Hello, I joined a startup IT company 6 months ago. Currently, I am working as a web developer. There are 2 developers and 3 designers in our company. Recently, the workload has increased tremendously, and our boss is forcing us to work the whole night without any overtime allowance. On average, I spend 13-15 hours a day in the office. I'm feeling sick and stressed out. When I explained this situation to my boss, he says that doing hard work is good for my career growth. However, I'm currently paid below the industry average. How do I overcome this situation? We currently do not have any HR or management team; our CEO himself is our boss who manages us.
From India, Mumbai
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1From India, Mumbai
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Dear friend, What is happening in your company is common to almost all IT companies. Unreasonable extended working hours are the upshot of economic liberalization that started in 1991. Today, it has almost become a norm. Since the IT industry brings in a good amount of foreign exchange, central or state governments simply turn a blind eye to the unlawful activities of modern entrepreneurs.
History has an uncanny habit of repeating itself. What is happening today in India's IT industry is exactly the same as what was happening 200 years ago in Europe. It is a perfect case of "exploitation" that Karl Marx propounded in his theory of communism. To alleviate the woes of IT professionals, they may need to wait for Karl Marx. While he gave voice to the persecution of the labor class, communism brought about sufferings of another kind. This is a different matter altogether.
Choices for Addressing Long Working Hours
So, what are the choices for you? Let us list them out. These are as below:
- Just do nothing and accept long working hours as a fait accompli of the job or career itself.
- Talk to the MD and emphasize the importance of hiring temporary workers.
- Start looking for a new job.
- Collectively, and not individually, approach the labor officer of your area and file a complaint about excessively long working hours. However, to file a complaint, you need to have attendance records that provide proof of your long working hours.
All the best!
Regards,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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History has an uncanny habit of repeating itself. What is happening today in India's IT industry is exactly the same as what was happening 200 years ago in Europe. It is a perfect case of "exploitation" that Karl Marx propounded in his theory of communism. To alleviate the woes of IT professionals, they may need to wait for Karl Marx. While he gave voice to the persecution of the labor class, communism brought about sufferings of another kind. This is a different matter altogether.
Choices for Addressing Long Working Hours
So, what are the choices for you? Let us list them out. These are as below:
- Just do nothing and accept long working hours as a fait accompli of the job or career itself.
- Talk to the MD and emphasize the importance of hiring temporary workers.
- Start looking for a new job.
- Collectively, and not individually, approach the labor officer of your area and file a complaint about excessively long working hours. However, to file a complaint, you need to have attendance records that provide proof of your long working hours.
All the best!
Regards,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
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