Business Ethics

"Sir, again managed to punch in just in time", the security guard exclaimed while the clock beeped 9:30am on the biometric machine. "Delhi traffic doesn't help especially on a 50 Km drive, does it?" I shot back. I picked my bag and started making my way out to my cubicle through the remaining few unlucky ones who couldn't manage the 9:30 deadline. Reaching my desk, I found my computer booted and waiting to be logged on, for which I always had to thank Kiran for her sincere kindness whenever I was running late. Just as it opened my mail client shot up popups seeking attention towards some unread mails. Mails, an unavoidable part of corporate life, I sighed. It was a Monday, not at all pleasant especially when the office was filled with the Monday morning blues, which was augmented by the worse Delhi heat. The computer reluctantly gave way to the mail client to finally display the same; it was marked urgent, sent to me by Mr. Jim Fernandes, my boss. The subject said "Urgent attention required" and went on to point out urgent and critical pendency in work progress, along with the payment withheld in the same context by the client. The mail was sent yesterday, a Sunday, "Oh yes, there was this top management meeting going to take place on Saturday, must have lingered on till Sunday, phew!!!" I thought. The meeting was predicted to be an important one for the project. The project after having a smooth run for its initial 36 months, with it achieving new records for completion time targets exceedingly well ran into several issues during the completion and pre-handover stage. I opened the Excel attachment along with the mail and read the details. It read marked in red, indicating the highest priority, EQP#11320 pending, Department responsible: Quality, Person responsible: Himanshu Verma. This line irked me and I was taken aback, how I can be responsible for this case anymore.

Friday was a hectic day, it was 22nd March, countdown to year closing had begun and everyone was busy meeting targets, for the company and for themselves, after all everyone had to achieve their appraisal targets too, along with the company's financial targets. Mr. Jim had convened a meeting of the quality department managers, in the presence of Mr Balwinder Singh, the Head of Department to discuss the pending issues with all and find feasible solution in time and bring to notice that we were falling short of the annual targets. Mr Balwinder Singh, the newly appointed man at the job wanted in no possible ways to start off in the backfoot in the top management, and thus explicitly put across his stern "request" and desire to achieve the target per se. Being a busy man he is he left the meeting in between, not before reiterating his words this time more bindingly "Gentlemen, we have to get these numbers, a lot depends on them, for us and especially for you all. So start working on them and get them done by hook or by crook, these numbers are obviously achievable, but here time is of essence, remember that". Everyone took turns to get their issue sorted out while I and Laxman waited for the last; perhaps our issue required more "attention". Jim knew the issue, he had always been a very supportive boss to have and we took pride in working for him. The room was empty so me and Laxman finally walked