N. Raghuraman's column: Workplace rules won't deter Gen-G from priorities

Mr-A does not make extra effort to respond to emails after 5 pm. Miss B doesn't worry about staying up late on work nights. Miss C sends a voice message to her boss that she won't be reachable when she goes to weeknight pickleball practice. Do not dismiss them as the children of a pampered generation or a rich father. All of them are at the beginning of their careers and need a job as well. But despite the slowing job market, they remain committed to work-life balance. Now don't dismiss it by saying, 'Oh, this must be happening somewhere in the developed world, not in India.' Here the managers treat us like sugarcane, which is put into the machine many times. Just like the manager offers tea and samosas in the office, lemon and ginger are added and crushed to remove the leftovers. After removing the last drop of blood, they are allowed to go home. If you're muttering that 'you're squeezed so much that you don't have the energy to do anything at home, what work-life balance should you talk about?' - So you're not Gen-G. Gen-G is changing the age-old office culture where office work was 'always on'. They are not just talking about the 'Right to Disconnect', but are also pressuring the government for a new bill that will protect private sector employees from 'after-work calls and emails'. And it's happening right under our noses. Wondering where? So read on. When we were growing up, we saw our parents dedicating themselves to work. Because he thought it was his commitment to 'cross the boat of the house'. We also followed in his footsteps and took the help of machines like grinders and washing machines to bring convenience to life. Yet we were consumed, perhaps a little slower than the previous generation. The job took many lives. We want a different kind of relationship with Gen-G work than we do with parents. Our absence from his school functions due to work has left a deep wound on his mind. I hear him say over and over again, 'Work is never going to set you free, so you have to free yourself from work.' As we work hard to prove ourselves indispensable in a weakening job market, young professionals don't fear losing their jobs because of the emphasis on work-life balance. Whenever we elders were surrounded by the fear of losing our jobs, we expended ourselves more. That's what our parents taught us. But Gen-G expects his manager to evaluate results more than the time he spends in the workplace. Kerala is going to introduce the 'Right to Disconnect Bill 2025'. The objective is to legally protect private sector employees from post-work demands. It can redefine the work-life balance. Indian labour laws were made for the industrial workforce. With more people now in the digital workforce, they felt that the old law had lagged behind the realities of the modern workplace. The bill includes proposals to monitor layoffs and cost-cuts, including abuse of office, check violations of working hours, curb post-work pressure and review of workplace monitoring. In the future, if your young employee is not seen near the laptop at 5 pm or after working hours, do not look for them and ask for any explanation. I can assure you that they won't. The trick is that in the coming days, Gen-G won't let employers glorify being busy, but will want them to appreciate their work. This mindset will open the door for them to create a work-life balance.