Work woes

The leader of the Federation of German Unions (DGB) Michael Sommer is mighty pissed. This trend ''has to be reversed'', he says. This causes a drop in the quality of life and poses a threat to health and well-being. What's he talking about?

In an European Union-commissioned study conducted by the Dublin-based thinktank European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, it was established that Germans work on an average much more than most of their counterparts in the remaining 26 EU countries. With the weekly work hours in Germany amounting to 41.1, its way up at the higher end of the spectrum, preceded only by Bulgaria with 41.7 hours, Great Britain with 41.4 hours and Czechoslowakia with 41.2 hours a week. On the lazier end of the spectrum are France (37.7), Italien (38.4) and Denmark (38.6)

So here's the verdict ''Germans work too long''. Now, I did the math, and 41.1 hours in a week of 5 days works out to a litte over 8 hours a day. When I first heard this when I started work here, I was astounded. It felt like something short of a luxury for me, having worked as many as 12-14 hours a day, and having had just one day off in the week (and not even on the weekend). It just hit me how this is viewed back in India. I know people who work even 16-18 hours a day, sometimes even on their holidays. Back home, its taken for granted, considered inevitable, unavoidable and completely NORMAL. When I needed to ask for leave, I had to think a thousand times to make sure I could find the reason that would seem concrete, believable and ''urgent'' enough to merit a vacation. So it had to be a wedding, a funeral, a family emergency, or something on those lines. The first reaction to a request for leave would be met with raised eyebrows and the question 'Is it very important? Can it wait?''.

Out here, vacation is sacred. You could be the Chancellor of the country, a private businessman or a nose-to-the-grindstone journalist, you are entitled to your scheduled amount of days off in a year, and noone is going to interrogate you. Having enough time for your family and your personal life is considered very important. Its a contractual obligation of every employer to give you your due. Of course, I had a contract at my workplace in India too, but like many other things, that piece of paper, was just, well, a piece of paper. So more often than not, a truly successful career person has to sacrifice most of his private life so much so that her entire life revolves around her job.

But then on the other hand, this also means Indians are far more diligent and hardworking than their Western counterparts, which is why it is a lucrative hunting ground for employers in the West wanting to get work done, and done fast and well. But my only wish would be a little more respect for the life of the individual worker, and for his needs for a personal life.