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Friend or a Colleague….

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Vysan, Nov 12, 2007.

  1. Vysan

    Vysan Gold IL'ite

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    Raghu has been working in a Manufacturing company, specialized in exports, as Manager Accounts. The Factory is in a far off place, and there is no proper transport facility. The company has provided transport facility to its employees at fixed timings… Also some of the employees have their own vehicles and they come and go on their own. Raghu is very strict in following the rules and regulations of the company… He always thinks of company’s interest… Because of this, he has earned the wrath of the other managers in the company… Because he is in accounts and is a strong personality, the other managers couldn’t do anything to him… Whenever they are at cross roads with Raghu, they vent out their frustration on Raghu’s subordinates…

    Raghu is a jolly going person… He treats all his subordinates equally… He mingles with them freely and helps them out both officially and personally… He takes his team mates from the office-Residence in his vehicle as the company transport leaves only at a specific timing… Even if he has to travel 4/5 kms extra, he ensures that he drops his subordinates at their residence and goes back to home… He considers his team as his family… He can digest anybody criticizing him, but not his team or his department… He will charge like a bull for fight…

    Mrs. Bhama, a lady, is one of his team mates… She is the only lady in his department and youngest… Since being a lady and a typical village girl, Raghu takes care of her… Raghu knows about Bhama’s family, husband etc… Raghu ensures she is being picked up and dropped properly… Raghu and Balu have their own vehicles in his department… Now Balu is also a nice guy… Either of them drops Bhama daily at her residence…

    One day, while having lunch together Raghu asked people who are their friends in the Office… Each one of them gave various names… When Bhama’s turn came she turned around and said… “I don’t have any friends here… All are my colleagues”… Raghu was taken back… He couldn’t control himself… He asked her, “You don’t have any friends?”… For which she coolly replies “No, all are just colleagues… With friends you share everything, but with colleagues you don’t”… Raghu was thinking himself… Every day Bhama used to check with Raghu then with Balu, what time they leave right royally… They also without any hesitation drop her at her residence, which is 4 kms beyond their residence and has to travel 30-45 mts in the traffic… If she is just a colleague, why should he spend the extra time and energy to drop her at her residence…? Why he should help them personally…. Cheenu is another gentleman of the team. He is an experienced person and has suffered a lot in personally and come up in life… Cheenu coolly said, come-on sir, she doesn’t know what is world…. Don’t take her words seriously…She is inexperienced…. Once she understands, then she will know the value…

    Raghu still wonders… Whether this girl is innocent and doesn’t know the world or taking advantage of his soft corner… Or is there something really difference between the colleague and friend which he couldn’t understand….

    Now what do you all say……….
     
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  2. chitrajan

    chitrajan Bronze IL'ite

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    Dear Vysan,

    If a person cannot understand that only a friend will go out of the way to help you and not just a colleague then it is only taking advantage of the situation at hand.

    Maybe if you allow her to find her way to and fro for a few days, she may (not will) realise what she is getting in life.

    Unless the situation is that the office has provided R and B with transport and expects that they have to play chauffeur to other colleagues.
     
  3. Kamalji

    Kamalji IL Hall of Fame

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    Veda.

    A thought provoking blog really.

    the lady is being smart.So th e best thing is to let her go home on her own,and even if she says sorry later, dont get in the trap.These are what i call smart asses, too smart for their own good.

    If she had a car, would she go out of her way for her so called collegueges.Your guess is as good as mine.

    Regards.kamal
     
  4. Vysan

    Vysan Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Chitrajan,

    That is what I also felt... Taking advantage of the situation...

    Raghu is too good a person... So he couldnt leave her on her own to suffer... Also the company is not providing him anything extra for this drop...

    BTW... What is R and B....

    Thanks for your views.....
     
  5. Vysan

    Vysan Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Kamalji,

    Thanks for peeping in...

    I agree with you, will she go out of her way and help........ It is a big question mark.......
     
  6. Tamildownunder

    Tamildownunder Bronze IL'ite

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    Dear Veda,

    A thought provoking post you have provided. I have experienced this dilemma while working in BARC in Mumbai. Whom I thought as friends among colleagues ditched me when I needed them and whom I thought as just colleagues rallied around me in times of need. I am sorry to say this that among my colleagues, I used to think some colleagues as my friends since I used to share everything with them. But, they proved the ' two crabs ' story right. While some North Indian colleagues whom I thought were not my friends since they generally don't like the Madrasis (especially after the 'Chitchore' movie dialogue of ' yeh promotion sub Ranaganathan ko hi miltha hai'). But, they came to my help when I was facing problems.

    Regards,

    TDU
     
  7. Abha

    Abha Bronze IL'ite

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    Hi Vysan

    A very good post indeed, we all must have faced this dilemma in life one or the other time, while working in a corporate environment... but there are all kind of people in office and one cannot call everybody a friend.

    The work environment you have explained is too good to be true, one wud be very lucky to work in such an office... otherwise the kinda atmophere i have worked in past is such that it gives you constant headache and stress...

    This lady doesn't know a crap about the world... she doesnt know that nobody wud drop her home without expecting anything in return from her (people are like wolves waiting to gulp you down, at the first pretext), and if somebody does (which isnt possible) she and her husband owe bigtime to that person... you know how corporate culture is, and it even worsens if you are in a very high profile company... All the respect she gets in an office is just great, otherwise working in a male dominated environment, is like hell... i can only say either she is tooo smart or too naive.

    I would just say that these free rides should stop immediately, after all its nobody's resposibility to make sure she has reached home safely except her husband's.. she is working she is earning, she can take care of herself, let her be on her own...

    ~Abha
     
  8. desidiva

    desidiva New IL'ite

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    Hi Vysan,

    I think friendship is a two way street. I have come across this many times myself where I think of someone as a friend but the feeling is not mutual. In this case, Ragu, being the good hearted soul that he is, is taken for a ride himself. Even after this, if the lady had the guts to ask for a ride home, I would suggest that he should just refuse. If he wants to do good things, he can do that to others who appreciate it.

    Vib
     
  9. Mahajanpragati

    Mahajanpragati Platinum IL'ite

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    dear friends,
    well u may find my views different for the others.
    as mentioned the lady concerned is from village background & is also married so maybe she is not comfortable calling a male who is also her boss as her friend.i feel she is well aware that her boss is going out of his way to help her but she still says what she feels.
    now if she was smart she would have taken advantage of the fact & said what she if well aware her boss & others want to hear .yes she seems inexperienced who has not learnt how to sugar coat her words & say what pleases others which i feel is essential to progress in todays coperate world.
     
  10. Blondie

    Blondie Bronze IL'ite

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    Vysan,

    R and B are Raghu and Balu.

    PragatiM, I agree with you.

    Being the only woman in my team, I know very well what the tight rope one has to walk so that no wrong ideas are passed around among other "male" team members. And I feel it is a wrong conversation to have in an office as per who is your friend among the other workers. Will it not create negative feeling in the person who one feels as their friend, does not name one as his/her friend??

    ex. Raghu says Balu is his friend.

    Balu says Chandra is his friend.

    will this not create / affect Raghu that Balu does not feel that raghu is his friend??
     

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