Congratulations on your new job and home coming to India!
Welcome back. Times have changed and the economic landscape of India has shifted since the first few years in the 90s. Culture and lifestyle would influence your stay with your family in India to a greatest extent.
Over the last two decades Indians settled abroad, initiated Bollywood clubs, celebrated Dussera with Dandiya concerts and engaged in conducting Carnatic music and yoga classes as an aftermath of Brain Drain. Now, we have already started to experience the after effects of reverse brain drain. Gated communities, international schools, mall culture and celebration of mother’s day are some trends that Indians imported to their country with years of international exposure. Having identified these traces, is it enough for you to pack your bags and move back to India? Is it as simple as it was when you went to a foreign country to establish your career? The answer may be no.
You may face some shocking, interesting and annoying instances, which could be joyous, funny and adventurous with a little bit of acceptance.
You should factor traffic time and not travel time. Leave early to work. You should be doing this because it gives a chance to beat the traffic. Traffic jams could be painful at times but with technology it becomes the most productive time slot. Use the traffic time to answer quick emails and cuddle your iPad or Kindle breezing through fantasies, news updates and self help tips.
Do you find Starbucks? Do you want to schedule a meeting in a coffee shop. Indians call this CCD which is the acronym of Cafe Coffee Day. A popular and successful chain of coffee shops mushroomed across cities, towns and highways in India.
Did you hear someone say “I have to be at work on a Saturday”? Yes, a reasonable number of private and government offices are open and fully functional on Saturdays too. Don’t be surprised if a client, vendor or associate schedules a meeting on a Saturday.
Domestic help and assistance is a must. Don’t hesitate to hire domestic helpers, cooks and drivers. Indian employment has a vast spread. People make a great living out of these professions and you receive assistance for a smooth lifestyle.
India is colourful. Your HR manager or boss will send a list of holidays spread across the year. People celebrate many festivals all round the year in smaller bits than relaxing over longer vacations. Be prepared for holidays in bits and pieces.
Larger families and their involvement in your job. Though you have been used to small and nuclear families, be prepared to meet a lot of people over weekends. Companies have also recognized this cultural strand and have designed events for employees which involve their families too. Companies encourage involvement of employee families. You will find the same at your child’s school.
There are a lot more to share, but we do not want to give it all away. An element of surprise adds more excitement and thrill all through your move and stay. This exercise of understanding the cultural shift would have preceded with career planning and evolution. Having been a part of such phase, you may enjoy learning What stops people from changing careers and the recruiter’s role?
No comments:
Post a Comment