The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Techies combine thrift with enjoyment

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Saturday, Jul 19, 2008
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Kerala - Kochi

Techies combine thrift with enjoyment

S. Anandan

Most IT companies provide on-campus entertainment facilities for staff

Time for games: IT professionals performing at a corporate cultural festival.

KOCHI: Kochi can boast of its laidback waters, but the city’s burgeoning IT crowd is far from placid. They churn out smart work, and are no less prudent when it comes to thrift. A schedule that is topsy-turvy may have given them a lifestyle which is at odds with that of the outer world, but they are happy to earn enough to invest while learning at work.

“Projects are time-bound, but that doesn’t mean that the employees are under duress,” says Georgekutty John, 30, software head at Spectrum Softech Solutions. “On the contrary, they want their employees to be stress-free so that they work effectively.” No wonder, most companies provide on-campus facilities for entertainment besides catering for measures to enhance their physical and mental health. At Wipro Technologies, for instance, there is no hard and fast rule regarding working hours. Flexi-timing, in IT parlance. “On an average, one has to work for about nine-and-a-half hours a day, but the employee is at liberty to chill a bit in between which can be compensated by putting in a few extra hours later,” says Mr Prasanth R.O, a software professional in Wipro.

Simply put, they don’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. “Why should they, if they can keep it happier and healthier?” asks Mr. John. Most firms have everything from a hygienic cafeteria and a rest room to table tennis rooms and volleyball courts. “As the work schedule is unconventional, most IT professionals prefer partners from the same field,” says Mr. John. Some companies even offer crèche and other such facilities which help the employee concentrate on work hassle-free.

Their idea of entertainment outside campus may not be in keeping with that of Bangalore or Hyderabad, thanks to Kochi’s rather conventional hang-outs. But they do chill out post-working hours or on weekends. Mr. Sameer Mohammed Thahir, project engineer in Wipro Technologies and a typical IT professional, divides his free time between taking a stroll on the Cherai beach and exploring the labyrinthine alleys in Fort Kochi.

He also likes pursuing his personal interests. Not a movie buff, he keenly observes the stock market and makes judicious investments.

Further, like most of them, he doesn’t shy away from social responsibilities and contributes a share of his income to charity.

Ditto with Mr. Kurien Mathew, Linux administrator in Spectrum. “Since I started earning at a young age, I know the value of money and am aware of my social responsibility,” he says.

Mr. Mathew’s de-stress mantra is to hit the bed by 9.30 p.m.

On weekends, he meets up with old friends.

For IT professionals in the city, colleagues double up as friends. “But we meet our old friends and relatives on networking sites on the Internet,” sums up Mr. Sankesh C.S, programmer in Quest Innovative Solutions. Kochi’s bunch of young IT professionals doubtless has learnt to take the best out of the real and the virtual worlds.

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