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Indian Working Ecosystem 2024: Ways to Avoid Burnout

By Sefton J Britto, Correspondent, Consultants Review Team Friday, 25 October 2024

As the landscape of work in India continues to evolve in 2024, the importance of mental health and well-being has taken center stage. The rise of remote work, increased connectivity, and a culture of always being “on” have led to alarming rates of burnout among employees. Recognizing this, it's crucial to explore how India's labor laws can be leveraged to prevent burnout and promote a healthier work environment. There is plenty of data to show that overwork and work-life imbalance is killing Indians. But in a country where jobs are at a premium, there is no switching off for those who have managed to keep a job.

Just coming up with a recent instance that could be about the demise of employees who overwork under the pressure at corporate offices. Anna Sebastian Periyal, a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young, one of the big Four in the accounting world. Her mother said Anna lost her life as she was forced to overwork. She had been working 14-hours shifts, seven days of the week, for four months since she joined E&Y.   

"Some sneer that Gen Z is simply unable to handle the work pressures that earlier generations took in stride. This attitude partly reflects the stigma still associated with mental-health issues, and leaves workers hesitant to seek help for fear of negative repercussions," writes diplomat-turned-politician Shashi Tharoor in Project Syndicate. 

Overwork isn't just an abstract idea, numerous leading international organizations have measured its impact and detailed how it affects millions of lives worldwide.  

"India respondents report the highest rates of burnout symptoms at 59%," according to a 2023 McKinsey Health Institute survey. At 62%, the highest workplace exhaustion was also reported in India.

Work and India share a colonial legacy. While Indians do appreciate leisure, in a nation that liberated itself from colonial rule, relentless work is often linked to the spirit of nation-building. 

Understanding Burnout 

Burnout has been mostly described through emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Not an individualistic matter, it reflects system failures in the organization. The issues that entail include overload, lack of control over their work, and adequate support to enable employees to conquer problems and deal with stress such kinds of pressures while working. The organizations pursue higher productivity, the risk of burnout heightens. Therefore, measures ought to be taken proactively premised on the aspect of labor laws.

Labor Laws and Employee Rights

India has implemented various aspects of its labor law that can be helpful in countering the burnout. Work hours regulation under the Factories Act and Shops and Establishment Act mandates that work hours must be controlled, with a typical limit of 48 hours a week. Organizations should not overstep these limits to avoid burnout, ensuring employees remain refreshed outside work hours.

Compulsory leave policies legally bind the state to provide a number of paid leaves, which serve the need for necessary breaks and promote mental well-being, preventing over-burnout.

Flexible work arrangements, such as hybrid work models, comply with labor laws that regulate flexible working hours, enabling workers to function from home while allowing companies to grant the freedom to manage time effectively, thereby reducing pressures from overwork and burnout for a more efficient workplace.

Health and safety regulations, mandated by the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, require a safe and healthy work environment; workplace safety policies should accompany efforts to address work stress and support mental health.

Lastly, while not mandatory, Employee Assistance Programs are an excellent resource for reducing burnout by providing workers access to mental health counseling and support services, and publicity for these services can encourage an open culture about mental health in the workplace.

Cultivating a Supportive Work Culture

Besides compliance to labor law, a positive working culture will also prevent burnout. Organizations should encourage open communication and create an atmosphere where workers feel free to comment on their workloads and their mental health. They have to check regularly with employees and feedback sessions can help identify stressors early and allow for interventions in good time. Leadership should preach work-life balance, as they go first; this means that the communication outside working hours be off-limits and everyone encouraged to go out and enjoy time off, thus building a well-being-valued culture. Other ways to influence workplace behavior is through training and development on stress management, time management, and resilience against any pressure at the workplace, which promotes the belief that the company values employees' welfare. For after all, continuous acknowledgment of employees' achievement will boost morale and neutralize feelings of inadequacy often brought by burnout when celebrating successes, no matter how small or large in nature, strengthens the sense of accomplishment.

As we try to navigate the maze-like complexities of the Indian working ecosystem in 2024, it becomes crucial that organizations uphold mental well-being through a deeper understanding of labor laws. Organizations should not only obey legal mandates but also extend beyond those obligatory requirements and consider aspects for greater employee well-being. In doing so, by building work cultures that will help open up the network of communication within employees, underlining prime importance towards work-life, the company can help dramatically reduce burnout risks. In this manner, they foster productivity while optimizing the health and engagement of an employee to succeed in this new world.

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