, it is small wonder then, that adults are seen hunched over their devices, muttering to themselves at all hours of the day and night. The luxury of ‘winding up’ at the office and heading home reveling in the end of the working day is gradually being done away with.

The extreme competition on the employment front and in various jobs is another important reason due to the insecurity it breeds. With ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ being offered by way of job security, one has no option but to step up to the mark and try to make a lasting impression in any way possible, even if it means being the early bird who arrives at the crack of dawn never to leave or go off-call. The shrinking of traditional employment especially in up- and- coming industries like tourism, entertainment and hospitality, and the need to recast oneself in a different model following the new trends in the wake of the pandemic have been a significant contributing factor in this regard.

CONSEQUENCES

When the work culture changes and how, so suddenly and significantly, it is bound to leave debris in its wake. This is what people in all job spectra face today. Stress and lifestyle related issues, either physical or mental, fraying of the social fabric beginning with the family unit and economic issues form merely the tip of this iceberg. Far deeper and more serious consequences like substance abuse, increased rates of suicides, increased tendencies to violence, whether domestic or other wise and an increase in white-collar crime are becoming more the norm than the exception. Not to speak of the inadvertent neglect which hapless dependents often face and are increasingly normalized as collateral damage as the perpetrator is often working to pay for their needs, but doesn’t know when and where to stop.

WORD TO THE WISE

To seek betterment, whether monetarily or in terms of recognition is a human need. But again, as humans we need to exercise the unique power of discretion given to us and consciously differentiate between our needs and wants.  It is up to us to decide whether putting a foot across the line is worth the price which will have to be inevitably paid.

 So, remember that when we see blurred lines, it is time to correct the vision to view the world in all its glory. A befitting reply to the culture of workaholism would be “ Am I a workaholic? Yes, but I also have NO problem taking time for myself”!!