This morning as I read an article regarding the impact of the US recession on Indian IT firms, an IT professional's complaint was - "Earlier, I would send a security guard to fetch a pen or writing pad from admin. A few days ago, the security man said I must go and get them personally. I went, only to be told the company has put a stop on stationery to cut costs."
What struck me was not the fact that the Indian company was running short of funds but the fact that the professional was accustomed to outsourcing the 'fetching a pen or writing pad" function. Thinking back to my days working for a firm in India, I realized that the 'office boy' was the standard 'service provider' in Indian offices, he generally held a position unlike any I have seen in US this far.
The office boy was expected to perform menial tasks around the office including something I find outrageous - getting water and coffee for 'working' professionals. In most cases, the water / coffee was obtained from a makeshift pantry that existed very much in the office premises. Is it cheap labour that created the 'office boy' or is it the perception of an average Indian that he deserves to be treated with respect as soon as he gets a job ?
The strongest argument seems to be that this is an extension of the age old tradition of the rich (kings and rulers) using servants to perform menial tasks. The tradition seems to have carried over during the times of the British rule over the country when servants took the place of today's fans and air-conditioners ! It was not uncommon to find a person manually waving a flat panel as a makeshift fan. This support function seems to have developed into an art with the making of an expensive labour force called the 'Butlers' in the developed world, however, back in India, the change seems to be in the transition from homes to offices with the creation of the 'office boy'.
Indians like me who migrate to the US, easily transition out of this need for an office boy, we are generally also the most common visitors to the pantry !
What struck me was not the fact that the Indian company was running short of funds but the fact that the professional was accustomed to outsourcing the 'fetching a pen or writing pad" function. Thinking back to my days working for a firm in India, I realized that the 'office boy' was the standard 'service provider' in Indian offices, he generally held a position unlike any I have seen in US this far.
The office boy was expected to perform menial tasks around the office including something I find outrageous - getting water and coffee for 'working' professionals. In most cases, the water / coffee was obtained from a makeshift pantry that existed very much in the office premises. Is it cheap labour that created the 'office boy' or is it the perception of an average Indian that he deserves to be treated with respect as soon as he gets a job ?
The strongest argument seems to be that this is an extension of the age old tradition of the rich (kings and rulers) using servants to perform menial tasks. The tradition seems to have carried over during the times of the British rule over the country when servants took the place of today's fans and air-conditioners ! It was not uncommon to find a person manually waving a flat panel as a makeshift fan. This support function seems to have developed into an art with the making of an expensive labour force called the 'Butlers' in the developed world, however, back in India, the change seems to be in the transition from homes to offices with the creation of the 'office boy'.
Indians like me who migrate to the US, easily transition out of this need for an office boy, we are generally also the most common visitors to the pantry !
Comments