Enough is Enough...

Bruce Wills says in Die Hard 4.0 -- "Why I am doing this, because no one else will. If anyone else can do it, I would be happy to give it up". This is the reason why I am making a documented effort. 

For the first time in my seven years of working in my company, I have to say, "I had enough of it". Someone should stand up and say to our MD, this is just making 'my company' is a good enough place to work, but doesn't have the best of environment/management. The number of ground level problems have been so many and the resolution so few. Why common sense can't prevail in so many of these scenarios? Why every time a developer effort has to be spent to solve management issue? Why at the end of every question raise, I am left with the feeling, "why in the hell I raise it in the first place". We are sooner or later gonna turn into a Indian Govt. organization where Dinosaurs are ruling, who have no imagination or anything. Extinction isn't far away my friend.

Few things I would like to say before I begin about this extreme desire to vent my frustration. 

• People who know me will definitely understand the company I work in. Please again use your common sense to talk about this or comment about it. 
• This is not about the work we do. I am extremely happy for the opportunities I am getting and my manager has over the years have acknowledge it.
• This is an 'Emotion' response. If someone is here to bind logic, please use your own common sense to judge for all these problems because if you don't have that, ideally you are the same group, against whom I am sharing this frustration.
• I can't at any cost take name of my company, because it can than be taken up as propaganda. I have been in this company for seven years and will always propose my company to other friends, so I have no hidden agenda here. 
• The reason why this has to be documented, because until it is in my system, I will remain angry about the whole 'thing'. And this 'anger' or at times sense of desperation will cloud my judgement to appreciate the good things which come along. 
• My fellow colleagues have reached that plastic state where they are living with these problems. They don't want to fix the broken system; The don't want to give feedback; They can complain as much in-person, but can't grow enough balls to send an e-mail to management about the pathetic state of affairs; and feedback always have fallen on deaf years. Still I will scream till my last breath in this company.

Immediate Cause: The bus service + food provided by the company for a recently organized event & for first time taking my own transport during team outing (w/ family)

Long Term Causes: 

1. Damage to my car while following one of company's 'Dinosaurs' process
2. Discussion for keeping the air conditioning on after 6 pm in office
3. Discussion for improving the transport system of the company on team outings.
4. Mosquitoes in the building because we like a jungle like aesthetics inside the building

Our history teacher at school used to say, "...for both the world war which has happened, there are immediate cause and long term causes..." and from there I realized for every reaction there has to be the two 'causes' namely the immediate one, which triggers the 'final-nail-in-the-coffin' and long term, which builds up the whole issue.

Let us start with the immediate cause - Today was for the first time we had team outing where I used my own transport. Total time taken on road = 3 hrs, total distant covert = 100 kms approx. But at the end of day I felt, the pain in the legs driving in Bangalore traffic is far-far less then the pain generally in head and body by using the company provided transport. We didn't get the company transport, because we planned it with our family. Now compare it with the function which was organized by the company last week and because it was a mandatory event, I used the company provided shuttle for the transport. Here is the list of events which happened:

• Company provides all routes which different buses will take.
• Company asks all employees to register for bus service to understand the logistics and specify the pickup point explicitly. 
• Company asks employees to be on stop 5 mins before pickup time.
• Morning pick-up time is 6:57 am from my stop. I am here by mistake at 6:30 am. 
• The crowd of  30 odd people builds up around 6:45-6:50 am
• First bus (route 43) is a bus which can't hold capacity of 30; was already full; arrives more than 5 mins late. Around 7:20 am
• Calling the helpline provided, one single formulated answer 'We have enough bus, it will reach you'.
• Another 52 seater comes around 7:30 am. Considering I should have been on stop around 6:52 am, around 38 mins late. 
• The bus gets full and we don't pick up anyone on the way (God only knows what happened to people after our stop!!!)

