Youngest victim of Offshoring

I have been moonlighting on this blog since August’06 in my avatar of a corporate blogger. During the time I have enjoyed chronicling my observations and referencing experiences of my colleagues in the trenches and ivory towers alike. Like many Indian born technologists, I have benefited professionally from globalization and flattening of the world.. having begun my journey even before the phrase was coined by Tom Friedman.

I have also interacted with victims of global sourcing, some folks who were either downsized or laid-off when their organizations decided to offshore work. During the past few years, I have also been shocked to hear of occasional victims of offshoring: colleagues and peers who were involved in traffic accidents, while commuting to work and some dying while on assignment in foreign lands.

To the list of victims of offshoring, I would like to add Aditya Mohan. Aditya, our 4.5 month old baby, died on board an international Jet Airways flight that was landing in Delhi. His death, during my business travel with family, under unusual circumstances brought home the unpreparedness of the system and infrastructure to support those involved in the business of offshoring:

• Nandan Nilekani blogs “Are there parallels that can be drawn to derive some actionable insights to help transform Discoms to profit-making, world-class organizations?” I guess Nandan is not talking about Airlines from India that are globalizing despite their lack of preparedness in offering world-class service?
• The lack of crisis support system in India. I have heard from friends and colleagues about their experiences on landing in India. In some cases I would just shrug my shoulder thinking what’s the big deal about a bit of hassle of shuttling from an international airport terminal to a domestic one? Not knowing how to react when an aircraft lands with a young child in a serious condition… I am not sure if any excuses in this regard are conscionable. [ps: you could help by reviewing and signing my petition asking authorities and the airline to investigate]

The incident is making me reflect on the merits of frequent cross-country travel that many of us in the business of sourcing undertake, sometimes with young families. We do realize the risks in the back of our minds but one can say the professional benefits and advantages generally outweigh such hazards. The point where the line between personal and business risks gets blurred is unclear to me. ....… Dear Aditya RIP

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