Stress

It is corporate India’s underbelly. Stress is attacking the best and the brightest. Insidiously. Hardly surprising considering the punishing deadlines, demanding bosses and long work hours. A survey by Achal Bhagat an NGO, Saarthak among 30 companies found 50 per cent of the employees had stress in some form, 20 per cent had depression and 30 per cent had problems like alcoholism, marital discord, etc. ‘‘This was more evident in companies which were start-ups or mergers.’’ says Bhagat.

Road to nowhere: Take 32-year-old Aditi Sharma*, senior vice-president of a leading Indian company. Monthly salary: Rs 1 lakh approx. Worked like a dream — met targets before time and pushed herself to 12-hour work schedules. Till one day, she crumbled. Had depression and suicidal thoughts. She’s now on anti-depressants. Umesh Kapoor*, a 34-year-old VP was in a similar boat. He couldn’t remember a thing. Had to keep a secretary to joggle his grey cells. Plus had a homebound, cribbing wife. Ended up thinking he had dementia. This is the other side of mind-boggling salaries and overseas postings. ‘‘Most are 30-35 years and have achieved the fastest growth. They usually work seven days a week,’’ says Dr Sandeep Vohra, of Apollo Hospital. Many, says Bhagat, have lost the ability to enjoy themselves.

Aditi, for example, reached home from work after 9 pm. ‘‘I wanted to achieve the maximum in the shortest possible time. My mother wanted me to marry. The pressure got to me.’’ Often, a stressful work environment can spill over into the family. For Nandita Kapoor*, an executive in an MNC, it led to alcoholism. Many are also unable to fulfil familial roles. For Sudhir Khanna*, an only son and South Asia head of an MNC, his foreign postings were stressful.

‘‘He felt he was neglecting his old parents in Delhi,’’ says Dr Bhavna Barmi, Stress Clinic, Escorts Hospital. ‘‘In the last five years, there has been an almost 30 per cent increase in the number of people seeking help.’’ Are corporates more prone to it? ‘‘Yes. The MNC culture is fast catching up in India. You either deliver or get thrown out,’’ says Dr Yogi Mehrotra, MD, Apollo Hospitals. It also means greater competition and less interpersonal relations.

Reaction of corporates: When Bhagat showed his findings to corporates, he says, there was denial. Workshops and training programmes for employees are fine as long as it is on a continuous basis, he says. ‘‘Corporates should realise that stressed out employees hit the bottom line of the company. People should listen to the problems of their employees instead of just asking them to play golf.’’ However, increasing tie-ups between corporates and hospitals could mitigate this problem.

Those part of Apollo’s master health check-ups include Lucent Technologies, American Express, Gillette, Reliance and Maruti. Some organisations have also started helplines. ‘‘We also ask HR managers to give employees work as per talent,’’ says Vohra. Umesh is now on the road to recovery. A holiday and a working wife have ‘‘made me feel a different man.’’ The baby they’ve been postponing is on its way.

Source:Times of India