We spend seven to eight hours a day at work. A healthy working environment is crucial for a fulfilling life. Workers in vitiated environments have become victims of stress, various health problems, and performance impairment. Finally, they end up as perpetrators contributing to workplace toxicity, anguishes Hemashri in her weekly column, exclusively for Different Truths.

My husband had herpes zoster. A giant patch of skin on his chest first swelled, then numerous reddish eruptions appeared. He kept attending the office in warm clothes. It pained me to see his discomfort. At the same time, I felt moved by his devotion to duty. A sudden announcement advancing office time by half an hour made me resolve to be there at 9.30 am, even though I knew it would be a challenge.

On New Year’s Day, as per the fresh schedule, I reached the office and shared a selfie with my buddies. One of them commented that she is not excited about the new schedule. She said she never followed time schedules and added that such discipline is for less disciplined people. She announced that she is an extraordinary, results-oriented performer. She was married to a high-ranking officer and travelled to many parts of the world. Thus, she happens to be one of those globetrotters who lament the state of affairs in this country. She often expresses her desire to migrate to a developed country.

She is one of those who want all the dramatic transformation to happen in this country but are least willing to step outside their comfort zones. They may ridicule people like me as dehatis, who have not seen the world. However, this dehati thinks they are global villagers who cannot think beyond pure self-interest. People like them may have travelled to many parts of the world at the government’s expense, but they give nothing back.

The following day, I shared the news of my husband’s ailment in that forum. My globetrotting friend advised me to proceed on earned leave along with my sick husband, totally unaware of the prevailing official emergency of the NRC. Government employees were working day and night to comply with the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s direction to complete an exercise within a time limit. So obviously, under such a situation, applying for leave could invite serious consequences. My colleague showed no courtesy to even make a call to enquire about his health condition, though she was a mutual friend of my husband and me.

However, my husband was lucky to have a very considerate boss who allowed him to take a few days’ rest to recover. Herpes zoster was an unknown monster, so I googled it to learn more. I gradually learned that it was a viral infection of the chickenpox family, and it was extremely painful. The weak immune system led to this infection, and healing took a minimum of one month, but the pain was extreme and might linger for a long time.

I saw my husband writhing in acute pain for more than a month. Sleeping was a big problem because he could not turn over in bed. One of those days, during his sickness, I received his call on his behalf. The caller was a senior lady colleague who, in a rather harsh tone, told me that my husband was supposed to attend a meeting and asked whether he was attending. She also expressed concern about who would sign the papers in his absence. She did not bother even once to ask me about his health. I did not see any of his colleagues enquiring or expressing concern about his health.

On the day of his return to normal work, he told me, “I feel awful going to an office where no one ever bothered to call me even once to see how I am.” I could empathise with his pain. The colleague who had advised me to take my husband to a doctor and to proceed on leave also failed to call. I wondered: were we despised in workplaces, or had workplaces become so competitive that people had totally lost the human touch? Or was it because sickness was the most abused excuse lazy workers used to escape their duty? Were we too soft to crave affection or to expect such concern from our colleagues?

The expectation is the cause of all disappointment, as the wise say! A little love and a little trust from people we spend time with to earn a living and work together cannot be termed as ‘great expectations’!

We spend seven to eight hours a day, at times even longer, in our workplaces. A healthy working environment is crucial for a fulfilling life. What actually prevents us from creating a beautiful workplace? Is it a competition where everyone is just a potential opponent, or is it due to interpersonal aggression? No wonder that workers in vitiated environments have become victims of stress, various health problems, and performance impairment. Finally, they become perpetrators of workplace toxicity.

Maybe a little more empathy at the workplace will improve productivity and make working really fun! Wish we all could flourish in a congenial environment, enjoying every moment of our work. Is it a ‘Mission Impossible’? Even the word ‘impossible’ says ‘I’m possible’!

©Hemashri Hazarika

Photos from the Internet

#Workplace #ToxicWorkplace #LackOfPoliteness #VictimOfStress #BadLanguage #Demeaning #BetterWorkenvironment #GovernaceGallimaufry #DifferentTruths

Hemashri Hazarika

Hemashri Hazarika is an Officer of the Assam Civil Service since 1997. Her research on Assam Civil Service brought reforms in 2015. A first-class Postgraduate in Economics from Gauhati University, she was awarded JRF/NET by UGC in 1997. Her experience as a bureaucrat has sensitised her to human sufferings. A solutionist by passion, she takes an active interest in issues related to Governance, Development, Women, Children, etc. Reading, Writing, Speaking and Painting are her hobbies.