Why we should go home on time…

Mr. Narayana Murthy is undoubtedly one of the most famous persons
from Karnataka. He is known not just for building the biggest IT
empire in India but also for his simplicity. Almost every important
dignitary visits Infosys campus. He delivered an interesting speech
during an employee session with another IT company in India . He is
incidentally, one of the top 50 Influential people of Asia according
to an Asiaweek publication and also the new IT Advisor to the
Thailand Prime Minister.



Extract of Mr. Narayana Murthy's Speech during Mentor Session : I
know people who work 12 hours a day, six days a week, or more. Some
people do so because of a work emergency where the long hours are
only temporary. Other people I know have put in these hours for
years. I don't know if they are working all these hours, but I do
know they are in the office this long. Others put in long office
hours because they are addicted to the workplace.



Whatever the reason for putting in overtime, working long hours over
the long term is harmful to the person and to the organization. There
are things managers can do to change this for everyone's benefit.
Being in the office long hours, over long periods of time, makes way
for potential errors. My colleagues who are in the office long hours
frequently make mistakes caused by fatigue.



Correcting these mistakes requires their time as well as the time and
energy of others. I have seen people work Tuesday through Friday to
correct mistakes made after 5 PM on Monday. Another problem is that
people who are in the office long hours are not pleasant company.
They often complain about other people (who aren't working as hard);
they are irritable, or cranky, or even angry. Other people avoid
them. Such behavior poses problems, where work goes much better when
people work together instead of avoiding one another.



As Managers, there are things we can do to help people leave the
office. First and foremost is to set the example and go home
ourselves. I work with a manager who chides people for working long
hours. His words quickly lose their meaning when he sends these
chiding group e-mails with a time-stamp of 2 AM, Sunday.



Second is to encourage people to put some balance in their
lives.

For instance, here is a guideline I find helpful:

1) Wake up, eat a good breakfast, and go to work.

2) Work hard and smart for eight or nine hours.

3) Go home.

4) Read the books/comics, watch a funny movie, dig in the dirt, play
with your kids, etc.

5) Eat well and sleep well.



This is called recreating. Doing steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 enable step 2.
Working regular hours and recreating daily are simple concepts. They
are hard for some of us because that requires 'personal change'. They
are possible since we all have the power to choose to do them.



In considering the issue of overtime, I am reminded of my oldest son.
When he was a toddler, if people were visiting the apartment, he
would not fall asleep no matter how long the visit, and no matter
what time of day it was. He would fight off sleep until the visitors
left.It was as if he was afraid that he would miss something. Once
our visitors' left, he would go to sleep. By this time, however, he
was over tired and would scream through half the night with
nightmares. He, my wife, and I, all paid the price for his fear of
missing out. Perhaps some people put in such long hours because they
don't want to miss anything when they leave the office. The trouble
with this is that events will never stop happening. That is life !!
Things happen 24 hours a day. Allowing for little rest is not
ultimately practical. So, take a nap. Things will happen while you're
asleep, but you will have the energy to catch up when you wake.

Hence...



"LOVE YOUR JOB, BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY BECAUSE YOU

NEVER KNOW WHEN THE COMPANY STOPS LOVING YOU" -- Narayana Murthy