Before transitioning from Water Resources engineering to follow my passion for writing and spending more time at home, I was deeply immersed in my role as a hydrologist or water resources engineer. During that time, I rarely delved into the management of our household, leaving it in the capable hands of my highly efficient life partner – my wife. Like many men of my generation, I had been accustomed to a certain level of domestic comfort, having been raised by a mother who handled all household chores, kitchen work, and management of household staff.

Defined Domains

In our household, my wife and me had delineated clear boundaries between my professional responsibilities and domestic duties. My primary focus was on my career, ensuring that I worked diligently to bring home a salary that supported our household, children, and other expenses. In return, my wife provided unparalleled care and nourishment to our family, meticulously managing all aspects of our children’s education, including attending PTA meetings and overseeing their academic development.

Earlier Financial Constraints

In earlier years, we felt constrained due to my modest income, particularly when a major portion of the income was dedicated to educational essentials and development of the children that were a priority. I now realise that it must have been a strain for her to manage the house all by herself, with just one part time maid to assist her in cleaning the greasy utensils of Indian kitchen. Yet, my wife skilfully managed our modest earnings, ensuring that we could afford to provide our children with enriching travel experiences, which we deemed essential for their education.

Evolved Situation

As our children progressed to college and our financial situation evolved, we found ourselves in a position to allocate more liberal budgets for our household needs. This transition coincided with my own professional growth, affording me some additional freedom and flexibility.

Over time, we recognized the need for additional support in managing our household affairs, leading to the employment of various staff members such as a gardener for our terrace plants, a driver for our car, and domestic helpers for assistance with daily tasks. This level of assistance, while a luxury enjoyed by many urban middle-class families in India, also brought to light the complexities of running a household – a responsibility that often falls on the shoulders of the homemaker, who operates as the CEO of our domestic operations.

In this blog we delve on these similarities and the learnings that emanate from it for the budding managers.

Typical Strategies

As a strategy, the CEOs of our houses, the Lady of the house, adapt most practices similar to the management of a business, a few of which are brought out below:

Budgeting and Economising

As a strategy, the CEOs of our houses, the Lady of the house, adapt most practices similar to the management of a business, a few of which are brought out below:Top of Form

They exhibit remarkable ingenuity in managing household chores, budgeting, and meal planning, showcasing a level of resourcefulness and adaptability akin to what is demanded in the corporate world. Just as business leaders must optimize available resources and pivot swiftly in response to changing circumstances, homemakers adeptly manoeuvre within limited resources to fulfil the needs of their families.

As previously mentioned, during our children’s formative years in school, a substantial portion of our household income was allocated to their development. Leveraging her adept financial management skills, my wife adeptly stretched our modest resources to ensure our children received proper nourishment and well-rounded development. Often placing their needs above her own, she gracefully managed the financial strain with resilience and composure.

Despite the financial and logistical challenges we faced, we remained steadfast in our commitment to providing our children with enriching experiences, including modest holidays within India. Through meticulous budgeting and strategic economic planning, we ensured they received the exposure necessary for their holistic growth and development.

These experiences parallel the trials of fund and resource management encountered in the inception of a startup enterprise. Just as the core team of a startup must adeptly juggle multiple responsibilities and make astute decisions with limited resources, homemakers navigate similar terrain in ensuring the thriving well-being and advancement of their families.

Strategies of Homemakers

Time Management

Homemakers juggle multiple responsibilities in the kitchen, household, childcare, child development, needs of the elders in the household, children school activities and social responsibilities with exemplary zeal and proficiency. Their ability to prioritize tasks and manage time efficiently is commendable. Likewise, in management of a company or business, effective time allocation ensures productivity and prevents burnout.

Exemplary Inventory Management

Exemplary inventory management is evident in the efficient organization of our kitchen. From cereals and pulses to spices and condiments, every ingredient is meticulously arranged for easy access, akin to a well-orchestrated symphony. Replenishments are anticipated and executed seamlessly, ensuring that our pantry remains well-stocked at all times. This intricate balance and foresight offer invaluable lessons for inventory management in both domestic and professional settings.

Transparency  

Homemakers exhibit clear communication skills when negotiating with family members, adeptly resolving conflicts and ensuring everyone is aligned. This clarity extends to interactions with domestic staff such as helpers, drivers, and gardeners, where my wife approaches with compassion while upholding the highest standards of service quality. She demonstrates exemplary conflict management skills, fostering a harmonious work environment among the staff.

During festive occasions like Diwali, the staff receives performance-based incentives, reflecting appreciation for their hard work and dedication. Additionally, my wife takes a personalized approach by engaging in one-on-one conversations with each staff member to understand their household needs. This thoughtful gesture ensures that the gifts selected not only recognize their contributions but also cater to their specific requirements beyond the annual performance bonus.

