The economic boom of the 90s opened a lot of doors for Indians in terms of job opportunities. Slowly and steadily, the opportunity and the standard of living also increased.
With the turn of the millennium, smart phones and internet, which were once a sci-fi gadget, became a basic necessity in every house hold.
Unfortunately, one of the few things that the booming economy has been taking away is the health of our youth.
Remember those days, when our parents would be back home at exactly 6 pm, all the family members would sit back and spend time with each other? Parents in those days weren’t so stressed and had enough time to spend with their children and be a part of their growth.
Today, if an employee even by mistake attempts to leave office at 6 pm, even after working for long day, his bosses and colleagues may not like him.
True, the pay packages are huge today, which has increased the purchasing power of today’s youngsters but at what cost? Long working hours, have already resulted in youngsters as young as 26 and 27 being victims of high blood pressure and heart diseases.
Corporates do offer fancy health check ups for their employees and various medical insurance facilities but what they cannot compensate for is the amount of stress the family members go through.
Urban cities has been witnessing a rising rate of divorce in the urban cities. Lack of communication, quality time and adultery are some of the main reasons for divorce in urban cities.
Working couples barely get a few minutes together even on weekends. Corporate life may also place demands your social life, but, at the end of the day, the employee always has the stick to draw the line on how much he can sacrifice.
Another, and the most dangerous, side effect of corporate working lives is on the young children. Even, if the couple manages to conceive and have a child, the lack of time spent with children may result in children choosing a wrong path.
Our society is also witnessing a steady increase in substance abuse amongst children. Children as young as 9 and 10 are smoking and drinking. Unsupervised childhood can also lead children to seek attention and companionship outside the family, which can be dangerous and scars them for life.
We call ourselves educated and independent, but at the end of the day, we are nothing but just mere puppets of a rat race to survive. For a little more money, we end up sacrificing a lot.
The government must look into strict policies monitoring working hours. Trust me, work from home is not a solution to this problem.