Employer mindset vs Employee mindset

Sometime back the debate around 72 and 90 hours work-week which had consumed the corporate India’s mind space has subsided now. On the one hand, many industry stalwarts advocated long work hours. They had a point. Their view was rooted in the belief that for India to be a developed nation it should derive maximum advantage out of its demographic dividend. Otherwise, it will be a case of lost opportunity. References were also drawn from economies like China, Japan, South Korea etc. to drive home the point. Such an approach to economic development resonated with many. However, on the other hand, a large section of the corporate employees held a different viewpoint. There were two broad arguments against longer work hours:

A) impact on work-life balance and

B) more work for no extra pay.

One may attribute the differing views to the differences in mindset of an employer and an employee. Let us elaborate a little more.

First, an employer who has built a business entity from scratch brick-by-brick, for him/ her work is viewed as an extension of the his/ her ‘self’. There is an emotional connect, not a transactional give-and-take relationship. Business for him/ her is raison d’etre. If the business is doing great, the employer feels ecstatic. If it is in trouble, the employer feels despondent.

For an employee, relationship with work is generally transactional give-and-take. He/ she always expects something in return. If professional aspiration(s) are not fulfilled he/ she can leave. Under circumstances, even the employer can ask him/ her to quit. These situations do not exist with respect to an employer. Naturally, an emotional connect that an employer has for the business cannot be expected of an employee. The big picture that excites an employer need not necessarily resonate with an employee. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with an employee mindset because is how he/ she is conditioned to thinking.

Second, dovetailing business growth with India’s dream of becoming a developed nation resonate more with an employer than an employee for one more reason. The former realizes business opportunities that are going to unfold. An employer knows that a flourishing business will lead to proportionate increase of personal wealth as well. The truth is achievement of this goal is possible only if employees log-in extra time unless there is a technological breakthrough reducing hours of engagement at work. But that is unlikely to happen as more and more assignments shall then start pouring-in and targets will also become stiffer by the day. An employee shall obviously wonder: what is there in it for me? He/ she may feel cheated, “At the end of the day my annual pay rise will in any case be linked to a bell-curve which is barely inflation-beating. So, how is India’s prosperity going to make me prosper except working long hours and at what cost? I shall have even lesser time for myself and my family.” Such a reaction seems natural because an employee’s engagement with work is fundamentally different from an employer’s.

Thus, there is a world of difference between an employer and an employee. It is about their respective worldviews. The chasm can never be cemented unless each is appreciative of others way of thinking. Needless to add, there shall remain a minority of employees who shall indeed feel inspired with India becoming a developed nation by 2047 and be willing to work 72, or 90 hours per week. That is only possible if employees feel the need towards fulfilling a higher order goal beyond personal goal.