Delhi juggles work and family

NEW DELHI: Delhi''s work culture is not a trend followed by an entire team of young professionals across different trades.
It has a strong individualistic trait. Young Delhi may be working hard and long, but it isn''t cribbing and is definitely not alienated from home and hearth either.
Delhi, it seems, is good at juggling and balancing.
According to a just concluded Sunday Times-TNS Survey; for Delhiites, work is top priority.Many prefer working during weekends. But, mutual understanding among couples is high.
Almost 55 per cent of the respondents said they have never had disagreements with their spouse on the time spent at work. And they are more forgiving if their spouse comes late or forgets important days like birthdays.
Rohan Parashar (name changed) a corporate finance consultant with an MNC based in the city, feels feeling overworked is a matter of perception.
"There is no end to cribbing. I may have to walk in to office over weekends, but then I have more resources at my disposal to get work done faster. It''s about meeting your targets," he said. On an average, he spends 8-10 hours working over weekends.
Though he, like many others, brings work home but gives it a positive outlook.
"I may bring 2-3 files home but that way at least I am with my wife. If more work needs to be done it''s better to go to office," he explained.
What about family time? "I do manage to get a break as often as I can. My wife works for a software company and gets her weekends off religiously," he added.
For Siddharth Singh (name changed), an investment banking executive, working at home happens when "Something needs to get done and you do it because you have to."
Here again, it''s a matter of targets, bonus and incentives. Family may not be on the backburner now, but he does wish that he has more time in hand after his child is born.
He spends about an hour and a half working from home everyday. "When a deal is happening, work even at home, becomes very intense. But anyhow, if my laptop comes home, work invariably does," he added. He did admit that work does eat up personal time.
Probe further about why work comes home and Singh explained: "It''s a culture thing and will take long to change. Indians are known to work harder, while in the West people work smarter. That is one of the main reasons why Indians do well abroad. They work hard and there they learn how to work smart as well."
But it isn''t just the corporates who feel the workload heat. Anurag Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (northeast) is on call 24 hours. After all, policing is a 24-hour job.
So, there is no chance of a clear demarcation between work and family time.
"Policing is quite different from any other profession," he said.
Asked about compromises made at the expense of family time and he said: "I chose to be here. It was a conscious decision, so there is no room for cribbing. It''s not a compromise. Sometimes it does become difficult to find time for my family, but that is part of the bargain," he added.
And what does his five-and-a-half-year-old daughter Anusha have to say about his long absent spells. "She does complain about not getting to see me enough, but she''s very young and it''s difficult for her to understand my situation. She will as she grows older," Kumar said.
But, Delhi''s work culture is much more than simplistic. Naveen Jindal, member of parliament (MP) and industrialist sums it up.
"We cannot generalise it. Work culture and habits are based on individuals and not trends," he said.
His view is further elaborated by Unnati Saran, a freelancer and daughter of a retired Naval officer.
"Different jobs have different demands. My brother is in the Merchant Navy and is away for months. My father had a disciplined routine, but mine is quite unpredictable. My younger sister is working for an multi national company and is very busy. But we all find time for each other. Working hard doesn''t mean a dead personal life. It depends on how you set your priorities," she said.
Quite right Delhi. Work is priority but family or "me-time" is definitely not neglected. The scales are balanced well enough.