If my boss ever really wanted to find out what I think, he’d be very surprised by what I have to say. I’m not alone, either. Amongst my colleagues, there’s a growing sense of frustrations made worse by the ever-increasing sense of pressure that never seems to ease off. No wonder so many of the people I know, especially recent graduates, are choosing to bypass by the corporate sector and chance their luck with start-ups. Gone are the days when companies like Google or Amazon had a lustre and appeal. Increasingly nowadays they’re all seen from a techie’s perspective as all the same. Just different flavours of the same ice cream. Whether it’s vanilla, chocolate or strawberry it’s all just ice cream.
There are 2 factors at play here. On one hand, a talented techie with good skills, a knowledge of the latest software, especially in frontend skills or full stack, knows their value. Good people are in demand and we know are value. The constant stream of calls from head-hunters reminds us. Plus we can command a good salary hike if we jump to a new company.
On the other hand there’s a growing recognition between techies themselves that jumping from one corporate to another might bring a salary hike, but it doesn’t really make much difference. In terms of the things that matter. Like working in a place where your voice is heard, where your opinion counts. A place where you feel valued. This is what’s lacking in the MNCs today. And it’s the reason why many of us are choosing to throw ourselves into uncertainty. The risk is there, but so is the reward.
The real frustration that techies feel can more often than not be put at the feet of Indian bosses and the way they manage their teams. There seems to be a culture whereby bosses in India feel they can ignore, bypass or supress the views of the people actually doing the work. It’s like our opinion doesn’t matter, and this is not only bad for the teams, but it’s bad for organisations and the whole IT sector as a whole. The worst thing is, surely it’s an easy problem to fix.
Senior management never seem to listen to what teams at the root level think. They make things up to tell the client, and don’t seem interested in what we have to say. But by considering the inputs given from the teams, the leadership can help us to operate in a more efficient and ultimately satisfying way, and get better results for themselves at the same time.
If they would just reach out to us, speak to us more often, they’d become aware of the day-to-day problems and be able to take appropriate action. In short, they need to learn to trust the teams in India.
Nowadays good techies know we’re in demand. We know our value. We want jobs where we get the freedom to work on our own terms on the latest tech stack with good people to work with, and no politics – that’s what we want. If bosses are supportive and helpful then that’s great, but it seems to be the exception rather than the rule.
The tech landscape is changing fast, and with more and more tech entrepreneurs taking the lead and creating opportunities – these are the companies that will be the leaders of the future. Talent is jumping ship from the corporate sector and no amount of salary hike is going to stem this flow. The only thing that can help MNCs is if they change the hierarchical model to a newer, flatter workplace where techies can feel a real sense of accountability. Otherwise, the exodus will leave them behind.
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