A Foursome Dilemma

A Foursome Dilemma
A case study on sexual harassment, work-relationships, and office etiquettes in
Indian IT Companies.

Project Report (PGSEM 2005 Sec B) : Managing People and Performance

Faculty : Prof. N.M. Agrawal

Anuj Gandhi 2005121

Gopikrishnan P 2005087
Praveen C 2005135
Vignesh Prabu S D 2005114

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

 A Foursome Dilemma

This case was prepared as a part of the course work and all the scenarios
described or names used are purely fictional from the authors
experiences and do not pertain to any particular organization or person.
Any such resemblance is purely coincidental and not intentional. The
recommendations are also the authors views on these topics and not any
recommended industry practices.

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The Cafeteria
Prem could not conceal his bewilderment when he marched to the cafeteria for his lunch.
The time was way past 2 PM and much to his surprise, he didnt feel hungry, in spite of the
fact that he had a pretty hectic day in office. Customer escalation meeting took the lion share
of the morning session where in the demands kept on changing along with the institution of
much stringent deadlines. By the time the call ended, Prem had his day in his diary filled up
with the days action items, and before he could extricate himself from the fatigue of going
through the strenuous weekly customer call, he could see the conference room getting filled
up for the managers meeting, which he too had to attend mandatory. He was about to start
for the meeting when he saw Pooja walking towards his desk. Prem felt an immediate
feeling of discomfort creeping in;
Pooja, why dont you meet me around 4 in the afternoon? I have a meeting now and I will
talk to you once I am done with my lunch.

Seeing her walk back was not a sign of relief for Prem as he was aware that he will have to
take a quick stand and face her with conviction. Standing in the much shrunken queue,
Prem could feel the butterflies in his stomach and started pondering over the gravity of the
situation he found himself in.

Come on guys, this discussion is getting no where. I understand your concerns and issues,
which does not mean that what you say is something which I can accept 100%. I would
request you all to think from Shalinis and Meeras perspective also. Why dont you guys get
back to me after putting some thought on this issue? Rajeev just waited for his words to
sink down. Any body for lunch? he asked casually, in spite of being assured of the
response.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Anuj Gandhi, Mr. Gopikrishnan P, Mr. Praveen C and Mr. Vignesh Prabu S D have written this case under the
guidance of Prof. Narendra M Agrawal, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, for the purpose of class discussion only
For a note on a typical Indian IT service company work environment please refer the Annexure.

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The boys are really agitated and he could see it from their response. None of them even
offered to return a smile back, the sort of courtesy which his team always used to display.
The scribbling on the table, the face pointed perpetually down, and the hilarious effort to
look straight in to the eyes, all portrayed the implicit indifference, something which he
could not write off so casually.
They are seriously in business, Rajeev told himself. For the first time in his stint as a project
manager, Rajeev found the road to the cafeteria, a long winding one.
**********************************************************************

Sitting in the cafeteria and watching the crowd moving around, Vishal felt himself totally
out of place. Am I become so old that I am unable to appreciate whats happening around
me in office? He always enjoyed his lunch time as he was so keen on watching and meeting
new people, thanks to the fast growth his company was experiencing in the recent times.
However he has started to feel that things are not the same how it used to be before. Value
Clash, he told himself, as if he has found a solution which he himself doubted. His thought
processes would have spanned miles, had not Adityas (often called Adi by people close to
him) nervous entry to the cafeteria captured his attention. Some thing serious would have
happened. I have never seen Adi in this fashion before, thought Vishal. Seeing Adi seated
next to Prem and Rajeev, Vishal moved to join them. He had seen all the three being very
sober in the days managers meet and had figured out that all was not that well. The
Pandora box was getting opened slowly.

**********************************************************************
Prem, Rajeev, Aditya and Vishal worked for Globsys Software Technologies Pvt Ltd, one of
the largest IT companies in India. Formed during the hey days of IT boom, the company has
seen the good and bad times and has come out more robust than before. They were the
fastest growing company with revenues close to $100Million and employed more than
20,000 people. It has offices in multiple locations inside India and was generally considered
as good employer.

Having seen the best and worst times, the company was generally conservative in terms of
spending cash and always planned for modest celebrations and schemes. But their

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employee policies were of high standards and were often copied by other startup
companies. The company was also well known for developing a strong capable middle
management.

