Once a Major in the Army, Sirisha PN is now working in an enviable position in a corporate organization as Manager, Security and Admin, Hindalco, in Madhya Pradesh. The transition has affected not just her, but her daughter too, who misses being an Army child, but is happy her mother can finally dress up as a woman and wear heels once again. The corporate woman, who misses being an Officer, compares life in the Army and the corporate in a tell-all interview…
I am a person who believes in giving 100% to her job. I put in the best of my efforts in making a difference wherever I am. I have always tried to be a good team member and am glad that my seniors have been considerate to commend my job. Yet the main reason why I decided to quit the service was that all my peers, the gentlemen officers, were detailed for courses, like MTech from IITs. Within the Army too, there are several courses on offer, such as Staff College. These courses are instrumental for further growth and for promotions in the Army. At the same time, they also help you by increasing your knowledge base. While the male counterparts were detailed for these courses, women officers are not eligible for them because we don’t have a permanent commission in the Army yet. For all courses, except for the legal and education branch, women officers do not have a permanent commission. So, they do not have scope for promotion after a particular rank.
We are also not given criteria appointments-these are appointments on which the officer is generally judged on his or her performance which enable his or her further promotion. This affects the confidential reports. Women officers are not given such appointments. Other than that, the prevailing attitude or mindset towards women officers in the Army compelled me to quit. They would think that marks are useless for women. We were never considered for growth prospects. This demotivated me. In spite of putting in my 100 per cent, I had no scope of growth in the Army. Personal reasons were another factor. I wanted to stay and get settled in one place. Though this was a minor reason, dissatisfaction at work was always there because there seemed to be no stability. But parity between men and women was the major reason that led me to quit the Army.
I would call my transition from my military way of life to corporate as someone who has transitioned from “Shriman to Shrimati” (Mr to Mrs).
Our alma mater prepared us to lead our men by example. The rigours of training at the military academy had turned us into manly looking women so much so that when we would go out of the academy for hikes, people would mistake us for boys. They would sometimes restrict us from entering areas reserved for ladies. They would instead direct us to the gents’ side . Once, I happened to lean by mistake on a lady in a bus and she frowned at me. I had to explain to her that I am a woman, but she refused to believe me.
As we all know, after a cadet undergoes training, he or she gets commissioned to be an officer. Once the cadets become officers, they are wished ‘Jai Hind Shriman’ by the juniors. The same applies to women officers. On this note, I would like to share an experience. When my daughter was four years old, she took offence to me being addressed as ‘shriman’ or mister. My daughter once accompanied me for a sports event in the unit and as per the code of conduct, on my arrival, everyone wished me, ‘Jai Hind Saab’. She enquired with me about it and I tried to explain but she was not one bit convinced. At the end of the event, while we were leaving the venue, everyone began wishing me the same way. She could not bear it any longer and turned around and said, “Madam Hai” (she is a madam).
Frankly speaking, I did not prepare for a corporate job as such, initially. I had plans to go abroad but finally, I cancelled them and decided to stay back. We, after completing our short services, are made to do a small course at IIMs. But I could not pursue that. This course is more about gaining a platform where you can interact with your peers and get to know the corporate world a little.
However, I found it very difficult to be placed after the Army. In spite of all the experience and exposure we had as Army officers, it is very difficult to explain it in a civil environment, with the exception of a few companies which have been working with retired veterans. Honestly, most companies do not understand the nitty-gritties of the Army. And that’s why it becomes very difficult to be placed after being in the Army. I have instances where people were not happy because I did not have a specialization in a particular field. Or because I was a woman officer. These things were a little difficult to handle. But in companies which have even minimal exposure of Army services, a retired officer can get placed.
For me, the first challenge was to come out of the mindset of how we were trained in the Army-we were always told that we were officers first and then ladies. We were taught never to expect the privileges of a lady in the armed forces as a commissioned woman officer in the forces. My girl always had a doubt during parties as to why all the ladies were served food first but not me. She always asked me why I had to wear my ceremonial dress for the parties and could not dress gracefully like other ladies. On the day of my last dining out, when I was to exit the armed forces, she asked me if I could wear gorgeous dresses and heels for parties and was very happy to learn that I finally could.
The first challenge I personally encountered was to learn the ways of a lady. I could feel a sea change in the way I comprehended situations as compared to the other ladies. Working with my troops in the ratios of approximately 1:700, there used to be stations where I could not even see a lady for weeks if we did not have a social gathering. Even the tone that I spoke in and my straightforwardness were misunderstood several times. Over a period of time, I learnt about it and started being careful about it.
