An office set-up, say the HR dept.; whereby some guests from outside have come for some liaison purpose. The cabin of the HR head is where the guests are seated. Outside the cabin are seated 6 subordinates [ranking executives], 1 computer operator and 1 project trainee. There are 2 peons allotted to the dept. however both of them aren't available in the vicinity since have gone for xerox and dispatching mail.
Water bottles aren't kept in the cabins, but rather in a closet at the corner of the room; where the peon keeps all the material for serving purpose, and prepares tea and all. So the cutlery too is placed there, as well as jug of water and glasses. Anybody wants water, calls out to the peon who carried glasses in trays.
Now when no peon is around to serve anything, one of the guests gets thirsty. And the HR head asks one of the subordinates to get water inside.
The structure and hierarchy of boss-subordinate and peons levels are so strong, that certain type of work is said to be allotted; and somebody else cannot do the job or is considered below dignity!
In this case what can be done? Let the subordinate executive bring water / or ask the computer operator [since he's in the lowest bracket of designations] / or wait for the peon to return and let the guest go thirsty till then?
Please provide with explanation why you chose the option!
Akanksha
HR Vigilance
From India, Bangalore
Water bottles aren't kept in the cabins, but rather in a closet at the corner of the room; where the peon keeps all the material for serving purpose, and prepares tea and all. So the cutlery too is placed there, as well as jug of water and glasses. Anybody wants water, calls out to the peon who carried glasses in trays.
Now when no peon is around to serve anything, one of the guests gets thirsty. And the HR head asks one of the subordinates to get water inside.
The structure and hierarchy of boss-subordinate and peons levels are so strong, that certain type of work is said to be allotted; and somebody else cannot do the job or is considered below dignity!
In this case what can be done? Let the subordinate executive bring water / or ask the computer operator [since he's in the lowest bracket of designations] / or wait for the peon to return and let the guest go thirsty till then?
Please provide with explanation why you chose the option!
Akanksha
HR Vigilance
From India, Bangalore
Just start keeping a tray with 3-4 glasses of water in the cabin. Much ado about nothing...
From India, Mumbai
5From India, Mumbai
Thanks indeed Shikha that's pretty much an obvious answer, but some organizations follow their own whims and fancies, so i was just looking around for the kind of answers people come up with.
There's a part 2 to the caselet, something much opposite to what rsk11584 / K.Ravi described. Well the computer operator was asked to take water for the guests. Surprisingly it created quiet a furor, and invited a wrath from the other executives stating that the Computer Operator shouldn't have gone. Rather we should have waited for the peon to arrive [that's another matter the peon came after 30 mins]!
So now after describing the whole situation....quite a paradigm shift has happened...how do we analyse the situation...about breaking the hierarchy...about talking about equity on one hand, and on the other still holding on to the hierarchical bounds....how do we break of it...and make the orgn more flat atleast in some jobs/tasks. Something as little as serving water shouldn't become a water cooler moment!
From India, Bangalore
There's a part 2 to the caselet, something much opposite to what rsk11584 / K.Ravi described. Well the computer operator was asked to take water for the guests. Surprisingly it created quiet a furor, and invited a wrath from the other executives stating that the Computer Operator shouldn't have gone. Rather we should have waited for the peon to arrive [that's another matter the peon came after 30 mins]!
So now after describing the whole situation....quite a paradigm shift has happened...how do we analyse the situation...about breaking the hierarchy...about talking about equity on one hand, and on the other still holding on to the hierarchical bounds....how do we break of it...and make the orgn more flat atleast in some jobs/tasks. Something as little as serving water shouldn't become a water cooler moment!
From India, Bangalore
Dear Akanksha,
This is the problem of heirarchical demarcation. I for one (having worked abroad for over 40 years) would not have bothered if my boss had requested me to serve the 'guests', that's what the visitors are. Soon people change their attitude the better. What would we do, if the house-help was not there and the guests had to be served a drink? Would we not serve it ourselves? If I were the boss and felt that there was a hierarchy, would have got up and gone and fetched the water myself and set an example for others.
Have a nice day
Simhan
A retired academic in uK
"It is never too late to learn or improve oneself"
From United Kingdom
This is the problem of heirarchical demarcation. I for one (having worked abroad for over 40 years) would not have bothered if my boss had requested me to serve the 'guests', that's what the visitors are. Soon people change their attitude the better. What would we do, if the house-help was not there and the guests had to be served a drink? Would we not serve it ourselves? If I were the boss and felt that there was a hierarchy, would have got up and gone and fetched the water myself and set an example for others.
Have a nice day
Simhan
A retired academic in uK
"It is never too late to learn or improve oneself"
From United Kingdom
Self service and vending machine will be best option in this case. Serving guest is not matter of dignity is matter of curtsey.
People must take this as humaniterian angle instead of formal approach. Not serving guest is bad manners and people who are stubern with hierarchy are not fit to become employee if they do not exhibit good manners whatever position he enjoy in the company.
