Rocking in the Free World

In case you weren’t yet aware, the recession has hit the IT industry.

Pretty badly.

Forget all the sugar-coating fundaes that Dr.Manmohan Singh has given us about how things are bad but will get better. If global trends are any indication, lay-offs will, like every other trend perpetuated by our western civilizations, hit Indian shores sooner than you think.

Question is, are we equipped to deal with it, with panache, with courage, and most importantly, with dignity like most seasoned laid-off people have done so?

In our country, a pink slip hasn’t yet reached the levels of acceptability that it ought to, considering we’re used to dollar equivalent salaries, tech infrastructure and benefits like the original silicon valley inhabitants. It is considered as a blemish on one’s record to have been laid off from a job, even though the employee might just have been caught inadvertently in the middle of an organizational restructuring plan.

Take for instance the case of the twenty four thousand people who will be searching for new jobs once Hewlett-Packard completes its merger with EDS, out of whom, some might be from our country, and might not take too well to this move, as compared to their counterparts abroad. However, since they plan to implement the merger in a phased out manner, most employees might be given enough time to desert the mothership.

However, employees of Xerox, Dell, Yahoo and eBay haven’t been as lucky. The axe is falling, and as Rajiv Gandhi said in 1984 in a completely different context altogether which we can extend to this present situation, “When a giant tree falls, the earth below shakes“.

We are but hapless ants, scurrying around, foraging for the best available deal, and if we’re caught under the tree as it lands on us with a resounding thump, such is life.

I don’t know if you know how it feels to be an Indian in the tech industry, and enjoy the somewhat uncomplimentary feeling of not being laid off that easily due to the relatively low cost incurred by the organization employing my services through my parent company, but once again, this time in the greater scheme of things, being a cheap fellow has its distinct advantages.

When I was in Seattle earlier this year, I had a few serious discussions, off the record, with people in the company that I was sent to,where I was to undertake the particular project I was working on until last month, and their views on being laid-off weren’t even remotely as vehement as I’d expected them to be.

In fact, just like we Bangaloreans are used to motorists coming at us with their high-beam lights flashing in our eyes, blinding us out, on the wrong side of the road no less, the Americans in their tech industry are used to being laid-off. Of course, such scenarios are unpleasant, but one has to, apparently, learn to live with them.

I percieved some sort of hostility from some people there, who weren’t entirely happy about the brown people invasion, and understandably so. However, I must admire those who were somewhat hostile for their professionalism and committment towards getting the job done. However, on the other hand, there were those who were extremely chilled-out and were good enough to hang out with, during the evenings.

From what I was told, these lay-offs are seen as an opportunity for getting one’s house in order, learn new stuff, take time to chill out and then regroup in order to renew their assault on the job market once it becomes more conducive for employment. The severance packages aren’t that bad either apparently.

But all this is hearsay, unfortunately. It does not, in anyway, make me feel less guilty about being indirectly responsible for someone losing his/her job just because I am willing to bust my ass off for that extra bit of time, and I come at one-fourth the price that the other person commands.

Sure, this makes business sense, and if one is to examine the entire scenario with the typical cold-blooded outlook of someone interested in making a profit, this is probably the best move that one can think of. But sometimes, just ever so often, I’m slightly unsure of how responsible I am, for someone else’s life being miserable, and the thought that I might be accumulating some negative Karma in the process is disconcerting.

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Disclaimer: Although I have been a part of the Indian IT industry for four and a half years and counting, I must strongly reiterate that this entire post, minus the facts (that are common knowledge and can be googled for authenticity) expresses my opinion only, and is in no way related to the opinions, thoughts and actions of my friends, or my colleagues in the organization that currently employs me.

PS: It would be extremely ironic if I did get laid off, after this post. I’m hoping that doesn’t happen. I need money to sustain my hobbies and buy new stuff for my cycle.