"In the corporate, the best part is the weekends, where we can recharge our batteries for the following week. At the same time, one feels much more organized personally with these breaks in between. Yet I would say that the support system in the Army was much better and reliable"
Sirisha’s daughter, SamhitaCurrently, I am working as a Security and Admin manager in a private firm. The profile entails ensuring the safety and security of the working premises and township.
The remuneration is on similar lines, but with a marked difference in the perks and privileges, which are incomparable and cannot be outsourced, because, in the Army, it is said that “we earned it”.
Defence is synonymous with discipline and people had the fear of consequences that awaited them on crossing the line. Enforcing discipline was much easier as it was streamlined, and donning the uniform made it a mandate. The system of penalizing helped to ensure easier discipline which is not the case here in my corporate job. Here, it’s more about getting the work done, while discipline is more about individual attitude. In the Army, it was ‘One for all and all for one’. Even if a single person committed a mistake in the team, the whole team was punished.
While in the Army, I learnt to multitask. Extreme multitasking gave me exposure to all disciplines-from physical training to HR, Operations, Admin and many more. I was required to have the hang of everything. Some of my friends would often ask me if there was anything I had not done. It is very difficult to explain, as no one believes that a person could handle so many responsibilities. The system of working and delegation was so organized and strong that I could multitask to the hilt. Being an Electronics and Communication engineer, I was commissioned into the branch of the Army which was responsible for the communications of the Army. I held positions which gave me multifaceted experiences. I had responsibilities of handling communication teams, safety and security of military garrisons, HR functions, administration and facilities of troops including families, operations, logistics, organizing events and grievance handling.
A typical day in the Army would start with PT, then HR functions of training, leave, travel, welfare activities, etc., followed by the conduct of some exam, interview, checking of quality of store from rations to ammunition, ensuring foolproof communications, safety and security…. the list is endless! In contrast, my current job makes me responsible for a specific task, hence I can gain expertise in the same and I feel it will consequently improve my quality of work.
Speaking of opportunities, opportunity-wise, there is not much of a difference. To put it the way my senior would say, it does not matter if you are in defence or corporate, one who is efficient in the Army will be as efficient in a corporate job. There is nothing like “I will relax in the Army and work better when I join the corporate.” I too believe that everywhere growth opportunities are the same for sincere and hardworking people.
The large variety of responsibilities kept us quite busy in the Army. You can have a break only when you are on leave. In the Army, we were working even on weekends and holidays as the job requirements were such. In the corporate, the best part is the weekends, where we can recharge our batteries for the following week. At the same time, one feels much more organized personally with these breaks in between. Yet I would say that the support system in the Army was much better and reliable. We did not even bother if we had locked out homes or not.
"My daughter once accompanied me for a sports event in the unit and as per the code of conduct, on my arrival, everyone wished me, “Jai Hind Saab”. She enquired with me about it and I tried to explain but she was not one bit convinced. At the end of the event, while we were leaving the venue, everyone began wishing me the same way. She could not bear it any longer and turned around and said, “Madam Hai“ (she is a madam)"
Welcome to Ramgarh, on a recce in RajasthanThe Army is an organization which has a well-defined organized structure, where ranks, responsibilities and roles are defined, and people are bound to obey them as it is in a family. All privileges come with a lot of responsibilities. In the corporate, it is more of a linear structure as we are connected more professionally. But, as we say, once a soldier always a soldier. Even when out of the forces, all ex-servicemen stand out and people around us do give us due respect.
Giving sufficient time to a child as a mother is always a challenge for a working mother. There were times when my daughter would be sleeping when I left home and by the time I reached home, she would have gone back to bed. But as the place of work and living accommodation was in the same complex it gave me the confidence that I could be with her in just ten minutes. However, this is not the case in the corporate, as commuting consumes a lot of time. One of the primary reasons for me to choose my current job is that it has a township. Though there is an option to work from home in the corporate, it is not the same in most cases. Ultimately, children of working women are more independent and mature. And I am proud of my girl. In a single day, she had to bid goodbye to me thrice -once for PT in the morning, second, for office and finally, games in the evening, but there was never a day when she cried and asked me to stay back. She is missing the Army just as much as I am. Children whose parents wear a uniform, also learn the etiquettes of the Army. The environment they grow in is very safe and secure and the exposure they get by meeting many people due to the system of posting grooms them well. They become more outgoing and stronger emotionally. However, she is of course not the reason for me to leave the Army.
