November 2023 | Newsletter Vol 2
From The Founder’s Desk
Bob Dylan’s anthem to a changing world rings even truer today. In an era, when the global political attention is captured by a conflict – which has simmered over millenia – it is tempting to believe that the more things change – they seem to remain the same.
But things have truly changed in the World of Work. Nothing exemplifies that – more than the raging debate on the 70 hour work-week!
2 years ago – as the Covid pandemic waned – we organised our first online event – to bring together young professionals – who were choosing to adopt an independent freelance work lifestyle. The picture above became our talking point on how the times were changing. For data -we looked at the “Our World in Data”.
Over the last 150 years – the average working hours per worker in most developed economies have declined by 50%. That is from about 3500 hours per year (or 70 hours per week) to about 1700 hours (that is about 35 hours per week).
Surely those numbers ring a bell!
The business world (and much else) has been opining with frenzy on the views of one of India’s most respected business icons. He may have a point – or he may not.
What is clear though, is that the “work culture” he speaks of – seems to mirror the world of 150 years ago. It is also clear that the opinions are sharply divided on generational lines. A post reforms generation – born to relative privilege and plenty, a generation that is more globally connected than ever before – and hence more culturally attuned to the voices of the developed world – find this call-to-arms – to work 70 hours a week – an anachronism in today’s times!
The new generation of workers – does not care much about 40 or 70 hours of work. But it cares – who decides how much they work, when and where. And they care for the freedom and flexibility to choose. This change is inexorable – and will fuel the growth of the professional gig economy in the coming years.
No one said it better than the Bob Dylan, the singer-songwriter …
The slow one now, will later be fast
As the present now, will later be past
And the order is rapidly fadin’
The first one now, will later be last
For the Times, they are a-Changing !
— Deepak Malkani, Co-Founder, IndusGuru Network Partners LLP
- Our client was one of the leading Big4 Consulting Firms, working with a Dubai based company for a large transformation project. The client was seeking a Finance Professional with expertise in Order-to-cash cycle from the FMCG Industry. We are pleased to announce that we onboarded a seasoned consultant with over 20 years of working experience in India and overseas in large corporates, for this role.
- Our client was a leading Food and Beverage Company with restaurants in India, Dubai and Bali. They were looking for an experienced Quality Process Consultant in the field of Operations, to streamline the Front of House and Back of House processes, as they continue to expand. For this role, we onboarded a talented Hospitality Operations and Restaurant-Set-Up Expert with an entrepreneurial spirit.
IndusGuru Freelancer Support
To help our consultants address the challenges they face as freelancers, we have compiled a list of resources or recommended partnerships with trusted individuals & organizations who provide customised services for freelancers/independent consultants.
Depending on the nature & duration of the service, these partners may also offer preferential rates to our consultants. Head over to the Beyond Work: Freelancer Support section on our website to learn more.
In time, we also plan to build more partnerships that would provide our consultants access to Learning & Networking spaces & events that they normally wouldn’t have access to as freelancers.
We present to you an illustrative sample of our talented consultants who have joined our platform Ravithis month. These experts boast impressive backgrounds and diverse experiences, bringing a wealth of knowledge and skills to our growing community. Here’s a quick glimpse:
Ravi
Biologics Product Development & Project Management Expert with 21 years of experience in project management , PMO operations, lean agile transformation with respect to biosimilars, vaccines and novel biologics.
Krishnan
Senior Market Research and Consumer Insights professional with 30+ years of experience and in-depth knowledge in Marketing, Consumer insights, Market research, Data Management, and Analytics.
Sudakshina
An Executive Coach, Top Team Facilitator and an HR Advisor who brings in extensive experience in partnering with organizations across the entire gamut of HR Solution areas in driving Large Scale Transformations.
