Two ends!!!

In India, there is a vast gap between how hospitals work and how corporate offices function. Having worked in hospitals for almost three years, I have realized the fundamental difference between a corporate employee and a hospital staff. Here goes my list of factors which explains how our lives are entirely different.

1. In corporate offices, especially the one with foreign joint ventures, dressing up neatly is a must. That doesn't imply hospital staffs don't dress up well, but their dressing is far more simple as they know nobody is going to judge them by their clothes. As far as employees in corporate offices are considered, the way how they are dressed and how they present themselves becomes the crucial factor in building up their first impression. Even a wrinkle on their shirt spoils their mood, whereas, people in hospital don't care much about all these things. I have come across doctors wearing simple cotton shirts with chappals to hospitals.

2. The extravagant buildings and plush offices are the second home to these corporate employees, on the other hand, most people working in hospitals in India just hope to get a clean toilet in their working place. The added benefits like air conditioning, unlimited internet, laptops are like a dream for people working in hospitals. There have been instances when we have asked for these benefits with the management just to get a shady "no" as if we have no use of them!!!

3. People often believe hospitals are the cleanest place, but that's not true. It is an abode to many viruses and bacteria and literally, we have to take extra measures to keep ourselves safe. Maybe because of this, we are either too worried about health or too casual about it. I take cetirizine even if I sneeze once, whereas, I have come across doctors who treat rabies patients without being too cautious. Look at the luck of people working in corporate offices, they are always in a disease free environment, unless some virus secretly invades their plush office through an electronic door by hiding inside some employee. 

4. Corporate employees normally get free coffee and at places, they even get free food. Look at the plight of people working in hospitals, they have to walk all the way till cafeteria (which is normally in the basement or some remote corner) and drink that not-so-hot coffee amid patients who are continuously coughing or their relatives who are crying non stop. Adding on, the coffee normally sucks!!!!

5. The people working in corporate offices are not only living away from diseases, but also, the pain. Their life wanders around fancy buildings, stylish clothes, frequent vacations, fun filled co-workers, lots of laughter and joy. But the life inside a hospital is totally different. We are feeling everybody's pain and seeing their uncontrollable tears. We are unable to laugh at a joke thinking about the situation of a patient. We are unable to wear stylish clothes when we are submerged in a patient's misery. We are unable to be happy when we see sadness around us every day. 

I am not denying that people working in corporate offices have a lot more work pressure and are always forced to perform better to save their jobs. I am not denying the fact that corporate employees don't have a personal life as they are always thinking about work opening an excel file. The best part about working in a hospital is that we have the luxury to switch off and detach from work once we are home unlike corporate employees except some research or study. 

This post is mainly written to highlight why people working in hospitals behave in a certain way. Why it doesn't matter to them how they dress up, why they take more medicines and always worried about health, why they don't look away at the pain of others, why their evenings are dull!!! The place where we work is completely different. The kind of life we live is very close to reality. We are exposed to pain, death, suffering far more than any population. Hence, we are different. 

PS: This post is inspired from real life incidents as my husband and friends work in corporate offices and they don't seem to understand why I am like this!!!!  I am not saying this is the ultimate truth; this is just based on my observations. Agree or disagree!!!!