In the Army, delegation is very important. Generally, you don’t look back after work is assigned. And that is how extensive multitasking is possible in the Army. Here, in the corporate job, delegation level is low. Here it is about how productive you are personally. Teamwork is just part of it, which ensures the completion of your work. In the Army, however, the ratio of the value of individual work to teamwork is 50:50, while in the corporate job it is 80:20, where 80 stands for your own effort, and 20 for external support. It is clear that one can be more comfortable in the Army as you get more responsibilities, but you can perform a lot of tasks together. Because of a rigid hierarchy, there is a lot of pressure about how you are around your superiors. This continues even in your personal time, as you are expected to be together even after office. A unit is one family. Unless you take it as part of your job, you cannot be very comfortable working in the Army. It is difficult to be a loner in the Army, which is of course, a sign of a good system, but sometimes you feel like your privacy is being intruded upon.
On being promoted
In a staff paradeThe Army has taught me to work with loyalty, integrity and grace even under extremely stressful conditions. I understand the real meaning of a team and teamwork, after working with teams from diverse backgrounds. As an Officer, everyone was made to work to the fullest of their potential. We say we never forget our trainers as they push us to the limit of our potential. Though, during the moment, we face hardship, once we have surpassed it, even though with difficulty, we remember it for life-I think that’s why most defence personnel have many stories to share. All such experiences in the Army made me more dynamic and organized. But unfortunately, personally, I found it difficult to be placed with the corporate with my Army profile. More so, being a woman, it is difficult to be placed unless you are picked up from the IIMs after your resettlement courses as the companies coming to the institutes are aware of our experiences and the right jobs for us. We are mostly placed in roles of security and facility, so many companies rejected me, saying they wanted a male candidate. I am glad that few companies, like my current one, recognize the potential of a woman officer and place us at par with our male counterparts.
In the Army, there is stress on leading by example. The same is the case in corporate. Unless you show sincerity and hard work, your subordinates will not show it too. Your subordinates will always reflect the same qualities as you whether in the Army or in corporate. So, there is not too much of a difference between the leadership styles. That said, the scope of interaction with your colleagues and team is much more in the Army, where we go for PT, and games. The scope for rapport building and team bonding is more in the Army. Thus, we know our colleagues inside out in the Army.
What also facilitates team building in the Army is the regular interactions that officers have with each other on several occasions. Thanks to regular interview systems and formal occasions, such as the system of ‘bada khaana’ and the frequent celebrations of cultural activities together, the scope of understanding between colleagues increases, allowing more scope for the extraction of the best out of each other.
However, in corporate, relations are restricted to professional relations. It is up to the other person if he or she wants to discuss his or her personal life with his or her colleagues. That way, you don’t build that cohesiveness here.
"The Army has taught me to work with loyalty, integrity and grace even under extremely stressful conditions. I understand the real meaning of a team and teamwork, after working with teams from diverse backgrounds. As an officer, everyone was made to work to the fullest of their potential"
In ceremonials for a social eveningOne of the major strengths of my current job is that I am concentrating on a specifically assigned responsibility, which helps ensure more perfection and specialization. Secondly, due to the system of posting in Army, one would miss the opportunity to see the completion of many projects one had initiated. But in the corporate, it can be our choice most of the times. Third, in the corporate, we generally change jobs and locations for better opportunities, remuneration and the place of choice of work-mostly it is our decision, but in the Army, it was generally unpredictable and organizational requirements take priority. While in uniform, one has a lot of pressure in terms of being in the right place at the right time, but here, it is quite relaxed in these matters.
To make a choice between the two jobs is difficult. Both have their pros and cons and are not comparable.
In terms of acceptance of women, both are similar. But because of the very low ratio of women in the Army, I had to prove myself every day. Though on the parameter of physical strength, it is not possible to compare or compete with men, I had to be the best in at least one thing. Like while I could not run better than them, I always ensured I was fit enough to do more sit-ups effortlessly. In corporate, I will not say it’s easy but better. Due to the close-knit environment in the Army, one’s reputation reaches the Officers even before one reaches the next location of work, so we had to maintain a reputation, as one mistake would lead to the whole fraternity being blamed. Though the ways of working were different, I do not feel much difference.
Yes, I do miss working in the Army. The feeling when you don the uniform cannot be explained in words. I am sure it is equally difficult for anyone to hang up their boots. Though I had some discomfort while serving in the Army, after hanging up my uniform, I miss the organization a lot. Not only me, but even people around me miss the organization and the warmth of it. I would even say that given an opportunity, I would like to return to the Army.
By Namrata Gulati Sapra
