May peace be granted to our beloved Nose..

Nose pricking is undoutedly one of the most annoying activity often practiced by various people whom we meet in our daily life. I was sitting in my desk when I noticed a senior personnel busily pricking his nose. I looked away. But sometimes I swap my saintly mind with the devilish one. So I thought of witnessing the whole episode. He was digging ang digging, bringing out debris from pre-historic times. Then he made a ball out of it and stared at it for few seconds. After that he placed it on his table and started kneading it with the backside side of a pencil. Next he threw the painstakingly kneaded ball into the floor. End of saga.

People generally become oblivion of surroundings when they start pricking their nose. Then time and place cease to hold importance of primary nature. I understand there must be some uneasiness inside their nose which drives them to do the sinful act. But there are some people for whom it is a mere habit. Whatever the reason may be, it definitely mars the personality of a person. However intelligent, good-looking a person may be, this very act creates negative impression in a moment. Not only this, random pricking might harm the inner walls of our nose which can lead to bleeding too.Sometimes I wonder whether this continuous habit can lead to permanent change in shape and size. :D

In this blog, I would like to share a link from the well-known website of Dr. Ben Kim. The link is on how to sleep better. It relates proper cleaning of nose with good sleep. I feel even if someone doesnot have sleep disorder can also go through this link to know the proper procedure of cleaning the nose. It might save them from getting caught unguarded.

The link is as follows: How to Sleep Better

If Parents’ call happen in Organizations…

Weird it may sound, but human imagination can be stirred then and now. Once in a while, momentary visit to Utopia may be tolerated.

“Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food and tyrannize their teachers.” What about BIG children? They contradict themselves, gobble their own words and tyrannize their employers. Well, not everyone.

To a parent, a child is a child forever… they try utmost to act like their parents but the change in designation is irreversible until reincarnation. That too is subject to approval by the omnipresent ‘Managing Director’. So we can derive a fact that parents will remain the supreme authority. Now the food for thought is...why not use this existing, free of remuneration resource to benefit organizations. Parents give lot of attention towards schooling, report cards, tuitions, homework etc. So if parents continue with their vigilance even in adulthood, is there any harm? Weekly parents’ meeting can be held to discuss agenda and course of action.

According to Experts, children may classified into 3 types: flexible, fearful and feisty. Parent of BIG flexible children can live their life in peace until and unless their manipulation level surges from subtle to obvious and the office becomes their ground for politics.

Fearful children are quiet and shy with adaptation problem. They are misinterpreted in an organization. Gossips will flow about them. Why? Because people fail to understand their nature. Some will think that they are dumb, spineless, or at the extreme, as crooked. Appraisal scores get affected. So it is better off not to be in this category. Company can entrust his or her parent the onus to change their kid. What can the parents do? Instead of sending maid to market, they can send their child to buy onions at a bargained price. Stop them from using any other means of transport other than boarding metro rail during the rush hours.  After few days, the child will belong to either flexible group or the feisty one. Atleast they will have a rock solid identity.

And now the feisty group. BIG children with traits of high level of aggression, nagging, whining, negative persistence etc.  In this case, “Parents must get across the idea that I love you always, but sometimes I do not love your behaviour”. Parents and organizations dwell in the same boat. They are empathetic to each other. They can together take a vow to end their tyranny. I feel parents of feisty BIG children can think of resorting to sainthood. That will save them from all the trouble.

It is difficult to identify each BIG kid this way. Their may be combinations which may be humane or hazardous. Whatever the personality may be, for some people certain basic habits do not seem to depart. For e.g. late coming. System can be made for putting late mark in the diary which will be regularly seen by parent and they can make their child stand at doorstep for the time equivalent to the time delayed for reaching office.  No urgency should be considered.

More e.g.s like toilet training. It is a very dissappointing and irritating job to put up notices. It can be forwarded as an ardent request. Organizations can say, “Parents, please make them do somersault if you want. Put a lock in the toilet. Do as you please. But please train them.”

Usage of office phones in such a way as if there is no concept of phone bill. Nothing can stop the regular delinquent. Parents can teach them a lesson by making all long distant calls from their kid’s phone and not contributing a single penny in the payment of bill.

Many more are there like keeping workplace clean, to eat during lunch breaks as health is wealth etc. Appraisal sheet should be signed by parents so that no employee can ever accuse of manipulation of scores.

This way management can shrug off few responsibilities…but what about the flip side? Parents will form “Parents Forum”. Management generally struggles with trade unions. Can they juggle Parents Union also?  Parental love is the strongest of all. Will management be able to meet all the dues of employees on time or afford to face the wrath of parents? I apologise for consuming time of readers. But do not blame me. I wrote in the beginning…weird it may sound. Isn’t?

