New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) In the backdrop of deaths due to “overwhelming pressure” at workplaces, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has written to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and suggested the introduction of mandatory sensitisation workshops in all establishments in India.
In his letter to the minister, Tharoor said these workshops should normalise the culture of taking breaks, disconnecting on weekends and beyond one’s working hours and ensuring that individual employees are not overburdened.
“I write to you today regarding the tragic death of a young professional, Ms Anna Sebastian Perayil, who was working at a leading accounting firm, and other instances of similarly unsettling and premature deaths on account of exploitative working conditions.
“From Tarun Saxena in Jhansi to Sushant Chakravarty in Mumbai, the commonality between all these instances are the allegations of ‘overwhelming work pressure’ and ‘toxic work culture’ which appear to have caused the untimely demise of these young professionals,” he said.
Tharoor said the prevailing notions of “work ethic” and “professionalism” in professional sectors and office spaces are, in his view, detrimental to the physical and mental health of the workforce.
Employees are often inhumanely expected to meet unrealistic deadlines day in and day out, he said.
“The recent deaths of Anna, Tarun, and Sushant serve as a devastating reminder of the far-reaching consequences of this toxic work culture, and there are numerous others at risk, afraid or perhaps unable to articulate just as how suffocated they feel by an endlessly increasing workload.
It is, therefore, imperative that both the workforce and the management of all establishments are sensitised to the importance, indeed indispensability, of work-life balance, the former Union minister said.
“In light of the foregoing, I propose the introduction of mandatory sensitisation workshops by all establishments in India,” Tharoor said in his letter to Labour and Employment Minister Mandaviya dated October 4.
Tharoor asserted that conducting these workshops as mere formality would do no good.
“Not only must they be instituted in earnest, they ought to focus on cultivating respect for the balance between work and the employee’s personal life; instilling empathy in every member of the organisation, especially seniors, who are higher up the pecking order; and encouraging an environment of general well-being in the workspace,” he said.
This will amply benefit India, reinvigorating and revitalising its workforce, enabling it to work far more productively in more a compassionate and caring environment, Tharoor said.
“These workshops should normalise the culture of taking breaks, serve to disconnecting on weekends and beyond one’s working hours — the right, in other words, to disconnect — and ensuring that individual employees are not overburdened merely because, say, there is a shortage of staff, as may have been the case in Anna’s workplace,” he said.
Instead of peddling the already popular notion that working longer, working unrelenting hours leads to success, Tharoor said there is a need for fostering a healthier, more realistic work ethic to sustain India’s growth story.
Although employees who are on the pay-roll of an organisation are entitled to statutory employment protections, many organisations bypass these obligations in the guise of contractual employees or consultants, distinguishable from gig workers, he said.
“Theoretically, consultants work under minimal supervision and are responsible for determining their own work schedule; however, in reality, the agreements are structured to ensure that employers control how they work and when they work, which is grossly unethical, considering that such workers have no statutory protection,” he said.
It appears that this model of hiring is deployed by financial and legal organisations, as well as by various consulting firms in India, he said.
“New, stricter laws and the reinforcement of current laws to protect the rights of the workforce are doubtless needed; but for such laws to be effectively enforced, awareness programmes, advocacy measures, and sensitisation workshops are necessary,” he stressed.
As such, it is imperative to mandate these workshops for both the workforce and management across all establishments, thereby underscoring the importance of work-life balance for the physical and mental well-being of employees, Tharoor said.
“I would be grateful if you could consider mandating the implementation of these sensitisation workshops, which should at the least be held bi-annually,” he said.
Further measures such as post-workshop surveys of employees, annual reporting by establishments, and anonymous feedback channels to the ministry – should be instituted to ensure the accountability and efficacy of these sensitisation workshops, he said. PTI ASK RHL
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