Reflections

Has any body felt that having women in the team is a liability? asked Rajeev. The
question came as a surprise to the group. The whole tone sounded so helpless to Vishal.
Come on Rajeev, this is not something I expected to hear from one of the most successful
project manager in the company. What made you think so? Rajeev could not help but utter
a deep sigh.

Rajeev and his team works with a highly demanding customer on a technology which is
comparatively new in the market. The project started with just three people who got trained
initially and are considered to be the most critical resources to the project. However, there
came a time when the inflow of customer demands started accentuating that Rajeev had no
option, but to scale up the resource strength in no time. I had no option at that time but to
pick the guys who were just average in their competency. I cannot sit and wait for the best
resource to come, for I will lose the business. Shalini and Meera came in to the team at that
time and were trained by the core three.

Things were all fine till last month as the team was primarily involved with some
maintenance efforts for the existing version of the product. Now the client is building the
new version of the product and the scenario is such that client itself keeps changing the
specifications based on the clients customer requirements. The work pressure started
mounting and the team had to stretch much further to meet the deadlines.

However, Shalini packs her bags by 6:00 for home. She claims that she needs to be in house
by 6:30 which is when her twin kids reach home from school. She has to spend some time
with her kid which is highly understandable. In fact quoting her, my second innings start

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once I reach home. She also has to make sure that before her husband reaches home, she
needs to take care of various house hold jobs.

I am not very comfortable asking her to stay back and work. Infact, during the time of
interview itself, she had told me about these issues and had specified that she needs to leave
by 6 PM every day. Well, I needed resources at that time and I felt that once the work starts,
she might stay back at times needed once she started taking responsibilities, Rajeev
stopped. There have been multiple scenarios where she had left at the scheduled time and
the critical work left over had to be taken by other guys who were staying back to complete
their work and this additional one.

Meera presented an altogether a different perspective. Her commitment and ownership

towards the work is exemplary. She has picked up the technology pretty fast and can be
very well termed as one of the best technical persons in the group. However she stays
around 20 Kms from the office and does not have a vehicle of her own as her husband is not
fully confident on her driving capabilities. During the times when she stayed back, she used
to hire the taxi services provided by the company. Of late, she is very reluctant to stay back
late in office. The recent news of a BPO lady worker being raped by the company taxi driver
in the same city has raised serious security concerns in her, in spite of repeated assurances
from the company officials. Why should I take risks with my life? Project deliverables and
customer can wait for one more day. I am faithfully spending the nine hours in office which
I am committed to. I think the management should take the lead to talk with the customer
apprising them of the real situation here and get the deadlines extended says Meera.

Rajeev sat back and took the final gulp of the remaining Pepsi in the bottle. The silence in
the group seems to pervade across the cafeteria. Both of them are excellent resources. But I
dont have a 100% control of setting the deadlines as we are working for a CRM customer,
who in turn depends on their customers for existence, and the requirements are bound to
change frequently, else they will be out of business. How am I going to convince my rest of
the guys who have just staged a resentment against getting overloaded, as they had to step
in for some one else? This is becoming more frequent and I have to take a call and that too

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very soon, Rajeev looked up and saw that the magnanimity of the issue was getting clearer
to the folks around him.
Prem seemed to drift to his own world. Are you lost in a jungle? asked Vishal, cursing
himself for asking that question in a minute. Prem looked up with a scornful expression and
turned towards Rajeev. Rajeev, I could not agree with more than what you said. Handling
women in the team is not easy. I am a victim now. he stopped. Vishal could help but smile.
Arent you guys highly prejudiced? asked Adi for the first time in the conversation. You
call this prejudice? Prem was almost shouting now. A girl in my team coming and filing a
complaint with me that her team lead is harassing her sexually is no joke Adi. I have been
seeing Manjeet working with me for around four years now and you want me to believe
now that he has been harassing a team member sexually? Relax Prem, Rajeev said. After
a short span of silence, Rajeev asked Why dont you tell us what really happened?

The whole issue cropped up after the appraisal process, which happened last month. Prem
always compared the appraisal process to the Government budget, how much ever you try
to optimize, it will still be inadequate to satisfy all the entities involved. Resignations,
complaints, dormancy are all the after effects of an appraisal process, he thought. But for the
first time in his career is he receiving a harassment complaint which followed the appraisal.

