The Ethics of Time in Modern Work Culture: Discipline, Productivity, and Human Values in a Changing Society as Reflected in Chetan Bhagat's Works

The changing economic order in India, following the liberalization process, has brought
about a paradigm shift in work culture from traditional and collectivist approaches to highstakes and productivity-oriented settings. This paper examines the ethics of time in the
contemporary setting, exploring the interface between discipline and productivity, and
human values of empathy and well-being. Through the sociological lens of the literary
works of Chetan Bhagat, we will investigate the depiction of the Indian middle-class
workforce and the ethical dilemmas they encounter. The works of Bhagat often underscore
the conflict between the clockwork requirements of corporate time, as defined by
deadlines, efficiency, and the need for constant availability, and the natural requirements
of the individual. Moreover, the paper will reflect on the impact of technology in eroding
the distinction between work time and personal time. By drawing parallels with the latest
approaches to annotating work-related conversations, such as the TexPrax approach, we
will contend that the "informalization" of work communication has further complicated the
ethics of time management (Stangier et al. 2022). The paper concludes that while discipline
is an economic imperative, the sustainability of the modern workforce depends on
reintegrating human values into the temporal logic of the workplace.