I always envied Shalini because no matter what, when or where she seemed cool and composed. Having witnessed her on several occasions I had this firm conviction that nothing could ever go wrong with this woman. She was so much in control of everything. So, I was almost shocked out of my wits when she told me that all was not well with her. She was going through a phase of serious depression. She really needed help to decide whether she should give priority to her career and the material luxuries it offers or her marriage, which she says is on the rocks.
Shalu and her husband both work in BPOs. Since they work in shifts, though they live under the same roof they seldom see each other. Needless to say their life as a couple is non-existent. The house can be best described as extremely disorganized. The husband who once seemed to be her heartthrob now seems to be a nit-picking pain.
This is not a problem that is unique to Shalini but as I found out it is a problem that almost 75 of the married couples working in BPOs face. Of course there is no one size fits all kind of solution. But, a smart start would be to carefully consider each others expectations from marriage. Ideally these should be written down. More importantly, take into account the problems like- working in shifts and odd working hours. So, if your idea of a happy marriage is one in which the couple kiss each other goodnight all 365 days of the year, then you have three options that can give your story a happy ending. 1. Think again about marrying a BPO professional. 2. Be realistic and forgive each other if your expectations are met only halfway. And make the most of your time together.
3. One of you could switch to another less demanding job.