The integration phase in the project demanded quite an enormous effort from the team
members. Manjeet was finding it really hard to get the team along with him and to make
them aware of the criticality of the project and the value add which the project was going to
add to the customer. You should take the team to confidence. This should be the challenge
you should be taking as a team lead. advised Prem when Manjeet raised the concern.
Entice them to work with incentives is what I had encouraged Manjeet to do, quoted
Prem.

Pooja was one of the average performers in the team. She is one of the competent rated
employees in the group with two other categories above it, Highly competent and
Champion and two below it, Incompetent and Misfit. She is the kind of person who is
highly inertia laden, who needs to be given a push to get her started. However, she

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completes the task given with utmost sincerity and dedication. However this was a time
when one had to be high on ones reflexes to get started. Manjeet found no option but to
allure her in taking extra tasks. He had committed her that what she is doing will not go
waste and that all these tasks completed will be taken in to account during the appraisal
evaluations. He had in fact promised her that if she performs well, she will be crowned the
Champion. Both Prem and Manjeet could see immense progress in her working.

Here comes the appraisal evaluation for the year and the choice of Champion in the project
was between Pooja and Ravi, a real treasure for any team. Prem could not find a single
reason to deny Ravi the most coveted Champion rating and Pooja was rated the Highly
Competent employee. Prem still remembers the remark by Manjeet on Pooja where in he
appreciates her development from a Competent employee to a Highly Competent
candidate and expressed the hope that in the times to come, she will grow to a Champion.
Prem could see the glow of gratification in Manjeets eyes in being able to aid her in her
growth.
However Pooja was highly depressed seeing the rating. She was expecting a Champion
rating and the assurance given by Manjeet had added fuel to her faith. She felt terribly let
down and felt that she was exploited. She believed that Manjeet had taken advantage of her
sex in luring her to perform extra by promising her to make her the Champion. This to her
was a clear case of quid pro quo sexual harassment.

Guys, I didnt know what this case was all about, so I had to do a bit of Google search to
conclude that this indeed was a case falling under quid pro quo sexual harassment
umbrella. Moreover in a team of just five, I do not have the liberty to give a Champion
rating to two which, as you all know, is as per our company policy. Moreover, I feel that it
should go to the most fitting person; in this context, it is Ravi.

All the three sat dumbfounded. They could see Prem trembling slightly while talking.
Think of the case if this news leaks out. Whatever be the truth, will not I and my team lose
the credibility in the organization? The societal connotations to this whole episode are going
to be frightening. Whom should I sack, Manjeet or Pooja? I am in such a situation that I cant

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even talk to them individually; if so the other person feels that I am biased to the person I
am talking to. And so Adi, this is not coming out of my prejudice, Prem felt a bit relieved
and Adi was in such shock that he could not even acknowledge.

Listening to his friends speak about their concerns, Vishal realized that his predicament was
not that bad. But what mattered was he had to find a solution irrespective of the importance
of the issue. This he definitely knew from years of experience was a potential threat one had
to deal with.

When the other three went silent, he looked at Rajeev who had a this is not what I am
supposed to do kind of expression on his face. Vishal was the youngest in the motley
crowd who had gathered at the cafeteria. And this reflected in every aspect of his
personality his dressing was hip, and attitudes pretty modern, even his management style
was characterized by a coolness that came with growing up as a Gen X. But all this couldnt
help him this time. He decided to open his heart bare to the three others whom he thought
would understand and maybe even suggest a way out.

With a few planned words, he started tentatively, only to realize that there was no easy way
to put this. He blurted out Values most times are very subjective. Especially if you span it
over multiple generations Prem looked up from his salad What do you mean??
Vishal explained As you all already know I share a modern view about most things, which
even includes my own family life, where my wife and me spent time doing what we love
and dont have rigid rules to govern each others life, she has her friends and I have mine
he paused anyway, coming back to the point I am facing a different kind of situation in
my team. With the increased rookie ratio as an organizational mandate, last quarter we
recruited quite a few freshers from the A list colleges. They have been uniformly good and I
have had no complaints so far in their technical and delivery capabilities.

