A young CA succumbs to work stress - Reflecting on how Work-life-balance IS a personal choice

A young Chartered Accountant, Anna Sebastian Perayil died, supposedly due to overwork. Here's EY India boss on employee Anna Sebastian Perayil's death: 'Don’t believe work pressure claimed her life'

Work-life-balance IS a personal choice

In my decades long career in corporate world, I have never been a workaholic but have worked with many such managers. I learnt to stick my personal balance early on 

If you are like me, you've got to remember the basics 

• Ignore it when your managers quotes leaders like Narayana Murthy when they preach about "70 hour workweek" 
• That's not everyone’s cup of tea
• Your health is the most precious asset you have 
• Listen to your body – it will send clear signs to if it is on the verge of a breakdown
• You are dispensable in a job; and some managers will let you go if you aren’t a workaholic like them 

Remember, you are free to chose a job that fits your personal goals and health

Some people are workaholics

Some people can take on more stress than others - For instance, those recruited as marine commandos in military or a few managers in the corporate world like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk who tweets night and day in addition to designing EVs and rockets

Some business leaders are willing to sacrifice everything for a professional goal

• Be ready with a suitcase packed to travel 3-4 times a month
• Be ready for calls and meetings any time of the day or night

The rewards are tremendous – fast track promotions, making a EY or Big-5 Partner at 30, ESOPs and bonuses, bragging rights for parents etc etc

Narayana Murthy and Narendra Modi: Two unlikely examples of extremes in work-life balance in modern India?

 Towards the end of 2022 came two stories demonstrating distinct tradeoffs of work-life balance in modern India that make one reflect. Here is my video on the topic

The 76-year-old godfather of Indian outsourcing, Narayana Murthy, spoke about the time he devoted to building Infosys and how it came at the cost of spending quality time with his two children. In interviews, was quoted saying he was so dedicated to building the software services company that for years he would reach his office every morning at 6.20 am and work till 8 or 9 pm into the night. Mr Murthy was reflecting on the growth of the company and how it came at the cost of spending quality time with his two children.

Another story is that of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose mother passed away at 99 a few days ago. Immediately after attending to her funeral rites, Mr. Modi resumed his official duties.  A few hours after his mother’s cremation in Gandhinagar, PM Narendra Modi virtually flagged off a host of infrastructure projects, designed to galvanize West Bengal and Kolkata.

In my years in the corporate world, I have worked with scores of middle-managers and executives who have dedicated their lives to being “corporate men,” foregoing their personal commitments. Like Mr Narayana Murthy regrets in his sunset years, spending quality time with his children. They are driven to the extreme and don’t mind hopping on a plane at a day’s notice for the next bid or client project. They are willing to get on calls at 6AM or 9PM and just don’t let their personal life come in the way of their work commitments and more.

The fact is that leaders like Mr. Modi, Naranaya Murthy and the workaholic colleague are outliers.

Most of us are not. We rightfully strive to balance our work-life priorities. Quoting eastern philosophy, most of us strive to balance the Yin-Yang of life without getting into extremes.

Career advice: How did you succeed in a career in IT? What did it take to make it to a comfortable salary?

A recent online came to me asking me

How did you succeed in a career in IT? What did it take to make it to a comfortable salary?

My response follows 

The career in the dynamic world of global Information Technology (IT) has afforded me a comfortable living while earning in Rupees, Pounds, Euro, SFranks, C$ and US$.

My first job after I finished my masters in technology was in Bengaluru. My employer initially trained me as a MS windows developer and later in mainframe technologies. About 6 months after I joined, my manager asked me if I had a valid passport and if I would be willing to travel to England. Heck yeah! I thus found myself in the U.K. where I spent a couple of years.

From UK, I moved to the U.S for better opportunities. Along the way, I learnt new technologies, systems and processes, and got married. In my quest for the ‘American dream,’ my Permanent Residence (Green Card) application was approved. And along the way my wife and I naturalized as American Citizen, retaining our OCI status.

In 2003 when the Offshoring boom was taking off, I joined Infosys and spent the next decade working with a cross section of clients across geographies - in Canada, Europe and India. Based on my observations, I also wrote “Offshoring IT Services” published by McGraw Hill

While my family and I were comfortably settled in the U.S, we decided to move back to Bengaluru. My aging parents lived alone in Bangalore, and I got the dreaded phone call from my mother asking for help. Initially, I worked remotely for my employer and then switched jobs. This required revisiting my strengths and reviving my network in the local market.

Paraphrasing old adage, my career in the dynamic world of IT has allowed me to “join the Information Systems, and see the world.” Literally.

My career has given me an opportunity to live and work across dozen countries across three continents, and to visit scores more.