Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Jobless at work?
|
When fate is kind and there’s not much work at office here’s what you can do to catch up with yourself
|
PHOTO: Shaju John
TAKE A BREAK Unwind over a cup of coffee
Corporate work culture these days, at least in our cities, gives one almost no time to call one’s own. While the 9 to 5 job has proven itself to be a myth, there have been rare instances when, somehow, something slips through the net. When fate
decides to get quirky on you, and you find yourself in a situation where you haven’t been allotted any work, and due to some miraculous resourcefulness you displayed in the preceding week, you neither have anything to follow up on. Which leaves you a couple of days with absolutely nothing to do in office. A ray of sunlight through the gloomy sky, you say? Well, let’s find out, shall we…
The jobless day at work gives you time to do those very things that you thought were out of bounds for the office-goer. Daydreaming, for instance. Who would have thought that staring emptily into space and getting lost in a train of thought could be so much fun? Once you’ve had a fill of that, you could try your hand at random gossip among colleagues, and you won’t be surprised if juicy office politics gives enough material for a television soap. You could try reading a book, but once your nose gets a whiff of the simmering gossip, no book can possibly be more addictive.
Agreed, the risk of being spotted by your superiors in these embarrassing situations are high, so it is suggested that you keep a notepad and pen handy to maintain the hard-at-work pretence. Your boss isn’t stupid – he probably knows you’re faking it, but sometimes things are better left unsaid.
When Microsoft decided to preload the Solitaire game into their ubiquitous software, they might not have second guessed the millions of wasted office hours they were going to be responsible for. The game has turned out to be a godsend for those looking to while away the hours, all the while appearing to be hard at work behind their computer screens. Although I would advise you to learn those handy keyboard shortcuts to switch screens in case you hear those all-too-familiar footsteps approaching. Wondering why I didn’t mention social networking sites? Well, most bosses these days have wised up to the phenomenon, and have actively blocked the websites from their servers. But hey, the more resourceful among us have discovered ways to unblock the codes and access them anyway – but let’s keep that information confidential, shall we?
The mobile phone has also been the regular culprit of inefficient work, their utility notwithstanding. It’s remarkable how much time can be spent in merely forwarding pointless messages and chatting with another soul who is caught in a similar situation as yourself. And now that phones come with every little knick-knack imaginable, you can also spend several minutes exchanging songs, photos and exploring your colleagues’ phones for all they are worth.
As the evening draws nearer, you would probably become a little more fidgety than usual, repeatedly glancing at your watch at regular intervals. Coffee breaks really do break the monotony. Whether it’s the tastefully decorated and hard-on-your-wallet coffee bar, or that rickety little kadai in the next street, nothing beats the tedium like a cup of hot coffee. On this day, you will invariably find yourself making far more than necessary trips to get your daily dose of caffeine, and if another batch of colleagues is going, you might as well accompany them – it is only common courtesy, you see.
But all the above notwithstanding, there will come a time when the lethargy really starts getting to you, and you will come to realise just how long the clock takes to strike 5. It is a prototypical example of the “too much of a good thing” concept.
In a weird sort of way, a jobless day in the office will only re-energise you to look forward to your next assignment with gusto. And you will learn yet another valuable lesson in life – no matter how tough it is to work hard, it is more difficult not to work at all.
FAIZAN HASEEB
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
