The Burnout Barrier – A Desi Corporate
Story
Cast:
Narrator – Prajwal
HR – Priya (played by Sagarika)
Team Lead – Rohan (played by Kankshit)
Manager – Mr. Iyer (played by Rohith)
Employee 1 – Anita (played by Sravya)
Employee 2 – Raj (played by Manisha)
Employee 3 – Megha (played by Ishita)
Scene 1: Office Floor
Prajwal (Narrator): The team’s been burning the midnight oil. But the exhaustion is now
louder than the keyboard clicks.
Sravya (Anita): Arey Manisha, did you even go home last night?
Manisha (Raj): Home? I literally freshened up in the 5th floor washroom.
Ishita (Megha): Same here. We’re living in the office, boss.
Sravya: We seriously need to talk to Kankshit. This sprint is going off the rails.
Scene 2: Team Lead’s Cabin – Kankshit (Rohan)
Prajwal (Narrator): The first barrier – fear of escalation. They finally decide to speak.
Kankshit (Rohan): Come in, team. What’s the update?
Ishita: It’s not about the update. We’re exhausted.
Manisha: There’s no bandwidth left.
Sravya: The goalpost keeps shifting.
Kankshit: I get it. But it’s crunch time.
Manisha (muttering): Yeah but you’re not debugging pipelines at 2 a.m.
Scene 3: Manager’s Cabin – Rohith (Mr. Iyer)
Prajwal (Narrator): Here’s a perceptual barrier. The manager sees overwork but interprets
it as inefficiency.
Kankshit: Sir, the team’s running on fumes.
Rohith (Mr. Iyer): This is IT services — pressure toh hota hi hai.
Kankshit: They don’t feel heard.
Rohith: They should file a concern. Everyone’s working hard.
Scene 4: HR Bay – Sagarika (Priya)
Prajwal (Narrator): Finally, someone listens with empathy. A moment of psychological
safety.
Ishita: Sagarika, can we have 5 minutes?
Sagarika (Priya): Of course. Sit, sit.
Sravya: The load’s been crazy.
Manisha: We’re firefighting without direction.
Sagarika: I’ll raise it informally and need someone to fill the form.
Scene 5: Cafeteria – Midafternoon chai break
Prajwal (Narrator): From frustration to initiative — a new tone begins to emerge.
Ishita: What if we suggest a one-day outing?
Manisha: Even a simple breakfast would help.
Sravya: Or badminton, music… something to reset.
Ishita: Let’s pitch it properly.
Scene 6: Manager’s Cabin – Outing Proposal
Prajwal (Narrator): Assertive, respectful communication can shift mindsets.
Kankshit: Sir, a one-day outing this weekend.
Rohith: No overnights? No cost escalation?
Kankshit: All planned. Just a reset.
Rohith: Fine. Loop in HR and send a proposal.
Scene 7: Weekend – Eco Retreat
Prajwal (Narrator): The outcome of open, respectful communication? Trust. And recovery.
Manisha: Ishita, that smash was epic!
Sravya: No Slack, no Jira — just silence!
Ishita: Can we add communication to sprint planning?
Scene 8: Monday Morning Stand-up
Prajwal (Narrator): A culture shift doesn’t take a manual — just a bit of courage and care.
Kankshit: You all look fresher than my weekend biryani.
Sravya: Thanks for backing us up.
Ishita: Let’s keep speaking up.
Manisha: Or wait for HR forms to tell us we’re human.
Closing – Optional
Prajwal (Narrator): In Indian offices, we juggle and adjust. But real strength is knowing
when to speak — and how to listen.
