Hard work hardly works ? Part 2

How do you define ‘hard work’?  How you explain what, how and where it matters ?

Let’s take a series of analogies to analyze this as to how it works (or not works rather) in various faculties and walks of life:

Workforce and labor market (cutting across various industries, demographics and market segments)

Arts, Fine Arts, Performing Arts and Education (cultural or sociological differences notwithstanding)

Politics, diplomacy, media and communication (no continents  being exclusive)

1)      Workforce and Labor Market (Trade, Commerce and Industry, including Public & Private Sector)

Consider any scenario of workers engaged in their day to day work processes, you will find by and large every work exerts ample efforts and gives his whole energy and time to deliver his targeted output for whatever objectives they are working for; by whatever means, talent, skillset, knowledge, capabilities utilizing their technical or academic knowhow and expertise they are aware of or have been trained unto. 

In every scenario, they engage themselves in various capacities right from a low-wage to high profile positions in an institution. Some work for 8-10 hours per day religiously; some work only less than 6 hours still their inputs in the process to achieve the organization or institution’s goals makes more sense. Each of them contribute in one way or other for the success or targeted results end of the day.

Some never work at all, but they know how to smartly exploit others’ work to their benefit and claim end of the day that they are the key contributors to the progress of the entire work being completed.

One would say these guys are ‘smart workers’, while they are neither smart nor do any meaningful work other than simply exploit those who truly work hard and reap the benefit.  In political terms,  it’s known as ‘Chanakya’ tools.

In certain geographies (South East Asia for instance), expatriate workers from South Asia literally toil their day in and day out to make a living for whatever they are paid for with a sheer hope to make a living to meet their familial or personal obligations and commitments back home to support their near and dear ones.

Yet, these expat community are seen as a threat to local and ethnic workforce as if the former is depriving the fortunes and opportunities available for the latter, especially considering the wages the expats manage to get while the ethnic group thinks they are lost in the battle to survive and are forced to compete in all respects right from obtaining the requisite skillset, knowledge, experience and expertise just only to match that of the expat community.

Certain countries in the region also offer immigration opportunities to such expats to settle down in the long run by way of governmental offering to the expats to become permanent residents en route to becoming future citizens of the host country or land. 

Becoming a permanent citizen or citizen in the host country comes with its own obstacles, compromises, sacrifices from all perspectives (ethical, emotional, psychological barriers to be overcome before taking a final decision whether or not to give up their native citizenship with a view to obtain the new one in the host country).  Indirectly, this impacts the local and ethnic citizenry at large, since the competition is limited to a reasonable extent as long as these expats continue their livelihood as expats; the moment expats want to become citizen in the host country, the real competition enhances to extra proportions exponentially.

In other parts of the world, like the Middle East or Gulf Region, the situation is totally different.

The South Asian community of expats who migrate to Middle East or Gulf Region historically migrate only to make a sustainable living and earning from their sheer hard work with all its prices they pay in the process viz. the routine compromises, sacrifices leaving their near and dear ones from their familial background only to improve or enhance their social and economic viability to make a sustained living with the current rate of inflation and economic conditions worldwide. They are no different in terms of exerting unequivocal effort, time and labor similar to their counterparts elsewhere in the South East Asia. 

However, the Gulf expats cannot think of migrating in the host country permanently nor convert as future citizen, due to local laws and statutory stipulations.

In either part of the vertical here, the level of competition, exploitation, individual sacrifice and compromise and the amount of hard labor that one had to endure is no different nor becomes the subject matter to dispute.

The level of exploitation of the truly hard-working labor force by the so-called smart workforce in the Gulf region is significant to note in that there are certain expat community not from South Asia but from local brethren from Middle East do take advantage of their native language.  One used to wonder at times – comparing the South Asian expat with their counter part from Middle East - as if what it takes for the latter to enjoy more benefits and compensation just because they have the linguistic advantage than the South Asian expats.

Most of the instances, one notices, from the external outlook, it’s nothing to be blamed or case to ponder for the South Asian workforce because they go their themselves to make a living so one is expected to face such exploitation and so the resulting compromises to sustain a continued and balanced living, only to ensure their familial near and dear ones are safe-guarded and protected with the sheer foreign exchange these expats contribute to their native country they belong from.

This makes the South Asian workforce all the more vulnerable in terms of the compromises they continue to endure for an infinite period, at times it goes decades long that they don’t bother to return to their home-country because year after year, they accrue more and more obligations and commitments back home that they aren't in a position to afford to forego the gulf job and its benefits that come with it, the lack of it if they look for opportunities in their home country. 

In the first place, they need to take a reasonable at times unreasonable amount of financial loan or obligation just to secure a job offer in the gulf market; and the in the process of sustaining that job, they need to digest whatever exploitation, low-income or no income during their stay in the region to make a living.

Thus, the hard work to endure a hard living for a life-long tenure in Gulf or Far East Region makes the task all the more significant for these expats to make and endeavor anything to survive, else they must be ready to forego a decent living for themselves, but also to their beloved family back home. 

    (to be continued)