TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013
workplace
HONEY, I HAD A JOB! A man was jailed for four years after staging a £9,000 robbery at his former workplace in an effort to convince his wife he had a job. He was working at a discount store and had taken to sleeping in his car. To stop his wife’s questions on his state, he committed the crime.
FOLLOWING YOUR HEART
15
KNOW YOUR COMPANY
Passionately at work
H
arini Rao, besides being a mesmerising Hindustani vocalist and a Chartered Accountant, is mostly known for her unique terracotta jewellery. From being a customer to fulfilling the desire to customise her jewellery, designing for friends and acquaintances to retailing online, Harini has come a long way. Her designs went to Bangalore and came back materialised and ready to wear. A couple of years ago she apprehensively put up her first stall during a cultural fest at her former workplace. To her surprise, she was out of stock in no time. Today her Facebook page is buzzing with pictures of terracotta necklaces, earrings, anklets, bracelets and pendants with constant hike in the number of likes and orders, of course. Now she is an excorporate employee investing all her time in creating what she loves and is making a comfortable living from it. KANCHAN AGARWAL kanchan.a@postnoon.com
“A
lright, the secret of happiness is simple: Find out what you truly love to do and then direct all of your energy towards doing it,” said inspirational speaker Robin Sharma in his first book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. Taking this advice to heart and acting on it are a few city entrepreneurs who make and sell what they love and have successfully converted their hobbies into full-time professions without any academic support whatsoever.
No matter the number of degrees or qualifications you gather, there is always a one part of you which harbours that dream profession — the one you are truly passionate about. We speak with some who made their passion their profession.
Meghna Cherukuri spent a lot of her childhood making sketches of lehengas, kurtas and other Indian garments. In spite of her love for clothes, when it was time for her to go to college, she was forced not to opt for fashion designing. “Back then people saw it as a kind of tailoring. So my father didn’t really think it was a good idea,” she says. But when you have talent for something, you cannot help but let it out. Even as a commerce student at St Francis degree College, Meghna made best use of her dressing sense and mixed and matched her clothes in all interesting combinations. Aiding her passion was the admiration and compliments
Intel Technology
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hasing what she truly loves is another young entrepreneur Akanksha Bhandari whose cupcakes are fast becoming a musthave at any gettogether. This 21year-old fresh graduate was selling cupcakes to her friends, common friends and other customers even before she realised her true calling. “As I kept delivering these casual orders, I realised this was my calling and decided to pursue it seriously.” Although her parents are fabulous cooks, Akanksha’s cupcakes are a result of her fearless experiments in her kitchen. Her parents, she says are the force behind her decision to continue her dream of being a cupcake maker. “My dad has always asked me to do what my heart tells me to,” she says.
These women have chosen difficult paths but the ones that bring them true happiness. They do not wake up each day cringing about going to work. she received at her workplace from her colleagues. Although she went to acquire her MBA degree after graduation, she is now a full-time fashion designer. It started off when on being encouraged and pushed by family and friends, she assembled a small collection of anarkalis and lehengas and displayed it at a
small exhibition. She was discovered by The Project (a designer store) and since then there has been no turning back. Being your own boss comes with a quota of challenges, overcoming which is part of being a grand entrepreneur. These young women have chosen difficult paths but the ones that bring them true happiness. They for sure do not wake up each day cringing about going to work. “It takes a lot of hard work but when you see the final product, there is satisfaction. You have to be patient and passionate. Without patience, your passion can turn your venture into a messy affair,” concludes Akanksha.
Intel Technology India Pvt.Ltd focuses on creating innovative products that advance the next generation of technology. Intel with its strong technology heritage, provides an opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology, pushing the boundaries of innovation and transforming the way people live and work. The company started operations in 1988 and is headquartered in Bangalore. It boasts of more than 3,300 employees.
DID YOU KNOW...
Confidence in the business world in London is at an 18-month high according to surveys published by both Icaew/ Grant Thornton and Lloyd’s Bank with the former predicting that the surge in its Business Confidence Monitor Index from +4.2 at the nd of last year to 12.8 now suggests the economy will grow by 0.4 per cent in the first quarter, avoiding a triple dip recession.
EMPLOYEE ATTENDANCE
The time to talk about an employee attendance problem is when you first notice it.Meet with the employee privately. The sales floor, lunch room or an open cubical are not the right settings for discussing employee absenteeism. If necessary, choose an offsite location like a coffee shop if no private location is available at work.
Explain how the missed work days hurt the business, too. Often an employee is unaware of how calling off impacts sales, service or company image. Discuss the specific cost of the employee absences to your business. After the meeting, monitor his/herattendance and address any additional concerns as soon as they arise.