

An open letter to prospective Indian employer - digamber_kamat
http://greatbong.net/2012/05/25/an-open-letter-to-prospective-indian-employer/

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zackzackzack
The article that the OP is replying to:
[http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/an-open-letter-
to-...](http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/an-open-letter-to-indias-
graduating-classes/)

Thoughts: Both articles reek of the type of mood that was popular in middle
school relationships. Double standards, talks of how to make the relationship
work perfectly for everyone involved, rigid rules of conduct, accusatory
claims about the other person. Reading this feels like I am back listening to
people around a lunch table bitch about other people who don't happen to be
around.

Neither of the parties involved sound very happy.

Quote from the NYT India Article (from a list of rules employees MUST follow
or ELSE):

5\. You are professional and ethical: Everyone loves to be considered a
professional. But when you exhibit behavior like job hopping every year,
demanding double-digit pay increases for no increase in ability, accepting job
offers and not appearing on the first day, taking one company’s offer letter
to shop around to another company for more money — well, don’t expect to be
treated like a professional.

Similarly, stretching yourself to work longer hours when needed, feeling
vested in the success of your employer, being ethical about expense claims and
leaves and vacation time are all part of being a consummate professional. Such
behavior is not ingrained in new graduates, we have found, and has to be
developed.

~~~
tomjen3
You are right. Why is this bitching voted up on hn?

It gives no solutions.

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pkapur86
I believe discussions like this will improve both the attitude and work ethics
of professionals as well as of the employers who might be exploiting the
workforce. Both sides need to concede some ground for a much more productive
and stress-free work environment.

~~~
rdtsc
> I believe discussions like this will improve both the attitude and work
> ethics of professionals as well as of the employers

As a side note (speaking of work ethics), this reminds me how an American
company hiring Indian programmers.

Indian programmers, I presume, due to not having strong cultural bias against
openly discussing and comparing salaries among themselves, did exactly that.
And found out that the American company was paying them widely varying amounts
even thought they all had equivalent training, job duties and qualifications.

They promptly contacted their managers and everyone who felt they got screwed
got a raise to match the highest one.

The higher ups were not happy and try to guilt the Indians into felling
uncultured and uncouth, how dare they break such a sensitive American
corporate taboo. I am sure they guilt the felt over this "terrible" breach of
"ethics" was made up by what I hear was an almost 20% salary increase for
some.

Pretty sure at some point the company explicitly added a clause in their
employment contract prohibiting divulging or discussing compensation except
with one's higher-ups.

But I thought that was an interesting "ethics" hack they did, and it was
interesting how the company tried to guilt them into feeling uncultured and
un-educated once they got caught with their pants down and found out there
wasn't anything illegal or contract breaching in what they did.

~~~
mavelikara
A similar stunt is attempted with the "job hopping" accustation in the NYTimes
post the OP was replying to.

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nitinthewiz
My perspective on this letter and the issues around it -
<http://blog.nitinkhanna.com/who-innovates/>

I believe that companies need to give people the freedom to innovate.
Otherwise they're just code monkeys who care only for the paycheck at the end
of the month.

------
nsm
Offtopic: I love the random header images.

