Aayushi BansalAIR 7 · CSE 2024 · 2 wordsTheir whole copy
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6 more toppers’ answers to this question, part by part, and how they all approached it: open the question.
UPSC Mains 2021 · GS IV · Q12 · 20 marks · 250 words · Case study
Pawan is working as an officer in the State Government for the last ten years. As a part of routine transfer, he was posted to another department. He joined in a new office along with five other colleagues. The head of the office was a senior officer conversant with the functioning of the office. As a part of general inquiry, Pawan gathered that his senior officer carries the reputation of being difficult and insensitive person having his own disturbed family life. Initially, all seem to go well. However, after some time Pawan felt that the senior officer was belittling him and at times unreasonable. Whatever suggestions given or views expressed by Pawan in the meetings were summarily rejected and the senior officer would express displeasure in the presence of others. It became a pattern of boss’s style of functioning to show him in bad light highlighting his shortcomings and humiliating publically. It became apparent that though there are no serious work-related problems/shortcomings, the senior officer was always on one pretext or the other and would scold and shout at him. The continuous harassment and public criticism of Pawan resulted in loss of confidence, self-esteem and equanimity. Pawan realized that his relations with his senior officer are becoming more toxic and due to this, he felt perpetually tensed, anxious and stressed. His mind was occupied with negativity and caused him mental torture, anguish and agony. Eventually, it badly affected his personal and family life. He was no longer joyous, happy and contented even at home. Rather without any reason he would loose his temper with his wife and other family members. The family environment was no longer pleasant and congenial. His wife who was always supportive to him also became a victim of his negativity and hostile behaviour. Due to harassment and humiliation suffering by him in the office, comfort and happiness virtually vanished from his life. Thus it damaged his physical and mental health.
- (a) What are the options available with Pawan to cope up with the situation?
- (b) What approach Pawan should adopt for bringing peace, tranquillity and congenial environment in the office and home?
- (c) As an outsider, what are your suggestions for both boss and subordinate to overcome this situation and for improving the work performance, mental and emotional hygiene?
- (d) In the above scenario, what type of training would you suggest for officers at various levels in the government offices?
हिन्दी में
पवन पिछले दस वर्षों से राज्य सरकार में अधिकारी के पद पर कार्यरत है। नियमित स्थानांतरण के अंतर्गत उसे दूसरे विभाग में तैनात किया गया। उसने अन्य पाँच साथियों के साथ एक नए कार्यालय में कार्यभार ग्रहण किया। कार्यालय का प्रमुख एक वरिष्ठ अधिकारी था जो अपने कार्यालय की कार्यप्रणाली में निपुण था। सामान्य पूछताछ के दौरान पवन को पता चला कि वरिष्ठ अधिकारी का खुद का पारिवारिक जीवन अशांत होने के साथ-साथ वह कठोर और असंवेदनशील छवि वाला है। शुरू में लगा कि सब ठीक चल रहा है। हालांकि, कुछ समय बाद ही पवन ने महसूस किया कि उसका वरिष्ठ अधिकारी आमतौर पर उसको अपमानित करता था और कभी-कभी अविवेकी था। बैठकों में पवन जो भी सुझाव देता था उन्हें सिरे से खारिज कर दिया जाता था और दूसरों की उपस्थिति में वरिष्ठ अधिकारी नाराजगी व्यक्त करता था। यह वरिष्ठ अधिकारी के कामकाज की शैली का तरीका बन गया जिसमें उसको गलत ढंग से दिखाया जाता, उसकी कमजोरियों को उजागर किया