Rajeev offered Are you not able to relate to them then?? Vishal brushed the comment
aside with a broad sweep of his hands No, it is not that. As you all are aware we have a
dress code in the office. Thankfully it is not too strict forcing us to come in formals

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everyday, which is something I like about our company. These new bunch of youngsters
who joined us are really fashionable in their dressing. A special mention needs to be made
of Reema, the girl who was the compere for the recent cultural night we had. Her general
attire to work is either a low waist, boot cut jeans and a short top or shiffon saris which are
body hugging. I have often noticed that the days she dresses in such fashion, there is quite a
stir in the floor and I have passed through a cubicle or two where there was animated
discussion regarding this topic.

Vishal was almost reliving the memory. He came back abruptly It is not that I have
anything personal against such clothes and attires, for I still have friends who dress in
provocative dresses. But in my opinion it should be occasion based. I cannot imagine such
clothes in a work environment like ours especially when you consider that fact that any
given day we have more than a few client teams visiting us. I am worried about the long
term repercussion of this. The dress code is also not very clear in terms of what is agreeable
and what is not.

Aditya reflected I have not yet read the dress code myself. I know it is put up at this
intranet website, but personally I havent read them Vishal continued A bigger concern
I have does not even relate to the dressing, which in ones most accommodating mood, can
be let gone. But what concerns me is the office behavior of the new generation of our
recruits. They just see the office environment as an extension of their college life. I see guys
and girls holding hands and walking inside the office premises, I see them in real intimate
postures in the bus ride back home, and today I even saw a girl sitting on the lap of a guy
down at the smoking area and both of them are from my team. After a short pause Vishal
continued What is interesting is that all this is done quite openly without any guilty or
furtive looks from their side, which makes me think they are quite natural and feel
comfortable doing the same.
Prem offered I have seen my share of scenes at office which can best be described as
adolescent in approach. What would have been done hush-hush and in lonely corners in
our times are now openly seen. I dont understand this new generation, how can they do all

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this before the marriage. But tell me what your concern is? Prem was brought up with a
typical middle class Indian morality.

Vishal replied, Prem, I wouldnt be so harsh, but the concern started when I realized that
these were not proper office etiquettes and would reflect badly on us, if clients see such
images. We wont be able to put forward a professional outlook to them. That beside I
believe these things will bring down productivity when a couple from the same team, spent
time together for such activities. I have also heard snide comments from the women and
other older members in the team. This is not a healthy trend. I am not per-se against these
actions and dressing. I believe each to his or her own. But my concern relates to these
happenings at office. I need to address this to Reema and the two others specifically, besides
the entire team and I dont know how I will do it. On the offset I can understand their
viewpoint, but internally I know it is not acceptable. And whatever I tell them should not be
misconstrued to mean that I am being critical and judgmental about their dressing or
etiquettes. I am also worried if they shall understand me in this context?

Vishal took a deep breath and reclined back sliding further down in his seat. Aditya who
had two college-going daughters nodded his head, understanding the exact nature of the
problem. He put forth a point about which he had been thinking hard for the last month or
so. He noted We hear about Change management and value leadership, but what we have
not been trained on is Value Change management, something which I believe is a unique
Indian phenomenon, especially because of our rapid exposure to western culture in such a
short period of time. What the west went through in the 70s and 80s we are reliving the
experience except that now we are also on the path to technological and business
advancements and increased awareness about sexual freedom and individuality. When
what is considered right in the society changes between two generations, how do you deal
with such a change?

Adi was in full steam, it was as though a tap had been opened somewhere and all that he
had been keeping inside of himself surfaced out in quite confidence that the group he was
with will be able to understand his concerns and feelings. Adi continued I am facing a

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situation almost similar to Vishals. This concerns certain trends I have been observing in
my team. Since we are on 24x7 support the team spends enormous amount of time together,
be it working or wiling away time in the cafeteria or the open area park besides the campus.
This has helped immensely in team bonding, but that is now the concern. I have 6 women
and 4 men in my team. There are already two pairs who have now condoned themselves off
from the others and spend every minute of their time in office in each others company. In
one of those pairs Rahul is married, but he spends more time with Anju than he probably
spends with his own spouse. It all began when Anju joined the team as a fresher and Rahul
became her mentor, but over a period of time this relationship has gone beyond
understandable limits.

