Work, politics and millennials

When Jyoti Solanki got a job with a leading law firm in Delhi before she finished her post-graduation diploma in Intellectual Property Rights, she was thrilled. But the dream soured soon. "There was internal politics and restrictions on interactions with seniors and members of other departments. A regular work day would last 10 hours or more and there was no appreciation," says the 25-year-old, who quit that job in six months.

Similarly, 27-year-old Prateek Kumar* left his job with a chartered accountancy firm because he found the schedule too hectic. "There was tremendous work pressure, requiring me to work overtime and also stay overnight in the office regularly," he says.

Kumar and Solanki aren't exceptions. According to a recent survey by Harvard Business Review (HBR) Ascend, which spoke to 1,700 millennials (youngsters between 18 and 34 years of age) in India, 40 per cent find excessive workload as the biggest barrier in performing effectively and 39 per cent marked office politics as a hindrance. While the 18-24 age group complains more about office politics, those in the age group of 25-35 find themselves overburdened with work.

In today's hyper-connected global market, clients/customers expect services instantly and round-the-clock, a demand that companies meet at the cost of employees. "I enjoy my work, but my employers expect me to put in extra hours, regardless of pay," says the 25-year-old Shuchi Gupta, a Delhi-based video editor, who feels work culture in India needs to change towards a better balance of personal and professional lives.

The HBR survey also found that employees lacked soft skills such as emotional intelligence, persuasion skills and analytical thinking needed to deal with the excessive workload and office politics. Solanki says she was emotionally unequipped at her first job. "I had no idea how to deal with the environment and work. I tried to meet their imaginary expectations and ignored their rude behaviour, but was at a loss," she recalls.

Delhi-based Paridhi Negi had a similar experience. "Around three years ago, I joined a start-up in Gurgaon as a public relations officer, also looking at digital marketing. I left a steady job because I saw an opportunity to learn.

Instead, I was overburdened with work. I would be working on the laptop at home after an extended shift. I left after a month and a half and didn't find another job for six months. It wasn't easy," recalls 25-year-old Negi.

"We receive a lot of patients with mental stress and when discussing, we find work is an important cause," says Dr Rajesh Sagar, professor of Psychiatry at AIIMS. "They have everything at stake. They are trying to establish a career and constant assessments at the workplace builds pressure. In their personal lives, they are trying to settle down, and have relationship issues."

In such situations, team leaders can play a positive role. "I was working on an annual strategy presentation and was unable to deliver as expected. Since we were short of time, my boss was upset. Later, I met with him and discussed my strengths and weaknesses. This has had a very positive impact on my work," says 28-year-old Bilal Ansari, a video editor in Mumbai.

Payal Shah, who works in the development sector in Delhi, feels that employees should be motivated. "It helps if senior managers take the time to offer employees feedback on how their work is helping fulfil the company's objectives," says Shah.

Young and stressed

Only 13 per cent respondents found themselves emotionally equipped. 4.5 per cent and 8.5 per cent respondents, respectively, saw persuasion skills and analytical thinking as their strength

*Names changed on request