Since I'll be helping with a factory in China, the COO thought it would be a good idea for me to spend 4-6 weeks in one of our factories that produces the active ingredients for Tylenol. When we talked on Friday, Bhaskar gave me one piece of advice "Try to mingle with the workers, if you treat them with respect, they'll help you a lot over the next month"
Not a problem, right? In banking, I chatted with everyone, admins, UPS guy, mailroom, baristas at Peets. Why would this be any different?
Mistake #1: The factory is an hour away, so the company arranges for a bus to take employees there...like the Google Shuttles in San Francisco minus wi-fi, leather and comfort. I wasn't given the option of taking the bus...so I showed up to work on Monday in my shiny Mercedes just as workers were getting off the bus. There was a lot of gawking especially since the plant manager was outside waiting for me.
Mistake #2: This is a pharamaceutical factory...not a corporate office. I didn't bother adjusting my clothes for the factory, nor can I since I only brought nice dress shirts to India. Tough to establish rapport with laborers who make $8/day as they stare at your Bruno Magli loafers and BOSS dress shirt.
Mistake #3: This one isn't my fault, the general manager kept on introducing me as a direct report to the M.D. (Indian term for CEO) This only made people a bit more cautious around me.
So what's the result? When I walk into a room, people stand up. Instead of eating in the cafeteria, everyone insists that my lunch be brought to my temporary office so I can eat in peace. I also can't leave my office without someone following me just in case I have a question. However, I must admit I thoroughly enjoy that two freshly cut mangos are brought to my office everyday at 3 without me asking.
People in our head office have told me that corporate life is different in India. You have to have a arms length approach with people because people are driven by authority here. It's a bit jarring but I guess I'll have to adjust.
On another note, I was told I need to learn chemistry last week. I didn't think much of it until yesterday when I realized I'm learning organic chemistry, not regular chemistry. The plant manager, who has a phD in some chemistry tried to cheer me up with this...
"Relax, chemical engineering is easy"
I wonder who is going to be more frustrated at the end of this...me or him.
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i wanna goto India!!!
ReplyDelete- sounds like Coming to America.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy learning about Grignard reactions, backside attack, stearic interactions, etc. You may be back in the US sooner than you think.
ReplyDeleteWhat's with the mangoes everywhere? :D
ReplyDeleteBruno Magli loafers??? Establishing a rapport with day laborers??? ...I mean I know I'm a hippie, but i goto law school in New York and I dont even know what Bruno Magli loafers are....
ReplyDeleteIf you went to a good law school and/or knew pop culture, you'd recall that O.J. Simpson wore Bruno Magli shoes the night Nicole Simpson was murdered.
ReplyDeleteVijay I like your blog posting (first blog for me to read). If you really wanted to fit in with the common man (which will never happen), you should have shown your hands to them and said the dead skin was from all the hard labor you have done.
ReplyDelete