Sadly things doesn't end here... We had to return too right in the same transport. These are the list of events happening in the evening:

• According to the known information (here I might be wrong), we were supposed to leave for home at 9:30pm. We didn't till 10pm.
• We were coming from Tumkur Road to Marthahalli to Kundhanhalli. First person who got down of our bus was at Total Mall on outer ring road. 
• I was mostly sleepy in the bus, but when I woke up, I saw my college road and we were near IISC. I was like "Why the bus driver going this way?"
• Then I saw 'Sanky Tank', then I saw Cauvery Theater junction and then the driver turns towards Palace Ground and finally I got restless and asking some colleague to talk to driver in local language.
• Finally when the driver crossed Hebbel and we were about to get on the Elevated Highway, someone knocked some sense into him and we took a long U-turn heading back on to outer ring road. 
• If anyone can understand the Bangalore roads, they will know we wasted lot of time. In the morning and now in the night, just because my company can't handle travel basically.
• Finally, I dosed off only to think we are on the right way. But then another bus/truck/lorey hit our bus and knocked off the side mirror, I woke up worried, now an employee is injured too. Thank to which ever God who was watching over us, no one got injured. I stepped out of my bus around 11:40 pm. 

Food!!! OMG! Can there be a bigger fish market than this. Hot, chaotic and at times no-food. Again bullet points to cover them all:

• No spoons; if spoons are available no plates
• No food at most of the counters. If something is available, something else isn't. 
• Lunch I never saw 'chapati' -- Every one I guess at rice. Boring sessions (personal opinion), then rice which cause more sleep. 
• Dinner lesser chaos. 
• Food quality was even pathetic than what we get in office and that is saying something. 

I have attended in past other events by my company and every time I have gone to the delegates sections to have the food. This time sadly being the new place had no idea where that was. Warning: if you are an employee of my company, please either become delegate or don't come to the event. 

The next point I am talking has actually made me change my behavior about the company assists which they have given to the employees. It is more or less a closed discussion from the Management point of view. They have silently washed away their hand with the problem and only silver light I can say is the HR who has been supportive towards my cause. We have an XYZ policy which required company security guard touching my car which I used to commute. Because of the XYZ policy, some part of my car got damages because the security guard didn't do his task properly. The management says 'We are not asking you to come by car, so we are not responsible for it'. The person who said this, when he said that, looked exactly like the insurance guys when we expect some claim to be settled and they want to wash their hands by finding fault/loop-hole in the situation. He also said that personally I feel XYZ policy should be scrapped, but it is being done for a long time and we have to check with everyone around. This is a classic example of Indian Parliament where they just talk and nothing is done to fix common-man problems. My HR at least called up from US and discussed over the phone and requested some time to discuss with the security guy. Let see if ever I hear anything related to this...

Other points:

1. I have stopped staying beyond 6. There are big mosquitoes and irrespective of what actions company takes, somehow the remain bugs are always attracted towards my blood. I have seen friends having malaria and I don't want to go through it.
2. It gets unbelievable hot after 6 in office. So much so that it is suffocating. I have got a personal fan, but due to shortage of fans in company, it is horrible sweaty environment. 
3. The coffee vending machine, the coke machine everything is shutdown at 5:30 pm. So get your own caffeine if planning to work post that along with of course the office mosquitoes. 
4. Cab drivers in office... for me this point is closed more or less. Until someone will die due to the rash behavior of facility in our company 'No' one will wake up. I know this will happen one day, while I hope it never happens, it will and my heart knows this will. 
• Why it is close - Previously said, I felt much better driving on my own now.
• What is bad about it - talking on mobile while driving, driving fast (had to hold on to seat belt when being dropped to airport).
• Why not complain about it - Does it help? Here even I am in plastic state. They come, they go, cab drivers still remain the same. Employee should be given the power to say to the driver, 'if you do this thing wrong one more time, I will report now'. No money paid if any complain comes. 

For my colleagues, something will happen. I will from now on come in my own car. If at any point of time someone will ask me to drop, I will politely refuse it. Because I never got support in getting another feedback, another voice and this includes even female employees too. It would be hard to explain it to them why, but for all past, present and future teammates of mine, extremely sorry, but I had to make a stand and this is just the beginning.