Night Owls

Nope. They don't do mornings. They are fast asleep in the morning and they wake up sometime in the afternoon and wish everybody around, a "Good Morning."

The BPO and IT sector, night shift jobbers. The night owls!

They are a breed of sleep-deprived, zombie-like creatures. They are extremely polite and well-spoken and diplomacy is their second nature. Most of them get hired mainly for their communication skills! Besides having a broad exposure to technology and international culture, this breed is urbane, smart, confident and self-assured.

When you pass a commercial sector of your city on a post-dinner drive or while returning late from work, you will see them. Outside the gates, hobnobbing over cycle-wale ki chai-biscuit-smoke.

Yeah, the resourceful Indian jugaad brains at work! Don't have enough capital to open a restaurant? Just one bicycle and excellent resources to manage snacks? Phikar nako! Take the chai, kaapi, wada-chutney-tamaatar saas, cigarettes, maachis, lighter and what-not in a biiiig bag. Put it on your bicycle and stand outside the gates of any locality with a large number of BPOs and IT companies. And voila! You have a profit-making business venture which could fund anything from monthly household expenses to funding children's education to buying a house in an impossible city to actually opening your own restaurant!

Well. it's not like these corporate offices don't invest in a simple thing like a cafeteria for their employees. There are mostly multiple cafeterias and pantries within a single organisation. But there is either no space or no permission for a smoke zone and employees walk all the way outside to smoke. At such times, it is quite a blessing for them to find the cycle-wala. At times, the night owls just want to leave their cubicles and desktops and stretch their legs. Get some fresh air and have a small breather. So, there are non-smokers too, in this crowd.

This is like a staple diet. Almost an addiction for some. Tea, coffee, smoking.

Keeping awake for the shift, they are ultimately unable to sleep at night, even on their days off work. And the day off is not necessarily a Saturday and a Sunday. It could be any day. The two work-offs might not be consecutive, it may be a Tuesday and a Friday or a Wednesday and Saturday. "Woohoo! I have a Saturday off next week. I can meet friends and maybe my siblings!" Sounds familiar? Yeah, that is a night owl.

But they have figured out ways to juggle their personal life and their crazy work schedules. Some have office-funded blackberry phones and laptops (they are expected to return these while resigning, by the way). Some rare lucky ones have the option to work from home if they can't come to the office for some reason.

Disclaimer: This doesn't apply to majority BPO employees. If they can't come to work, they get an unplanned leave. Paid. But unplanned. Affects the appraisal, this UNPLANNED! Oh yes, this is a big word.

Imagine the saas-bahu serials with a shocking scene. Someone jerks their head at the camera saying, "Kya!?" and the editor repeats it two more times in the final cut, with every person present in  the scene showing varying degrees of shock on their face. "Kya!? KYAA!!?? KYYAAA!!!??? Music - Dhadang-dhadang-dhadang!!!!!"

That is what an unplanned leave is for a BPO employee. On the day after your unplanned, half of the floor would be asking you, "unplanned maara kya?", "ab kya hoga tera?", "appraisal aa raha hai bey!" It is a paid leave, let me repeat that. But, it is unplanned! Unplanned!! UNPLANNED!!!! Dhadang-dhadang-dhadang!!!!!

Yes, they can plan their leaves, but let's not go there. Officially, these night owls are decently-paid to well-paid staff with all legal privileges (like PLs, Compensatory Offs, Work offs etc). I will leave it at that.

The other major factor in their routine is the one mentioned earlier, the BREAK! Maybe, a novel can be written on this topic some day. Most people reading this will understand the pain experienced while discussing breaks. So, please understand if I don't elaborate.

But life is not interesting without the painful moments. There are many happy moments in this routine. Mumbaikars please note, night owls travel against the peak hour traffic. On the way to work, as well as on their way home. Take that, you bloody 9-5ers! They enjoy the fresh night breeze and quiet streets. They can sacrifice 2-3 hours of sleep when needed, to get something done on a weekday! Banking, documentation, picking someone from the airport, you name it! And go for their shift afterwards as per routine.

Life is different, but it is more interesting. Because these zombies are not like the so-called "normal" people, they develop a different world-view. They are less judgmental and more accepting. Biases, stereotypes, various types of differences get dissolved because they are alike in so many varied ways. They are in-tandem with current times and less willing to be tied down by traditional social expectations.
Talk to a female employee from this breed and you would know!
They are the most misunderstood breed at present. But that is what makes them special. They have exposure to a larger picture of life.
The relationships that have blossomed in these offices have better balance and less gender-defined roles. It is not at all a rosy, goody-goody picture, but it is surely better than it was over a decade ago.

Many have been through this zombification and then moved on to a life of more freedom. Left cushy jobs to follow their dreams. Used their savings to fund creative ventures and made a roaring success of it. Over a decade ago, when educated freshers were struggling to find a foothold in their career path, the BPO and IT sectors opened up opportunities. Yes, it is outsourced. Yes, the shifts are rotational with crazy week-offs. Yes, it is stressful. No, it is never going to be easy. And that is what makes the night owls stand out from the crowd! Zany, butt of jokes for their relatives and neighbours, facing prejudice from the society at large, this is the breed which is standing strong and growing.

Love us or hate us. It is impossible to ignore us.