जाता और सार्वजनिक रूप से अपमानित किया जाता था। यह स्पष्ट हो गया कि यद्यपि ये काम से संबंधित कोई गंभीर समस्या/कमियाँ नहीं थीं, लेकिन वरिष्ठ अधिकारी हमेशा किसी न किसी बहाने से उसे डाँटता और उस पर चिल्लाता। पवन के लगातार उत्पीड़न और सार्वजनिक आलोचना के परिणामस्वरूप उसके आत्मविश्वास, आत्मसम्मान और समभाव को नुकसान पहुँचा। पवन ने महसूस किया कि वरिष्ठ अधिकारी के साथ उसके संबंध और अधिक विषाक्त होते जा रहे हैं तथा वह निरंतर तनावग्रस्त, चिंतित एवं दबाव महसूस करने लगा है। उसका मन नकारात्मकता से भरा हुआ था और उसे मानसिक यातना, पीड़ा और व्यथा को झेलना पड़ रहा था। आखिरकार, इसने उसके व्यक्तिगत और पारिवारिक जीवन को बुरी तरह प्रभावित किया। घर पर भी वह अब उल्लसित, प्रसन्न और संतुष्ट नहीं रहता था, बल्कि बिना किसी कारण के वह अपनी पत्नी और परिवार के अन्य सदस्यों के साथ अपना आपा खो देता था। पारिवारिक वातावरण अब सुखद और अनुकूल नहीं रह गया था। उसकी पत्नी, जो हमेशा उसका साथ देती थी, वह भी नकारात्मकता और शत्रुतापूर्ण व्यवहार का शिकार हो गई। कार्यालय में उसके अपमान और उत्पीड़न के कारण उसके जीवन से आराम और खुशी लगभग गायब हो गई। इस प्रकार इसने उसके शारीरिक और मानसिक स्वास्थ्य को नुकसान पहुँचाया।
- (a) इस स्थिति से निपटने के लिए पवन के पास कौन-से विकल्प उपलब्ध हैं?
- (b) कार्यालय और घर में शांति, प्रशांति और सौहार्दपूर्ण वातावरण लाने के लिए पवन को क्या दृष्टिकोण अपनाना चाहिए?
- (c) एक बाहरी व्यक्ति के रूप में वरिष्ठ अधिकारी तथा अधीनस्थ दोनों के लिए इस स्थिति से उबरने और कार्यनिष्पादन, मानसिक तथा भावात्मक स्वास्थ्य में सुधार के लिए आपके क्या सुझाव हैं?
- (d) उपर्युक्त परिदृश्य में, आप सरकारी कार्यालयों में विभिन्न स्तरों के अधिकारियों के लिए किस प्रकार के प्रशिक्षण का सुझाव देंगे?
How a topper answered the closest question
Toppers wrote this one in a test series: “You have just been appointed as Additional Director General of Central Public Works Department. The Chief Architect of your division, who is to retire in six months, is passionately working on a very important project, the successful completion of which would earn him a lasting reputation for the rest of his life. A new lady architect, Seema, trained at Manchester School of Architecture, UK joined as Senior Architect in your division. During the briefing about the project, Seema made some suggestions which would not only add value to the project, but would also reduce completion time. This has made the Chief Architect insecure and he is constantly worried that all the credit will go to her. Subsequently, he adopted a passive and aggressive behaviour towards her and has become disrespectful to her. Seema felt it embarrassing as the Chief Architect left no chance of humiliating her. He would very often correct her in front of other colleagues and raise his voice while speaking to her. This continuous harassment has resulted in her losing confidence and self-esteem. She felt perpetually tensed, anxious and stressed. She appeared to be in awe of him since he has had a long tenure in the office and has vast experience in the area of her work. You are aware of her outstanding academic credentials and career record in her previous organisations. However, you fear that this harassment may result in compromising her much needed contribution in this important project and may adversely impact her emotional well-being. You have also come to know from her peers that she is contemplating tendering her resignation. a) What are the ethical issues involved in the above case? b) What are the options available to you in order to complete the project as well as to retain Seema in the organization? c) What would be your response to Seema's predicament? What measures would you institute to prevent such occurrences from happening in your organization?”
