NGOs Mistreating Their Employees

www.pakpositive.com NGOs or Civil society organizations in Pakistan are considered symbol of progressive attitudes, liberalism and a resisting factor to capitalist business approaches. In terms of employment, people in these organizations are considered high salaried, enjoy better working environment with lots of rights and benefits but the true picture seldom appears on surface.

One such organization whose claim of fame is being the largest local NGO of Pakistan, working in more than 70 districts on human rights and governance improvement, having office in posh F-10 locality in Islamabad, with millions annual budget from international donors and largest volunteer base, are few of its attributes but how they perceive and treat their own employees is difficult to believe.

In the month of December 2011, when Rawalpindi and Islamabad were witnessing riots due to gas load shedding and CNG unavailability, the organization clearly told its staff that it's "the responsibility of staff to timely reach office and return home".

The employees who take pick & drop (bear in mind that the organization provide pick and drop to its employees) were also being told that the organization don't provide any kind of support (late night drop, drop from different route, stay facility in case situation gets worse) for employees who are stuck in office and can't go back home. The reason given behind all of these are:

• drivers have to sleep early that's why they can't give late night drop
  
• vehicles repair costs more if something happens
  
• it's not the policy to leave route and go from other route
  
• it's not organization's responsibility to drop people home, even to those who come by office vehicles
  
• Vehicle will drop to a place where no such situation occurs. From there onwards, employee can walk. If such is a case, then employee should leave valuables like laptops, cell phones etc in office. Mind it that there is also an age old trend in this organization, of lifting things by "unidentified persons" like cell phones, cash etc (even cell phone credit went away) during working hours and no one caught so far.
  

The only benefit they allowed is that employee can stay in the office and can sleep on whatever is available (usually chair) as there is nothing that can be provided in office.

I always curse my boss and place where I work, my timings, deadlines, targets, money making strategies (though they compensate me well) but after hearing all this, I thanked God that I am not in such a nasty organization, who claims to be human rights champions but themselves don't know what humanity & right is.

Mistreating or leaving employees after working hours, even if they are on official duty, especially in life threatening situations is something bitchy in nowadays working world. Feel sorry for people who work in this particular organization or other such organizations. May God give their bosses, the wisdom they are in dire need. ngo employees www.pakpositive.com