Ramblings of a Recluse on Dharnas, Leaves and Bradford Score

 

So, what are the options that you have when you have put in four hours of work and feel sleepy? Especially when you see that your tea flask is empty and you get that sense of anxiety that comes before a storm? I eat my lunch.

When eating lunch only makes you drowsy, what are your options? I message ‘You-Know-Who’. So here is a brief extract of our conversation…

YKW – ‘One plan which we are considering is to sit on a dharna with residents in ________ office and create a ruckus with press people in tow. We will give ___________ notice on the Dharna and then do it. (Wow! I thought the thing with Dharnas is you take ‘them’ by surprise...you don’t give notice. This is YKW being a total gentleman. Clap Clap)

YT – (some thought process has happened in a few seconds) I am game for it...it sounds exciting! And fun! (Time stamp: 13:08)

YT -   Let it be on a holiday. (Time stamp: 13:08)

YKH – On a holiday, even they will not be there. It will be on a working day. Dharna volunteers can take turns to ensure that the place is overflowing with residents. We intend to take the press out into the township and also given them a tour of how _________ is fooling us. (Time stamp 13:09)

YT – Okay, this is a noble cause. (Time stamp 13:09)

YT – I will take off. (Time stamp 13:09)

YT – I can also give sound press bytes you know. (Time stamp 13:09)

To this last statement, YKH reacted with a laughing emoticon.

Dear reader, what do you conclude from this conversation?

A. We are planning to go on a Dharna.

B. In all humility, I can think and process things faster than YKW.

C. There could be some difficulty for me to take off for this Dharna. (I thought for one whole minute before deciding that the Dharna was a noble cause….)

I am sure many of my readers can relate to the third point. There are numerous reasons as to why employees might want to take off. And there are a few organisations who would like to keep tabs on why their employees are taking off. 😊

What do employees cite as reasons for taking off? For instance, this afternoon SB has an appointment with his orthodontist. He had his braces done about a month ago and she called up yesterday asking me to bring him in for a check-up. The call came out of the blue. Now, if I want to take off for half a day, do I write ‘Dentist appointment for my twin son who had his braces fitted on ________ 2022?' (I know some of my readers are already judging me on how I can forget my kids’ dental appointment… I do hope to convince you otherwise by the end of this article.)

Some readers might feel why I might hesitate in giving that as a reason. In a couple of weeks, SB and SR will be having an exposition in their school. In all probability, parents will be invited. I need about half a day off. What will I write as a reason? ‘Kids’ expo at school?’

The other day, my mother-in-law’s nurse did not turn up for work. She called me up to tell me that she was running late because her kid was running a fever. I quickly called up YKW who told me that he can return from his work by 1 pm. So, I needed half-a-day off so that I can be with my mother-in-law who cannot be left alone. What do I write in the leave form? ‘Need to be with my elderly mother-in-law for half a day?’

Last week, the twins celebrated their twelfth birthday. The poor kids didn’t want any gifts this time round. All they wanted was a birthday cake with the picture of a basketball on it. I did my bit in ordering the cake but had to go and pick it up. For which I needed half-a-day off. So, what do I write in my leave form? ‘Going to buy a basketball-themed birthday cake for my twins?’

Notwithstanding all these, I just wanted half-a-day off just to sit by myself and ruminate. I mean when you get to it, there are many things you would like to ponder about – the rising inflation, the depreciating rupee, the high cost of tomatoes, the reduced quantum of noodles in a family pack, cost of kids’ clothes and cost of kids’ education and of course, the lack of poetry in life. I, for one wanted to drown myself in the intrigue-filled world of Ponniyin Selvan. (Reader – You are already wondering why I can’t do it on a weekend. Ask the mothers of kids if they can!) So, what do I write as a reason? ‘Cognito Ergo Sum, so I want to take off for half-a-day?’

And then I realised, I was thinking in terms of ‘half-days’ because, honestly, I thought that was the time I needed to finish the job and get back to my work. But then, I remembered the Bradford score.   Without dwelling on the details (the devil is actually in the details), it suffices to say that the Bradford score in organisational management is more like Bata or Birkenstock playing mind games with you with prices like Rs.1299 and Rs.10,990. It was only when I got the bills that I realised that I was going to become poorer by Rs.1300 and Rs.11,000 respectively.Bradford factor is a classic case of ‘what’s good for Peter may not be good for Paul’. So, I leave it at that. 

One more pearl of wisdom I learnt along the way was that organisations are different and the onus is on us to either shape up or ship out. But why? George Orwell told us the reason long ago in that fantastic fable Animal Farm – there are always exceptions to the rules.

And in due time, I realised that the reasons I might cite might actually make my position vulnerable. What would prevent my line manager from declaring that I have too many responsibilities at home and am too much invested in ruminations?  By that yardstick, requesting leave for a Dharna is a stretch!

So, I thought for a while, what reason should I cite for the Dharna? Something that would not make my position vulnerable? Any help?  (I do want to sit on a Dharna… I’ve never been in one you see! 😊)