Nowadays it feels like people are waiting for an excuse to get upset and angry about things. No matter how innocent or harmless the activity is, you can be sure that there is someone out there ready to feel outraged by it. Earlier this week a video was posted where a foreign client visiting the India office was greeted with a dance performance and then invited to join the dance.
This is something that is a lot of fun and something different for the visiting client to remember the visit by. I have been part of international visits to clients and have hosts clients and counterparts in India over the years and what I can tell you is that most people would love to experience something traditional during their visit. Earlier this year we had a person from our US office visiting and this was during the festival season so there were a lot of decorations like rangoli etc and traditional dances as well. They loved experiencing that and told everyone how they loved being able to experience the traditional celebrations.
Similarly, when I visit my counterpart offices or clients in other countries I ask them to take me to local / traditional places so that I can experience the non-touristy life in that country. While I have never been welcomed with a dance performance, I did get to see the local teams performing in the anniversary celebrations and it was a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, as I said earlier people are ready to be outraged by the smallest thing as that is what the social media algorithm rewards with more views. The video of the dance was posted online with the following caption:
“India should stop chaprification of corporate offices. This is so pathetic to see Indian girls dancing in office and welcoming a foreign client and the bechara (poor) client also forced to dance. Such showcasing will only make other countries feel Indian offices are casual and not worthy of serious work.”
I have worked in companies across 3 continents (and offices in 6 continents) and I can say based on my experience that no company is going to judge you for the work based on if you have welcomed a client with a dance or not. They judge you on the deliverables and timely completion of tasks. I have attended cultural events in US offices, France, UK and nowhere did I feel that the company was not serious about work.
If you ask me if I would have participated in a dance welcome then the answer is no because I am a bad dancer and to conscious about how I dance to do it. But as long as the participation was voluntary for the employees this is harmless fun and something memorable for the client. In Hawaii visitors are welcomed with a garland and dance, so that should also be cancelled correct? What about the time where New Zealand MP’s staged a haka over a controversial proposed law? Is that also unprofessional and does that make the NZ parliament ‘casual and not worthy of serious work’ ?
Too many people in India think that the only way to make us look professional is to copy the western culture and behavior. That is the key reason behind this ‘outrage’ and we need to get over it. We have a rich & beautiful culture and we should be proud of it.
Source: Employees welcome client to office with dance performance. Video sparks outrage
– Suramya