Sleeping in the office can cost you your job!
Are you used to that afternoon siesta in the office? Beware, you can lose your job! And you think only government officers sleep in the offices? Even private sector employees do so but they lose their jobs unlike their cousins in Government! The Supreme Court in its latest judgement has upheld the decision of Bharat Forge, an engineering company, to dismiss an employee who was found sleeping while on duty.
Obviously the Court does not approve sleeping while on duty and the punishment of dismissal from the job is not considered harsh for the misconduct.
In fact several organisations have this classified as a misconduct. As per Section 32A (16) of the FCI Conduct Regulations, Sleeping while on duty is misconduct. So is it in AAI and Oil industry. And is so stipulated in the Public Enterprises Model Conduct Rules specified by the BPE.
The Delhi High Court had last year upheld the dismissal of a DTC employee for sleeping while on duty. In Babulal(conductor) vs DTC, the High Court had on 10.2.2004 observed, also taking notice on one fact namely, rank indiscipline in the staff of the DTC which has today accumulated loss as of more than Rs 500 crores, I find no infirmity in the action taken by the Management of DTC.
The Kerala High Court in Sumindra Prasad Vs Commandant, CISF in a 2002 judgement had held that Sleeping while on duty in not a minor lapse.
When policemen were found watching TV during a cricket match in a police station, the Police Chief said that he was happy that they were not sleeping.
All those who sleep in the offices should now realise that sleeping while on duty can end up in their losing their jobs.
Does this apply to Government? Though the Civil Services (conduct) Rules do not specifically bar sleeping during office hours, there is a rule which stipulates that a Government shall not do anything unbecoming of a Government servant. Sleeping in office is certainly unbecoming. In many of our sarkari offices, especially the senior officers have their afternoon siesta. These officers have ante-rooms with well furnished beds where they can happily sleep at government cost. You can see a red light in full glory outside these officers’ chambers around 2 p.m every day, indicating they are busy and are not to be disturbed. They are! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Don’t disturb them; they are sleeping! If a poor tired worker can be dismissed for sleeping during office hours, should a well paid senior officer be excused for sleeping in the office? Sleeping officers, Please abandon your bed rooms in the office, awake arise and rest not as long as you have your job intact!
I am often invited to the Academy for taking classes and I had always understood the plight of my students in bearing with my boring classes and so I never disturbed a sleeping student! Now I know nobody will sleep in my class, for I can tell them, they can lose their jobs for sleeping in even a boring class like mine!
A question in the CAT examination:-
Brazen: Like brass, shameless behaviour
The defence of an army deserter
The moralising speech of a corrupt politician
The underhand dealings of a trader