Regards
Partho
From Saudi Arabia
People must take this as humaniterian angle instead of formal approach. Not serving guest is bad manners and people who are stubern with hierarchy are not fit to become employee if they do not exhibit good manners whatever position he enjoy in the company.
Regards
Partho
From Saudi Arabia
Little bit agreey with parthasarthi..........
the culture should be ............
1. peon should serve water to all middle level and top level if firm is of mideum size.
2. if firm is big than peon should serve to only top magt.
3. Self Service and vending machine should be there.
4. if any guest comes than peon should be called for serving water.
5. and there should be 1 water bottle in top mgmt. cabin with glass of water or tray of glasses full of water.
6.if it get empted than it would be peon responsibility to check the availability of water in cabins.
7.if any guest come for enquiry or candidate for interview.than we can ask gently to follow self service policy .
From India, Delhi
the culture should be ............
1. peon should serve water to all middle level and top level if firm is of mideum size.
2. if firm is big than peon should serve to only top magt.
3. Self Service and vending machine should be there.
4. if any guest comes than peon should be called for serving water.
5. and there should be 1 water bottle in top mgmt. cabin with glass of water or tray of glasses full of water.
6.if it get empted than it would be peon responsibility to check the availability of water in cabins.
7.if any guest come for enquiry or candidate for interview.than we can ask gently to follow self service policy .
From India, Delhi
I tried being in the scene and as a person who is asked to serve water.
What I would do is - (a part of what Shika says). Pull the tray, place a few drinking glasses on it. Keep the jug seperate, and arrange all this on a tray and ask the guests to feel free to help themselves :-) On the whole - I would just pull a table in front of them.!!with all the things on top of it.
If you are asking on how to make the Org more flat with certain tasks - it must flow from the top!
I may feel bad to serve water for the guests, but if I one day happen to see my boss doing it with no hesitation - then I might as well learn that from him.
From India, Madras
What I would do is - (a part of what Shika says). Pull the tray, place a few drinking glasses on it. Keep the jug seperate, and arrange all this on a tray and ask the guests to feel free to help themselves :-) On the whole - I would just pull a table in front of them.!!with all the things on top of it.
If you are asking on how to make the Org more flat with certain tasks - it must flow from the top!
I may feel bad to serve water for the guests, but if I one day happen to see my boss doing it with no hesitation - then I might as well learn that from him.
From India, Madras
Acting like human being could solve this case. But it has to be in company’s culture
From India, Coimbatore
From India, Coimbatore
In my post above I had said "If I were the boss and felt that there was a hierarchy, would have got up and gone and fetched the water myself and set an example for others." That was by taking a cue from what my boss did in Philips Electrical once.
A vistor from the Group HQ was expected in the department for inspection. My boss, instead of asking the techincian or an engineer to tidy the place and clean, said aloud "please give me a duster, I will tidy the place before XXX comes at 11am". Immediately the technicians and the engineers said "Neil, you do not need to do that. We will tidy the place". What a lesson I learnt that day about the dignity of labour. Of course, that was in UK and not India, where we expect the peon to do things for us.
Have a nice day
Simhan
A retired academic in uK
"It is never too late to learn or improve oneself"
From United Kingdom
A vistor from the Group HQ was expected in the department for inspection. My boss, instead of asking the techincian or an engineer to tidy the place and clean, said aloud "please give me a duster, I will tidy the place before XXX comes at 11am". Immediately the technicians and the engineers said "Neil, you do not need to do that. We will tidy the place". What a lesson I learnt that day about the dignity of labour. Of course, that was in UK and not India, where we expect the peon to do things for us.
Have a nice day
Simhan
A retired academic in uK
"It is never too late to learn or improve oneself"
From United Kingdom
Hi,
I suggest you to keep water bottles for each and every one. This will help in avoiding future disputes.
Secondly if your boss is really a gentleman he shoud have not mind to get up to take glass of water for himself and as well as for guest. There is nothing bad in serving glass of water or cup of coffee to your colleague or visitiors. Only thing is people working there should be mature enough to understand the things. Instead of saying it low level work you should be confident enough saying that you have done something nice.
In most of the MNC companies nowadays there is no office boys they do there work by themselves. It depends how you or some one else takes the things, if you think in negative manner you will feel that you have done something very low class job.
Regards,
Preeti
From India, Mumbai
I suggest you to keep water bottles for each and every one. This will help in avoiding future disputes.
Secondly if your boss is really a gentleman he shoud have not mind to get up to take glass of water for himself and as well as for guest. There is nothing bad in serving glass of water or cup of coffee to your colleague or visitiors. Only thing is people working there should be mature enough to understand the things. Instead of saying it low level work you should be confident enough saying that you have done something nice.
In most of the MNC companies nowadays there is no office boys they do there work by themselves. It depends how you or some one else takes the things, if you think in negative manner you will feel that you have done something very low class job.
Regards,
Preeti
From India, Mumbai
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