All work and no play

On May 24, 2003, 22-year-old R L Namdev, a constable working for the Central Industrial Security Force shot dead his superior who had refused to grant him leave to go to his native village. According to his family and colleagues, Namdev took the drastic step due to undue stress at the workplace. “He was upset about the 14-hour work schedule� his father had said.
On April 2001, a CRPF jawan posted near Kolkata airport’s immigration counter had fired indiscriminately, killing two immigration officers.He had been suffering from depression and had been denied a leave to visit his hometown.
26-year-old Aditya Samanta (name withheld) a doctorate in computer science from Harvard University quit a high ranking and handsome salaried job at a well-known IT company in Salt Lake and made a foray into metaphysics of religion.
According to his close friends, it was the undue stress caused due to long working hours, superficial lifestyle in the workplace and cut throat ambition among colleagues that instilled in him a sense of vacuum.
“There has been an alarming rise in stress-related cases and over 60 per cent are due to pressures at the workplace,� said consultant neuropsychiatrist at Belle Vue hospital, Dr Shiladitya Ray.
With the world becoming one big global village, work time is no longer a nine to five job. It actually means 24×7 and 365 days, where meeting deadlines, working way past midnight, meeting daily targets and living on the edge of the cut throat competition are accepted norms, so to say.
“Even when I wind up for the day at 11 p.m., my boss tends to look at his watch and ask if I was leaving for some urgent work,� said Rinita Shah, a senior executive working for a multinational bank in Kolkata.
“Individuals working in the IT industry, corporate offices, banking sector and media work under great stress and are the worst affected,� said Ray.
“Nobody minds the long working hours as each of them want to put in their best and excel in the profession,� said model cum choreographer Ria Mitra.
Especially a noticeable trend among men aged between 30-45 years and women in the age group of 28-45 years.
A case in point being 27-year-old Raja Guha, a sales executive in a private company. Tired of being constantly compared with his fellow colleagues and coping with internal office politics, Guha switched three jobs in a span of a year hoping in search of a better work culture.
“It has now boiled down to a mere utopian thought and has forced me to start a business of my own,� he said. Unable to bear with such work related stress, he left a job worth Rs 20,000 to start a travel agency of his own. “Now, atleast I am not hauled up for not working enough after spending ten hours in office,� he said.
“It is immensely stressful and frustrating to bear the extreme weather conditions and simply sit for over eight hours everyday,� said a constable posted outside the US Consulate at Ho Chi Minh Sarani.
He plans to join his son in running the stationery shop.
According to Ray, stress in the work place can be due to the kind of work load on the individual, role division and job monotony.
“Nowadays, professionals recruit individuals who can do several jobs at the same time. In such cases there is undue pressure on the individual who has to do several things without any earmarked roles or job specifications,� he said.
So, it is no longer uncommon to see an individual meeting his own deadlines, setting targets for the juniors, marketing his product and doubling as a sales person, if the situation so demands.
“I cannot afford to crib about the late hours and the parties that miss out simply because I am getting Rs 12,000 every month despite being a fresher,� said Prashant Bansal, an executive in a multinational bank.
Monetary perks come with its share of additional work pressures and commitments.
However, according to Ray, more often than not, it is the working woman who faces more stress than her male counterparts. “Stress is a common phenomenon among working women, especially those married, as they have to strike a balance between both home and office.� “Irritability, poor memory, anxiety, insomnia, mood swings and tension are the common symptoms of stress,� stated Ray. “Stress can cause depression and even affect an individuals relationship with others,� said Urmi Chatterjee, psychologist and guest lecturer of psychology at Calcutta University.
As was the case with young Atul Sharma, a senior marketing manager in a reputed company. His problems in adjusting with the ambitious and dynamic colleagues, post office lifestyle which looked upon drinking and wife swapping as a common phenomenon, adversely affected his relationship with his wife.
“The long hours in office and the related problems affected his sexual life and the was on the brink of separation,� said doctor Ray who handled Sharma’s case.
Present tense, future bleak indeed.
(All names have been changed on request)