Engineering Ethics!

It has been an eventful week so far... I saw some of my friends falling ill due to extreme work pressure! I even came to know about some people who have made their work-place as their homes, literally!

It makes me wonder... What have we become? Why do we work? Is this the life we thought of? Are we happy after doing all this?

The impact of recession/ economic slow-down has been profound on every person's life... People have gone well beyond the call of their duty and well beyond their abilities to make things happen, to keep their employers happy and to save their jobs... Even then, it is a harsh world! Situations pop up; when a company can no more feed its employees and the Management has no option left but to ask its precious, trained, and dedicated workforce to leave....

I remember that we had a subject of study - Constitution of India and Engineering Ethics. I had enjoyed studying the Engineering Ethics, the case studies and imbibed most of the ethics that an Engineer must have. On completing my studies and getting into Corporate work environment, I learned that work-ethics is an important part of our life. HOW you accomplish some task is as critical as WHAT you accomplish! The work culture at the workplace is THE DECISIVE FACTOR and I am happy that my workplace gives me immense pleasure and freedom along with all my responsibilities...

Ah!... Why did I write all these things? Just to tell how ungrateful and unmindful some companies can be...

I got a message from one of my friends a few days back... unfortunately, she was fired from the job. A day or two later, some other friends (in the same company) were also asked to leave! The company was not in good financial state and they were taking such drastic measures... Understandable... The economy is not doing good anywhere... I offered my sympathies and that was it.

Today, I got a chance to meet two of them and asked them what had happened. They told that they were summoned and asked to sign on their resignation letters! One of my friends asked them as to why were they doing this? One person from HR said that my friends performance was not up to the mark! My friend protested, saying that he had received appreciation from his manager for his work and what on earth made the HR person think that his performance was not good?! Now, the second reason, "Skills don't match the current requirement"! Good lord! I am trained in Java, C++, .NET, scripting and what not. What other skills do you need? - my friend demanded an answer... Now came the actual reason... "It is due to the slowdown in economy... Sign on your resignation and take away the compensation for 1 month (READ IT AS TAKE PEANUTS)... otherwise, we will have to fire you saying that you were not a good worker..." after some more talking, and some see-saw, my friend conceded and signed on his resignation unwillingly...

What could I say now? I was shocked! How much more unethical corporates can become?

Threatening a sincere and dedicated worker of dire consequences, when he has done nothing? Is it ethical?

Giving false reasons when the actual reason could have been disclosed... is that ethical?

Forcing employees to sign on their resignation letters, rather than accepting the company's incompetence and giving it in writing... is that ethical? I do not believe it is legal either!

What did the company want to prove?
"Employees left by their own will and even then the company compensated them with some money?"

Great company! Great ENGINEERS of ethics!

Difficult choices to make... A retrospective view.

Hmmm... There come many situations where we need to choose. Most often than not, the situation will be complicated enough to put that element of doubt and that uncertainty in the mind...

Being kids, life is lot simpler. Kids dont have to THINK before talking, they say kids have an uncluttered mind and speak whatever is there on their mind.
Ask a kid a question and you get an instantaneous answer. There lies no fear in the kid's mind; there never is a thought "What if I am wrong?" "What will the other person think" "How will I be able to say that?" "Will it be appropriate?".
Some times Aayi tells me; when I was about 5-6 years old, one of my aunts asked Vinay and me "Whom do you like the most? Aayi or Pappa?". Aayi says that we replied "Both". I don't know what made us reply that way, but we did. We had to make a choice, but it was not difficult when we were kids...

Being adults, many things change. We think more, talk less, make assumptions (wrong many a times)and then react. Today, if someone asks me "What is the effect of the slow-down on the IT industry?" The answer will obviously be different to different people... There seems to be an invisible fence around us that blurs the thoughts, limits the freedom and induces fear.

You may ask... What fear am I talking about?
Since the time I have learned to understand and comprehend things, I have observed that fear drives most of our decisions. When it comes to making important choices, fear has the upper hand. Fear of failure in exam, more than the interest in a subject makes a student study. The fear of being outcast in the society drives a person to take action consistent with the "Society Norms". The fear of hurting his family makes a son hide his emotions. Fear of losing a job makes an employee work his skin out. The list is endless...

It is such a powerful entity that it even forces people to trample on their likings and takes away the freedom.

Such are the consequences...
It is impossible to get rid of fear, but it is possible to get the priorities right so that the impact of fear is minimal. Some choices must be made based on the merit of each choice and not by succumbing to fear. Future cannot be predicted, so why make decisions based on an assumed fear?

Now, let me make some conscious decisions...
Should I believe in my intuitions or should I go by the rules? I don't know!!!
That is why I say.. IT IS A DIFFICULT CHOICE TO MAKE...