All the other three nodded their heads, since each of them knew Anju and her vivacious
nature and friendly disposition. She was an active member of the cultural committee and
many a times had approached them for funds. Aditya was rolling on What each of them
does in their personal life is not of concern to me. And neither is their performances falling
or lacking in anyway. But what I fear is the long term damage such things can do to the
team. The other 6 members have often been found cuddled together and speaking in hush,
hush tones about this office romance going on. One of them Saritha had come and rather
implicitly mentioned the same to me today. As all of you know such rumors spread like
wild fire and that is the last thing I want to hear about my team.

I am a little confused here, since I have absolutely no case against them. As for Rahul and
Anju what they do is a personal thing and it is by mutual consensus... Recently I read what
they call such relationships in the modern day literature Work Spouse relationships and
quite interestingly the study points out that professionally such relationships improve the
productivity since they find a working partner with whom their can on a personal level
share their concerns and anxieties without actually looking for solutions.

The multi-million dollar question for me is how am I going to let know the team that there
needs to be a line between personal life and professional life and that what is sometime
okay on a personal front is not appropriate in a big team. The gray area is that there is no

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official rule/ mandate that I can refer to in this situation and hence whatever I tell them will
be seen as a personal viewpoint rather than an organizational level guideline. This could
also mean I am putting my own reputation in line. I wonder if it is worth all the trouble or
should I just lie low and take things as they come.

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Analysis & Recommendations

In our broad analysis of the case we have come to the conclusion that many
of the issues described in the case do not have one correct answer or approach. This is so
since we are talking about moral and ethical values and these are subjective in nature,
especially when the environment is conducive for such behavior.

The fact is that one cannot comment on such behaviors like office romance,
work-spouse relationships from a moral view point, since someone else might have a
different view. But what one should strive for is to get the team to operate under official
guidelines/codes when in office. What they do with their personal lives is not of concern.

The recent events and an increased awareness of issues like sexual

harassment have seen a substantial rise in the number of cases that are reported. What
would have been pushed under the carpet years ago are now being brought forth in the
open, example is the case of Pooja.

From the analysis it is evident that in circumstances pertaining to sexual,

opposite sex issues, until and unless there are strict and clear guidelines regarding what is
an accepted office behavior it is really hard for the PM to take up the issue without putting
himself/herself at risk. Since issues like these are not discussed openly, it only adds up to
complicating such matters further.

Last but not least these are incidents/issues where you cannot have a clear
cut differentiation between cause and effect. This is primarily important when trying to
solve the same. For example in a 24x7 support or BPO setups when you have 20 something
fresh out of college graduates working unholy hours under stress, they tend to have
emotional and physical needs which they often times satisfy among their own colleagues.
This in a way is what actually keeps them going. One cant just put a stop to all such
activities and yet not take care of their needs. Such is the dilemma the modern day

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managers face and there are no clear solutions and answers and most times the resolution of
such issues is more art than science.

Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace

The allegation made against Manjeet is legally termed as quid-pro-quo. Poojas
intention behind accusing Manjeet doesnt seem sincere to Prem. As a manager, Prem first
needs to understand the exact nature of the accusation. He can discuss this issue with
Manjeet and Pooja together to get their versions of the story, if he feels so. Prem is not the
right person to pass the judgment on the issue and hence should refer the case to the
regulatory council within the organization meant for handling these issues.

Also, as a manager, one should refrain from definitive commitments which are
difficult to be met.

At the same time, the issue needs to be addressed at organizational level. This can be
done by formulating a written sexual harassment policy and establishing a grievance
mechanism for employees who perceive themselves to be the objects of sexual harassment.

Opposite Sex Relationships At Workplace

The rumors of relationship between Rahul and Anju are impacting the team spirit.
As a manager, Adi need not bother about the intimate relations carried out outside the
organization. But when this starts impacting the teams values, he needs to sensitize Rahul
and Anju about this issue.

In all the relationships at workplace, demonstrating good honoring character is important.

Late working Issues

This section discusses the issues raised by Rajeev. This is a scenario where a persons
workload is being shared by other employees.

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However two solutions can be suggested by Rajeev.

