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In the women led organisation where she works, Pavithra Krishnaswamy speaks of a new, evolved perception of work-life harmony, built on workplace safety and employee wellness.
This World Day for Safety and Health at Work, Pavithra Krishnaswamy, a marketing professional, and a part-time musician with a conscious way of living (think minimalism, veganism, and preference for pre-loved goods) shares her thoughts from an employee’s perpsective.
As a Partnerships & Product Marketing associate at Vue.ai, (a premium Artificial Intelligence firm that specializes in intelligent retail automation), which is also a woman-led organization, Pavithra represents a new, evolved perception of work-life harmony, which is built on the pillars of occupational safety and employee wellness.
Also, Pavithra Krishnaswamy and her friend/ bandmate Goutham (who works with Teach for India), have been initiating dialogues on mental health through immersive musical experiences via their band, The Coconut Milk Project (TCMP).
When I reached out, asking if she would like to share her perspectives on safety and health at workplace, in these challenging times, she gladly obliged, in the form of the replies as seen here.
Q: With the onset of COVID and widespread switchover to Work-from-Home as a norm, how do you think your organization has adapted to this?
A: My workplace was rather proactive in this front. We went into Work-from-Home Mode at least a week before the official lockdown was imposed during March 2020. The founders and admin teams were quick to help with resources that would enable work, such as chairs, and food for employees who depended on the office prior to the lockdown, as well as structures that would help us get into a Work-from-Home routine in our teams.
A year in, we’ve been doing more than just coping, thanks to the collective decision to overcome the practical hurdles COVID brought about.
Q: They say that one’s work team is often like a second family. How you relate to this? How relevant in your opinion this is to health and safety at work?
A: I totally relate to this. In the first few months of working from home, the 10 AM calls with my team were so important, like an anchor to the day. People found it hard to even get out of bed; our teams were what kept us going. We started checking on one another’s health (physical and mental), and being empathetic of situations that came up.
Even before lockdown and Work-from-Home happened, while we were still working out of office, this rapport played a huge role in workplace culture, and will always do so.
Q: I gather that the firm you work with follows a flat organizational structure. In your opinion, is an approachable organizational lead synonymous with better workplace health and safety?
A: Flat organizations and approachable heads translate to two main things:
Be it in terms of supporting those in need, or managing work load, transparency across the organization goes a long way.
Q: As an associate of an organization led by a woman, what in your opinion makes such organizations stand out?
A: I think there are two parts to this.
One, the more talked about point, is how everybody has a voice and a place to grow in their respective domains. There’s no discrimination; it’s not even acceptable in jokes.
The second is the invisible but more important effect it has on the work we produce as a company. When the workforce is inclusive and diverse, the work we put out is immensely better in terms of quality and applicability.
Sindhu is a writer and a mother of two. A self-confessed bibliophile and a movie buff, she finds relief and meaning in doodling, cooking, escaping to hill towns, and her friends. A big fan read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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