Article – Other People’s Money -OPM
Photo credit: singhajay from morguefile.com
It is a very interesting to note how people handle money, especially money from banks or institutions which is not their own.All the money laundering happens only with OPM ( Other Peoples Money ).There is always a distinction between mine and yours.Our experience is that if one can handle others money properly the same is true for self.
Youth of this genre have to have everything by the time they are out of their teens ! This is the pressure kids are in these days; I can share a story of my brothers friend who hails from a middle class joint family with an uncle who was a task master.This uncle worked for a MNC and retired as a clerk. He could not earn much and wanted to change his lifestyle at the cost of Dhir.Nothing was seen amiss till Dhir finished his studies.Dhir was an obedient hard working simpleton who was religious and straight.On completion of his studies he joined a good company and with decent salary.
He worked in sales development and was travelling quite a bit.A couple of months later uncle started his antics and tutelage.Dhir was upset because his uncle told him he could’nt survive in the corporate world with this attitude.He was naive, he even claimed exact amount for travel expenses without taking inflation ( gharflation -expenses at home) into account.
As the struggle continued, Dhir had to grow up so did his family requirements.And he was not even married yet…A couple of years later Dhir becomes a very successful in his job and his extra claims go unnoticed as the going was good.
Since we evolve from monkeys , in the corporate world, there is a habit like monkeys, if the immediate BOSS questions the entire tribe will echo ! The make belief that Dhir is doing well was noticed by all including his uncle.His requirements also go up so as the pressure on Dhir.
In the fourth year promotion is denied to Dhir, so he quits and joins the competitor.Here he is the boss and he calls all the shots. Old habits die hard and Dhir becomes the darling of the accountants in the company gossip circles about his extravagant expenses. .His expenses have shot up more than the Business head.But times were good.Dhir had the audacity to buy the latest Bose system from US and some very personal items with the company’s credit card The company audit team was patient as the topline was growing with a bottomless pit !.
All good things must come toan end.The luxurious lifestyle had seeped in so much that his bathrooms were modified like Taj suite where he stays 4 days a week.
OPM is an addiction, an indvidual like Dhir should have been careful.The ego of an individual plays up when comparison are made with his colleagues.The only way to overcome this status crisis was to yield to it.But for the Uncle and family Dhir was a Blue eyed boy who could buy anything with the flash of his credit card ( corporate )!
Can we all call the uncle as Emotional extortionist…..
Trust is the basic underlying factor when one joins a company..But such attitudes do not last long and every person has to pay the price for Financial irregularities There are one or two such elements in any organisation,Everyone knows ones death knell is from financial irregularity than the successful performance.
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