Is it progress or beginning of the end!

For the last 3 months, I was spending around 3 hours in commuting to the office and after spending more than 9 hours in office with some more hours at home for office work ( Yeah, the perk of heading social in a digital agency), I was left with no time to complete the daily necessary tasks, leave alone any entertainment or time for myself. This morning, when I read the following Facebook post from my friend @prateekshah,  it struck a chord and I was forced to think where we are going as a society!

Then I saw another Facebook post from @Genexlogistics, where they emphasized the importance of time and that you can decide how to use your time, and I again thought, if it’s in my hand to decide how to use my time!

 I checked it on myself. After getting up, I was just running around to get ready and cook for myself ( with help by maid in cleaning etc) before leaving for the office at around 8:30 am and was coming back on an average by 8/8:30.pm (some days even at 9/9:30!) And after spending some more time to sit after tiring day and cook and eat and a bit of household works,it was already more than 10 pm , and  I was again working for office, checking if there are issues on clients’ social channels, responding to emails and lo..it was already past 11… now after reading a bit to keep myself updated, I was dead tired to watch any TV or wake up in morning to go for a walk/exercise or meditate! So where was the time for me to pursue my passions or..to be happy?

I did some quick maths: With 9 official (and minimum 1 unofficial) working hours, 1 hour to get ready for office, on an average 1.5 hours to commute, 7 hours to sleep, 2-3 hours to household works (some men may get relaxation here with wives doing work for them), all one is left with is some 90 odd minutes in bits and pieces which vanish where, hardly anyone knows.  So where is the time for oneself- to relax, socialize, entertain or exercise??

I checked with a few friends and family members, who are not from this industry. More or less, they all are spending life like this. The worst case is with start-ups. The promoters will buy Audis/ BMWs and what not by earnings from same start-up, but will ask employees to working for longer hours (they actually save on hiring people) and sacrifice on increments for the sake of startup’s success!

 I was recalling the good old days when I was a kid. Our parents were not coming back home at 8:30 or so. My dad had time to make me learn drawing or talk to us. We had time to sit together and share our happiness and sorrows! I recalled reading a story of fisherman, who was told by a Harvard grad to work harder, earn a lot and then retire to fish, rest and enjoy life, to which he said, he was doing that already! Lucky the fisherman was, who could choose his working hours and earnings. We, the office going slaves have no such say. I can’t tell my boss to let me work an hour less and take lesser salary.

So the the pertinent question is: Are we progressing? Isn’t it a mad race where people are forced to work like a slave with jazzy words like, challenging role, competitiveness and likes to fool them!? Hasn’t life become like game of Temple run, where the runner collects money to run and runs on endless path with no time to sit and enjoy the earnings! Isn’t it the high time for the HR function of organizations to rethink about the perks for their most important resource-Humans? What is the point giving perks if the organization is sucking up every bit of time and energy from the person to enjoy those perks?

There are however, a few lucky ones (in digital) too, who reach home latest by 7, watch TV, get food served and have ample time to relax, pursue their hobbies & live life; and these are the ones who will outright reject all that I have written here! 😉

P.S. I got time to write this because I am on a small break from the job for a week!

image courtesy: http://blog.jonolan.net