Mumbai: Monday mornings often carry a heavy weight, especially for salaried and general working class people. They rise early and navigate through the chaotic crowd to catch a train, spend the day at the office and return home in the evening, often with little time left for relaxation or enjoyment. The cycle repeats day after day, leaving little room for anything beyond the grind of work.
Many people feel that after years of education, studying for 13 to 15 years and landing a job that pays only a meagre salary feels like a scam. Adding more insult to injury is the expectation to give 100% in a pernicious work culture that often normalises late nights and overwork. As working conditions worsen, employees find themselves grappling with alienation and a sense of nihilism, as their efforts contribute to tasks that offer little real satisfaction.
In our digital age, social media has become a platform for venting frustrations about corporate life. Office memes and comments on these posts reveal a collective discontent, with many individuals sharing their experiences of challenging manager-worker relationships and the anxiety surrounding salary increments. The normalisation of poor working conditions elicits both laughter and anger, reflecting the heartbreak of doing mundane tasks that feel devoid of meaning.
The recent tragic case of Anna Sebastian Perayil, an employee at Ernst & Young, highlights the serious toll of work-related stress, raising important questions about workplace culture. Companies claiming to be the "best places to work" have faced scrutiny, as a Gallup report from 2024 found that only 14 per cent of surveyed Indian employees reported thriving in their roles, compared to 34 per cent globally. Employment conditions in India remain troubling, marked by stagnant wages, increasing self-employment among women, and a higher proportion of unpaid family labour among youth.
Marching Sheep founder Sonica Aron says, “Work related stress and burnout are a symptom and it’s time we address the root cause. High tolerance for toxic work culture, poor managerial capability, carewashing are issues that need to be addressed systematically. And these are issues not specific to any one industry or geography, they pervade the entire corporate culture. Companies forget that it is people who drive performance, productivity, innovation and growth, and not taking care of people is not an option.”
Sonica rightfully mentioned that identifying the root cause is a highly trivial aspect since topics such as these only highlights the problems, the data, statistics which is indeed pretty much important, but doesn't really emphasis on why such a situation is in the first place. In this article, we will explore the root causes of these dismal working conditions.
The push for better working environments seems logical, but it deludes us into thinking that companies genuinely care about their employees' well-being. In reality, the premature deaths of workers under harsh conditions can be seen as beneficial for corporations. If the capitalist society is truly rewarding for employees, the working class would not be facing the dire situations they currently endure.
From a materialist perspective, the production and reproduction of life are the ultimate determinants of history. Under capitalism, companies extract profit from this life until it no longer produces value. From the moment we enter this system, we face vulnerabilities related to housing, food and health. Without selling our labour, we risk falling into crises.
For instance, a factory owner can only profit if they pay labourers less than the true value of their work. The surplus value (extra money created by the workers/employees during their working hours) generated is retained by the owner, who reinvests it in the business to increase efficiency and further exploit workers. As a result, employees receive less than what is necessary for a decent quality of life, leading to exhaustion and health issues. This decline renders them less useful to their employers, who view them as replaceable resources.
A disturbing implication of this system is that the sooner a worker is unable to perform, the quicker they can be replaced. Companies show little interest in enhancing the lifespan or well-being of their employees, as this would require investing in their needs rather than maximising profits. Thus, the argument for better working conditions contradicts the very foundations of this system.
This is the reason why we are unable to witness any empathy shown by the companies when such unfortunate incidents happen. The case of Anna Sebastian Perayil at Ernst & Young is not an isolated incident; such tragedies are becoming increasingly common and is a global phenomenon. Even those who glorify "hustle culture" are often kept in a delusion that primarily benefits companies. In these critical times, workers should advocate for stricter labour laws to reduce working hours, form unions, and improve their overall conditions. It’s essential to challenge the exploitative dynamics at play and fight for a workplace that values human life and dignity over mere profit.
