I like my Work and my Company!
The other day, I saw the Whatsapp
status of one of my friends. It read “Happily Married and No, it is not an Oxymornon”.
He was not being sarcastic. He is genuinely happy. Let me tell you another set
of words – “I love my work”. Many of you might find it hard to believe. I agree
with you for I have been in both situations – absolutely hating my work and
absolutely liking it. The job that I took up after Engineering belonged to the
former category and the one that I chose after my MBA course is from the latter
lot.
Many of us have this tendency to
criticize openly and admire secretly wherein it should be the other way around.
Be it the schools that we have been to, be it the colleges that we have
graduated from, be it the companies that we have worked for, there is always a
tendency to criticize them. Constructive criticism is good and should be done
but many a time, we forget to laud the goodness of those institutions. Many a
time, the realization sets in after one leaves the organization. This is the
reason why many people talk fondly of their colleges and companies years later.
So let me begin with an earnest attempt. I work for Infosys and I love it. Does
that mean my organization is flawless and is hovering around the pinnacle of
perfection? Absolutely not. There are things which need improvement. What makes
this company different is the fact that there are genuine attempts being made
to move in the right direction.
I still remember my first day at the
Bangalore campus, in awe of the infrastructure. But I distinctly remember being
much more impressed by the people that I came across. Right from the security
to senior leaders, there was something likeable about them and it continues to
be. Let me tell you one instance. Around the time of my marriage, I was walking
in to the office. At the gate, security checks are done. The lady checking my
bag saw a bunch of invitation cards and asked me “When is the marriage? Is
madam also working at Infosys? Ask her also to join our company”. I was
delighted beyond words.
“Be More” is the philosophy which
Infosys is following these days. The idea is to try and do more than what is
expected from oneself; discover more abilities which one has and thus maximize
one’s own horizons. That security lady checking my bag was doing exactly that.
You wonder what is so great about what she did? About 27000 people work in that
campus and she is in the morning shift where maximum people walk in. It is at
that time she found time to have this quick chat with me!
Above is a video of Yours truly talking about Life at Infosys. At the cost of sounding immodest, I must
tell you that I have worked really hard to get the opportunities that I have
got. But I am not the only person who does that. Most of us work really hard. This
is where Infosys stands apart. I would want to give credit to the organization
for the fact that it provides me with the right ecosystem which is of prime
importance for one to thrive.
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The first morning, while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees the neighbor hang up the wash outside.
ReplyDelete"That laundry is not very clean," she said, "she doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs another laundry soap."
The husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang out the wash, the young woman would make the same comment.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband,
"Look! She has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"
Her husband said, "I got up early this morning and washed the windows."
This story explains this context, approach things with open and positive mind.Things appears good for you .
Amazing perspective da!!! Loved the story :)
DeleteHi Arun, loved the blog post, especially true is your observation "Many of us have this tendency to criticize openly and admire secretly", this is so true for Infosys as well. Those who have been with the company for a while feel a strong sense of entitlement and ever increasing expectations, but as a newcomer, I see a large number of benefits and thoughtful acts that I find amazing for a large company of this size.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lilian for your time :). And yes, absolutely agree with you on that. Many people just don't appreciate the many thoughtful gestures here
DeleteArun, I liked your article. What struck me about Infosys when I joined way back in 2000, is that almost everyone then had the "Be More" attitude.
ReplyDeleteWhen I invited the then DC head and his family for my marriage(I was just a Software engineer in a pool of 1000+ employees at that time), he made it a point to call on the previous day and wish my father. My father was really delighted to receive that call. Yes, Infy grew bigger but these small nice gestures are the ones we all and management should not let go.
Another senior manager and his wife send me a nice wedding greeting card.
Its the time that they took out of their busy personal/professional lives to care for one among the several software engineers, that impressed me.
Looking back, does even a manager of a 100 member team continue to use those personal touches? Not artificial. But straight from the heart.
Back then, Infosys made us feel that each one of us mattered.
I think that is what we should strive to pass on to each one of the employees that we come across.
And not wait for senior management to acknowledge or appreciate.
Lets start with ourselves. let us try to be better, more people centric.
Just like the security lady in your article did!
Absolutely agree with what you said, Manju. being pro people is the way forward. Like you said, all it needs is a kind gesture.
DeleteVery positive blog Arun...and underneath the words, it shows what a nice human being you are. Wish you all the very best and hope to see #pinklungy become a really big success. You will be missed on the marketing floor.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Purnima :) You are kind.
Delete