Toppers’ answers to other close questions
- P worked as an Assistant with a state government run Corporation. She was reporting to M, who was working as an Officer. During the course of work, M used vulgar language and tried to develop proximity with P. At that time, P openly expressed to M she did not appreciate his behaviour. This resulted in M giving more work to P and making her wait in his cabin for prolonged periods. Since the hostile work atmosphere became unbearable for P, she verbally complained to her seniors. Nothing happened for months. Since M threatened to spoil confidential record of P and destroy her career by falsely entangling her in corruption charges, P complained in writing. CEO of the Corporation handed complaint to the HOD of the department. The written complaint resulted into appointment of an officer to inquire into the complaint which concluded that P's complaint was false and recommended her transfer. As a result, P was transferred to other office. P approached a union leader and an NGO for help. At that time P was not aware about the existence of the Vishakha guidelines and the Law on sexual harassment enacted in 2013. Due to their help the administration formed a complaints committee although it didn't adhere the members' criteria of Vishakha guidelines. Though P produced witnesses, committee concluded it could not be said conclusively that P was harassed by M. In addition the committee commented negatively on the nature and work performance of P. The Corporation closed the case after giving warning to M and transferred him to rural posting on promotion. a) What will be your reaction after reading the above case study? b) Analyse the ethical issues in handling of P grievances. c) Suppose you are the secretary of the department which has jurisdiction over the corporation and P sends details of her grievances then what are the options available to you? Evaluate them and choose the best option, giving reasons.1 answer
- Ms. Sharma is the Director of the Department of Health and Family Welfare in a large Indian state. The department is responsible for implementing health policies, managing public health facilities, and ensuring the delivery of healthcare services. The workforce comprises a mix of senior officials, mid-level managers, and frontline health workers. Over the past few months, Ms. Sharma has received multiple complaints about Mr. Arvind Gupta, a senior official known for his authoritative management style. Mr. Gupta is a performance-driven officer who sometimes publicly berates subordinates and intimidates staff to get work done. One such complaint came from Ms. Anita Verma, a mid-level manager who reported that Mr. Gupta publicly berated her during a department meeting, calling her "incompetent" and "useless" in front of her peers. Ms. Verma stated that this incident severely impacted her mental health and work performance, causing her considerable distress. Other employees shared similar experiences. Mr. Ravi Kumar, a junior officer, recounted an instance where Mr. Gupta threatened to terminate his employment if he failed to complete an unrealistic workload within a tight deadline. He described Mr. Gupta's behaviour as harsh and demeaning, with frequent outbursts of anger and unwarranted criticism that created a climate of fear and anxiety in the workplace. Despite his behaviour, the despite his behaviour, Mr. Gupta is known for his extraordinary performance. He has played a key role in implementing several successful health initiatives, which has led to significant improvements in healthcare delivery in districts. His expertise and dedication have made him an indispensable asset to the department, making the decision to address complaints against him complex. Ms. Sharma is faced with a difficult decision. She knows that she must be firm, but she is also worried about the disruption in work flow due to action against Mr. Gupta.3 answers
- You are a young, aspiring and sincere employee in a government office working as an assistant to the director of your department. Since you have joined recently, you need to learn and progress. Luckily your superior is very kind and ready to train you for your job. He is a very intelligent and well-informed person having knowledge of various departments. In short, you respect your boss and are looking forward to learning a lot from him. Since you have good tuning with the boss, he started depending on you. One day due to ill health he invited you to his place for finishing some urgent work. You reached his house and before you could ring the bell you heard shouting noises. You waited for a while. After entering the house the boss greeted you and explained the work. But you were constantly disturbed by the crying of a woman. At last, you inquired with the boss but his answer did not satisfy you. The next day, you were compelled to inquire further in the office and found out that his behavior is very bad at home with his wife. He also beats up his wife. His wife is not well educated and is a simple woman in comparison to her husband. You see that though your boss is a nice person in the office, he is engaged in domestic violence at home. In such a situation, you are left with the following options. Analyse each option with its consequences. a) Just ignore thinking about it because it is their personal matter. b) Report the case to the appropriate authority. c) Your own innovative approach towards the situation.1 answer
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) Examination 2021, General Studies Paper IV, Q12. The paper on upsc.gov.in. Themes and links to toppers’ answers are by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.