Source: www.mydigitalfc.com

When puzzled, HR people scratch their heads over how to ensure the flock in the office is happy and delivering. The last thing one expects them to turn to is music. Increasingly, however, companies are beginning to strike a chord with their employees

by actively promoting music bands to build a sense of bonding and belonging among stressed out employees working 24x7.
So, you have the spectacle of executives, who, after having zipped through the day in ties and formal striped shirts attending to their meetings and the daily office chores, switching, when the clock strikes seven in the evening, to tees and jeans, picking up their guitars, saxophones and drums to make music.

The Gen Y professionals, when done with their day’s work, take time out to live their passion — music. Pankaj Bhuttan, a team leader at HCL in New Delhi, says, “Music helps us bond with each other. And that’s the reason bosses encourage us to perform as often as possible.” The band created by Bhuttan and his teammates is named Hydrochloride.

“Music has the incredible quality of making people come together, irrespective of their age, background, work expertise and office position. It’s that magical glue that provides a unique high when you plan an event, prepare and finally perform together,” says drummer Ramesh Prabhu from Birlasoft, which has a band called The Crooners.

Sometimes it’s difficult to balance work, family and music, but office rockers think playing for a band is a great stress-buster. It, of course, helps if the company too is accommodating. Infosys can count among employee facilities it offers a music room on its premises. “We spend a lot of time in this room after office hours and no one disturbs us,” says Vasanth Mohanraj, a member of Algorythms, the Infosys rock band.
Mohanraj adds, “It is difficult to manage everything, but we try our best. We meet after office hours and jam for upcoming shows. Since we are all inclined towards music, we frequently try to spend time together. It is a good break from our daily work. Truly, music is the bonding element for most employees. The band has a mix of talent from different backgrounds and places, but it is music that brings us together.”

Birlasoft thought of starting a band after spotting a lot of talented artistes among its employees during an inhouse cultural event. “The beginning of it all was the cultural event, Spandan, which our company organises every year at all centres. That’s where we spotted artistes from different centres and came up
with the idea of forming a solid band,” says Gerry Ninan, business analyst at Birlasoft, Chennai.

It’s a plus point for the HR initiative as the shared love for the band has led to tight bonding between employees who come from different departments and locations. “Sometimes, all members don’t turn up for a practice session. But there is reason for it — we all come from different departments and our office timings are different. But we manage because we all are in for the gigs,” says Sabjeet Bedi of JWT, which has a band called Bandchoz.

“Every true musician will try and find a way to vent out his musical energy. I guess it is this energy that brings us all together for the bigger picture, which is making music,” says Romit Shilpe, a member of The Crooners, Bangalore.
Those who play together also stay together. “You are no longer boxed into your cubicle. You come out and get to know one another very well. You throw away your inhibitions and bond irrespective of hierarchy,” says Anil Sachdev, founder and CEO of Grow Talent, an HR consultancy firm.

It’s a win-win situation for both employees and the organisation. While it gives employees an outlet for their pent-up energies, the organisation benefits because it’s a way to make people stick together.

The bonding, however, doesn’t end there. These in-house rockers have started coming out of the closet. They not only perform in corporate carnivals, but also take time out to rock ’n’ roll outside the office.

“We play at other events and pubs too. Our bosses are supportive even when we perform outside because it’s an add-on for them too. And when we are passionate about our work too, who will complain?” says Bhuttan.

Most of these people have had some music training before taking up jobs, and at some point of their lives wanted to make a career out of it. JWT’s Niket Kumar had trained for six years in Indian classical music on Hawaiian guitar.

“After a day’s hard work, music gives me the peace of mind. It de-stresses me completely,” he says. Experimenting with various kinds of music is something that gives those who are in office bands an edge over musicians who are not.

“Earlier, I used to play the drums regularly. But of late, I have been fiddling with other instruments like the guitar, the harmonica and the keyboard. So it’s been a mix and match of several things. Practising rhythms is something I do almost all the time, involuntarily too, with whatever I get my hands on. It can happen while I am waiting for the green signal at the traffic intersection or while sitting in my cubicle thinking about the next slide in a presentation,” says Prabhu.

Globally, the trend of in-house music bands is well entrenched. Bands like The Raving Daves of PeopleSoft, Negative Feedback of eBay and Spurious Freedom of Texas Instruments have created ripples on the rock scene from the highest stage.


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