He can provide work from home as an option on a need basis. This gives option to Shalini
to go home on time and still be able to complete her assigned work. This option can be
offered not only to Shalini but to all the employees on need basis.

Introducing Flexible working time is another option Rajeev can think of. Shalini wants to
leave at 6:00 PM. As a solution to this Rajeev can allow her to work flexibly wherein she can
come quite early and leave at 6:00 to manage the additional work load.

Other employees need to be sensitized on special needs of one team members needs and
why she leaves early. Again such options should be open to all the team members on need
basis without any discrimination.

In case of Meera, concern is very genuine and the company provides transport facility only
to a certain extent that she might need to take care of the rest of the commutation back home
by her own means. This issue needs to be addressed by providing safe transport till door
step. The company transport is generally operated by third parties. Drivers of these cabs are
not in payroll of the companies. Solution to this problem could be to send security guards in
every cab which accompanies the employees till their home.

Another option for resolution of Meeras problem could be to provide safe accommodation
for lady employees. Some employees might prefer to stay at safe company dormitory than
traveling late at night.
The company should also work towards ensuring that employees do not have to stay back
long hours at work on a regular basis.

Changing etiquette at work place

This is a delicate issue since if there are no formal dress code, semi-formal and causal
are loosely defined. The way out of this would be to have a dress code mentioned clearly for
both male and female employees to avoid ambiguity. The implementation level detail for

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ensuring this is to have a regulatory council overseeing these activities. On ground level
security personnel can coordinate these activities.

Its hard to ensure that the employees follow etiquette in behavior with opposite sex.
This is because the behavior is with mutual consent. This behavior is predominantly
observed among new employees who are fresh from college. This is not intentional and
most times it is a spill-over from their college years. A method to reduce these specific
instances would be to educate them of the company etiquettes during their induction phase.

Another issue which needs to be answered is what Vishal should do

Talk to them openly and tell them that it is not allowed inside company premises.
Depending upon the severity of the breach, Vishal can take up the issue with the
regulatory council and come up with an action plan. Few possible alternatives, he
can exercise are to call the involved couple and have a discussion with them along
with the regulatory council member or to send a mail explaining to them the
guideline.

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Annexure

Indian IT Companies Work Environment

Over the last decade the Indian IT industry has grown in leaps and bounds. Along
with the growth in revenues, came growth in numbers in terms of employee strength. In
this time, multiple formats based on functionalities have evolved. Example: IT, ITES, BPO,
KPO companies etc. Each has a distinct organizational culture attached to them, most often
a by product of the type of work involved in each stream. But then there are commonalities
which can be drawn and that can be used to address certain issues which have been
surfacing in the last few years.

These issues pertain to sexual harassment, work-spouse and office

relationships/romance, and late night working/security concerns in various forms and
shapes. The recent revelations and incidents do not quell these problems, but have
intensified the fear. A few examples from recent times: Phaneesh Murthy of Infosys being
tried for sexual harassment, rape of a BPO worker by a cab driver, looting of late night
workers on their return journey home, robberies in the IT-specific residential areas etc

The type and mindset of the regular knowledge worker has also changed with the
increased demand in India. The average age of a knowledge worker now would be 23-24.
These people, when they join, are fresh out of college and bring in a lot of college related
behaviors which do not jell well with the existing organizational patterns. It is here that the
conflict arises. With the increased focus on better margins the rookie ratio in teams has gone
up. That means there are going to be a large number of the FTV generation as designers,
project engineers, coders, analysts etc while the higher management roles are occupied by a
totally different generation. This is a potent combination for misunderstandings regarding
what are accepted behaviors in office environment.

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The nature of work also demands that employees spend more than 12-14 hours on
an average at work place. This coupled with the fact that transportation facilities are scarce,
raises serious concerns regarding safety and is a stressful point for many an employee. The
work-life balances in most cases are non-existent. Often times youngsters in BPO
organizations spend a lot of time at together under repetitive yet stressful jobs. They often
end up finding solace in each others company to an extent not advisable in organizations.
These have been brought to the fore, by recent reports in newspapers which spoil the image
of an entire industry which has been providing employment to millions of young Indians.

This case study and analysis intends to take a deeper look into issues described
above, which are even today not openly discussed or project managers are not equipped to
handle such situations.
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