Maximizing of Productivity

In managing our household staff, I often observe my wife’s thoughtful approach towards optimizing their workload. She is quick to recognize when a staff member is feeling fatigued and will assign them to lighter tasks or offer them a refreshing break, reflecting her commitment to minimizing physical strain while maximizing productivity. This focus on alleviating drudgery while ensuring efficiency is a hallmark of her management style.

During the challenging period of lockdown, when our domestic help was unavailable, we invested in modern conveniences such as a dishwasher and robotic vacuum cleaner to compensate for their absence. Recognizing the benefits these gadgets brought to our household, we made the decision to retain them even after our staff returned. This choice was driven by our desire to minimize the burden on our household staff and maintain higher standards of cleanliness, especially considering the increased dust management challenges we faced.

This approach parallels the practices of companies that prioritize providing a conducive working environment for their employees. Just as businesses invest in amenities and technologies to enhance employee well-being and productivity, we have taken steps to ensure that our household staff can perform their duties comfortably and efficiently.

Party Time     

Around once in a fortnight, after hard work, it is party time by providing home-made meals or snacks they can’t otherwise afford like a Home made Pizza party with liberal use of cheese and vegetables and soft drinks, cakes etc.

Talent Retention

Just as in the business world, retaining valuable workers within our household is crucial. However, achieving this goal goes beyond simply providing timely salaries or bonuses. In our household, we have nurtured enduring relationships with our staff members, some of whom have remained loyal for over 18 years. Even those who have moved on express a desire to return and work with us again. This level of loyalty and commitment necessitates strategies akin to those used in business management.

While companies may offer various incentives such as performance-based bonuses, annual family retreats, or subsidized meals to retain their workforce, such extensive investments may not always be feasible in a household setting. Therefore, homemakers must employ innovative approaches to retain trained domestic help with minimal financial investment. Some of the strategies we have implemented include:

For retaining the best staff and gaining their loyalty, the employer must also be sincere and compassionate. I frequently witness my wife’s dedication to empowering our household staff by educating them about available welfare schemes, offering encouragement, and providing assistance when needed. She goes above and beyond to help them secure admission to government schools for their children and leverages her network to obtain the right medical advice from her doctor friends whenever necessary.

In one notable instance, my wife played a pivotal role in facilitating the release of a widow’s pension that had been held up for years for one of our domestic helpers. Her tireless efforts and compassionate approach not only resolved the bureaucratic hurdles but also demonstrated our commitment to the well-being of our staff members.

These acts of care and support significantly contribute to retaining our trained and talented workers while also enhancing our reputation as compassionate employers. They underscore our belief in fostering a nurturing environment where every member of our household feels valued and supported.

Conclusion

Based upon the above description, if I were to state a vision statement that most well-managed India’s typical urban middle class households follow for day to management, it would be:

• To cultivate a nurturing environment where our primary commitment is to raise children grounded in developing their academic capacities to make a decent living, integrity, compassion, and social responsibility.
• To provide children with exceptional education, nurturing not only academic excellence but also values such as empathy, respect, and resilience.
• To we foster unity, mutual respect, and love within our family. Committed to fulfilling our social obligations, we actively contribute to our community, embodying kindness, generosity, and inclusivity.

The above vision mirrors the principles of a well-functioning organization, where an enabling environment, ethical conduct, and commitment to professional obligations are paramount for all.

Learning

We learn the following strategies to manage an enterprise successfully from the homemakers:

• Budgeting, prioritising, and economising without compromising the attainment of main objectives. Typically such a situation will be faced by all startups in the nascent years with less revenue, limited staff, low revenue, financial constraints. The household management teaches to remain calm, think innovatively, think harder, work harder and never to lose focus on the objective.
• Management with transparency and accountability similar to management of a family can be emulated by the organisations to generate a sense of belonging to the organisation. This can promote an atmosphere of mutual trust and commitment to building up an organisation.
• To efficiently manage resources for maximising the well-being of the family duly adapting to resource constraints with flexibility and ingenuity without compromising on the quality.
• To maximise the productivity, the managers have to be vigilant similar to a homemaker and quickly grasp the difference in behaviour of an employee and take thoughtful action like the clever homemakers who would quickly resschdule tasks and assign lighter tasks or refreshment break to enhance their productivity.
•  To retain talent by cleverly addressing their needs with minimum cost to the organisations like a clever homemaker who prefers spending time on facilitating release of a free benefit from other sources first and buys loyalty of the staff with minimum spending of Company’s resources.
• Leading by example like the homemakers in India (perhaps all over the world!) with dedication, hard work, and commitment inspire family members. Likewise in an enterprise too if the top boss leads by example, s/he generates unparallel commitment from workers.

 The above blog brings out the striking similarities between developing the household from a humble start to a well-functioning home and developing an enterprise brick by brick. Kudos to Indian Home Makers for invaluable lessons to budding managers!