Working on a Holiday

Working on a Holiday

I once worked with an expat boss who would come to office by 7 a.m and work through the day till 7 p.m. Why so early to work we used to ask and his stock reply was:

“as the Boss around here, I have to be available to all, and also be up-to-date with work. What better than the 2 to 3 hours I get all to myself when I can finish work ahead of others.”

Many of us who worked with him, imbibed the habit of coming at least an hour before others, to have a peaceful, one hour to complete most work that need concentration.

Today, I love to go to office on a holiday, with hardly anyone in office. Having chosen such a day to catch up on some pending work, this is what I succeeded in doing;

1. Went through all the mails of the last 10 days official as well as personal and responded or deleted as the case may be. All my in boxes look neat and clean now.

2. Read through a dozen notes and proposals put up to me which needed attention and clear instructions.

3. Made a number of phone calls, catching most recipients at home; the discussions were short and decisions taken faster, obviously with pressure from kids and other family members on why they should discuss office matters on a holiday. ‘That boss of yours is crazy’ I overheard a wife telling one colleague as he hastily concluded our conversation with a series of yes sir, will do tomorrow etc. All these from one who has never been in a hurry to complete any task in time.

4. The word having spread that the boss is in office, some of the younger, single staff troop in slowly by around noon. The ever reliable Aswin is always in office on a holiday. “Where else do you get to sit in AC comfort, have the net to yourself and a good lunch if the Boss is also around” he would say..

5. The only luxury I allow is a good lunch ordered for all those present in the office. Our common lunch, a sort of mini office meet also gives me a lot of inputs into recent office gossip, some new affairs and market news which the marketing guys had probably forgotten to inform me.

“Our goods in the eastern market are getting rejected because of some manufacturing defect; especially those produced at the Vizag plant where workers are agitating due to the Telengana issue. Only around 30 per cent of workers are present and quality checks are totally absent.” Mentioned one of the guys from accounts. I was shocked as the last week’s reports from the eastern zone had not mentioned any such developments.

7. The 7 guys (no females come on a holiday unless specifically asked) who reported actually got back to work after lunch and were in office till late evening. All of them had a satisfied look as having completed a lot of backlog in their work area. I used two of the smarter ones to do some analysis for me using data received over the last 6 months. They were happy to be given the special task and finished in much less time than my secretary or the marketing analysts we have. I made a mental note of where I could turn to when I needed quick analysis.

8. Unlike most others who go to office on a holiday and who get pestered with constant calls from home, my family is understanding and let me work in peace. The catch? I always take them out for a sumptuous dinner in the evening. I have learned that good food, whether in the office or late in the evening, is always positively received.

Working on a holiday is not workaholism, nor is it a show off. It is a very practical way of using idle time effectively when one is not burdened by demands at home or the continuous phone calls and interruptions in a regular office. The multicultural environment in our country is most suited for such enterprises as we are assured of at least one holiday per month.

Job Xavier- Mumbai

30^th August 2013.