Techies may have to work Saturdays also – Silicon India news item

Here is a quote from the article in Silicon India

“According to the sources, there is a move among
the BPO and IT companies to get their onsite and offshore employee to
work for 50 hours a week, instead of 40 now

Background: Most Indian software companies depend on offshore projects. So the billing is dollars. The pay is in Rupees. When the rupee starts appreciating like crazy, the companies are caught off guard as the margins start eroding. They can’t reduce the salaries of employees without risking mass exodus.  So they have to think of “innovative”ideas.

My point: This is a tough problem to handle. There needs to be fundamental shift in the way work is viewed. A shift from “hourly” rate to “value” rate. For God’s sake, we are supposed to be “knowledge workers” so isn’t the measure really the “value we pack in an hour” that counts?

What more “value” can a disgruntled employee add in the additional 10 hours per week.

On a lighter note, are companies thinking that techies are not even working 50 hours per week?