Time to detoxify the workplace

People who work in private companies rarely have recourse to exercise their rights, and many are not allowed to join unions. The HR wings of these firms usually serve the interests of the company’s board and rarely advocate for employee rights. Representation Pic

This morning, as I was taking off the label of a new pair of jeans my father-in-law bought for our toddler, I was secretly hoping not to read the words ‘Made in Bangladesh'. Not only was the pair made there, but a special accompanying label also extolled its ‘artisanal' quality as an explanation for its particularity. I saw the price tag: 35 Euros. I have my doubts if the artisan (most likely a woman) who made the piece earned that much in a week. It is a special kind of horrifying, retail shopping in Europe when you know the steep prices are premised on exploitation. There are countless stories recounting the toxicity of the working conditions of the people who make all these garments, either in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, China or Turkey. The whole fast fashion industry relies on the cheapness of their labour. It's turned me off shopping. I continue to recycle the clothes I brought with me when I arrived four years ago and buy second-hand as much as possible.

But this morning my rage on account of global inequality was further stoked because I was still processing the news about the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, an Ernst & Young employee, and the letter her mother, Anita Augustine wrote, chronicling the deterioration of her daughter's health after having joined the company. Augustine cited the overwhelming workload as an important contributing factor. I've been following some of the news coverage around it and I think it struck me as surprising that people are only talking about this now. This has been a problem long before I joined the workforce, but over the course of my working career, I have seen it worsen. I have witnessed up close how many of my peers and close friends have struggled with toxic work environments, where the hours are long, and the pay is simply not commensurate. People who work in private companies rarely have recourse to exercise their rights, and many are not allowed to join unions. The HR wings of these companies usually serve the interests of the company's board and rarely ever advocate for employee rights. Paid leave is minimal. Sick leave feels non-existent. And in general, the atmosphere is one of distrust. Add to this the fact that in most metropolitan areas, people spend even up to two hours a day only commuting to work. The workforce is too exhausted and busy to even realise that none of this can be considered a good quality of life. We neither see nor acknowledge the massive impact of stress on our health and in general, corporate culture rewards being constantly plugged into work, so there is really no switching off.

We have completely normalised such a toxic work culture that makes an individual subservient to the larger interests of the company. Many of us do not dare to argue for better pay or a healthier environment, because we are sure we are replaceable. Sadly, that is a fact. Most people in the workforce have people depending on them. They cannot just quit or put their foot down. There is a kind of precarity that affects us all. People have mortgages to pay, or student loans, or have sick parents or spouses or children to account for. Many of us go in with game plans and fear that quitting abruptly won't look good on our resume. We also need good reference letters from ex-bosses. Standing up for ourselves runs counter to that.

The only way out is through legislation. We need clear and coherent laws that stipulate the maximum number of hours a work week can encompass. In most European cities, this totals 40 hours in the private sector. When someone leaves work here, they check out in every way. They are no longer answerable. A boss cannot assume their employee will be available outside of those work hours. There is accountability, too. This is because the legislation exists and is enforced. Unfortunately, across what is known as the developing world, the surplus of labour has allowed people in charge to get away with various forms of modern-day slavery and the continuance of institutionalised forms of casteism within the workplace.

Could this be a catalytic moment for rural and urban India? Could this be the right time to lobby for better working conditions and for efficient legislation that can dismantle the toxicity and allow people to live their lives without feeling like they are owned by the companies for which they work? India has, since long, been staring at a mental and physical health crisis from work overwhelm, not to mention other factors that contribute to a low quality of life, such as air pollution and commuter woes. What could happen if we, en masse, decided to reject the normalisation of this toxicity and demanded legislative change?

Deliberating on the life and times of every woman, Rosalyn D'Mello is a reputable art critic and the author of A Handbook For My Lover. She tweets @RosaParx
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.