One ounce of Practice

Few days back, I boarded a bus for my way back home from office. Since, the bus was moderately crowded, I could avoid the jostling but was unable to manage a seat for myself. Suddenly a lady in her 60’s started to murmur something in a tensed voice. On concentrating, I heard that she has boarded a wrong bus. At that point of time, my human empathy went to hibernation and I simply did not think even for a moment the kind of predicament that lady was facing then. My self-interested mind was roving round the thought of occupying the seat which she will immediately vacate. But fate has its own way. I could not manage to occupy her evacuated place. Saw the lady conversing with the bus conductor and found that both of us have the same destination and that she is not aware of this particular route. The crowd became thin and both of us got to sit beside each other.  In spite of the assurance given by the conductor, she was still very much nervous, anxiously gaping out of the rickety window unable to identify anything. Looking at her, I remembered my own terrible sense of road direction. I tried to reassure her and further added that I will accompany her till the last stop and will help her in boarding another bus or auto from that bus stand. She was so glad…relief..yes..that is what I saw in her eyes. She was going to visit her daughter. Throughout our journey, she kept telling me about her daughter, and so many things. In our next bus, I offered her my seat (see the quirk of fate!). Again she was so thankful. She ended up buying my fare and bidding me goodbye with full of blessings.

It looks like any regular incident in our life but we do sometimes fail to notice the significance of these apparently insignificant things. When we are good to others, we are best to ourselves. Whenever any work is done without any hope of personal gain, however tiny act it may be, it is bound to fill our heart with inner joy. This feel good factor is highly important as it ultimately leads to happiness and upliftment of a person in Karma-Kshestra (Field of Action). In yogic parlance, the deepest fulfillment through selfless act is called Karma Yoga.

In HR parlance, this too has a profound impact. In everyday life any kind gesture creates a deep impact. It creates wealth in our Emotional Bank Account (EMA). One of the major deposits in EMA is attending to little things. It is the step in building trust on a relationship. But this should be practiced with full honesty and not just to do it for the sake of any obligation. Initially it is not important to focus on the result. Focal point should rest on our acts which should be done without any fakeness. Gradually long term result will unfold itself in beautiful colors. Whenever any problem crops up, we should not feel agitated or tensed. We should look at these problems as golden opportunities to build up EMA. In maintaining Employee Relation, EMA plays a vital role. The emotional resources that we gather help us to save the Employee-Employer relationship and this prepares the groundwork for a healthy Organization.  To summarize I would refer to my title. As it goes..one ounce of practice..is better than tons of theory.

Missed call

Everyone possessing a mobile phone, at some point in their lifetime, must have received or are still receiving “missed call” messages flashing on their mobile screen. In response to these guest calls, I decide my course of action. Sometimes I revert back after weighing my balance or when I’m in an extravagant mood or after sensing urgency or to show courtesy and at other times I simply prefer to wait for another call from these missed calls.
I got my first cell in 2003. At that time giving missed call was a craze as call rates and sms-es were not so cheap. It was a way of showing friends that at this particular point of time (whether at 2 in the morning or during 2 minutes break while preparing for exam), I’m remembering you. If one did not answer back with another missed call, it used to annoy the call expectant a lot. Silly ego problems, foolish quarrels encompassing these missed calls were not uncommon.
The custom has not become extinct but its meaning has metamorphosed from a finer aspect to a rather practical and straight forward one. Now when I get a missed call (when I’m holding my cell and witnessing an ephemeral incident of call coming and vanishing with my own eyes. I will write later why I’m explaining this), it conveys a sweet message “I do not have balance, call me!”
The meaning of the phrase “missed call” is quite misleading. I guess it was programmed to specify calls which are not received by the recipient. But in regular usage, the meaning has changed to indicate those calls which are basically one or two rings and are not supposedly actual calls.
One real life e.g. will illustrate this confusion. I was unable to receive one call from a job applicant. His number with name flashed on my cell. Knowing the urgency I called him back. I started the conversation, “Yes Mr X…..I saw one missed call from your no..”
Mr X, “Madam, I did not give missed call. I called you.”
I said, “Yes, I understand you called me. My cell showed one missed call from your no.”
Mr X, “But I called you” (in desperation).
I said, “Yes, you called but I (putting more emphasis) missed to receive it.”
Now he understood. Many times I have faced this with my friends. If we pause to think it is funny actually. Any mobile phone programmer reading this? Can you please change the phrase “missed call”? Because we people love the misrepresented version and surely will continue using it..