Business Friday

Since early ages, Friday has always been a special day. Be it the day when Jesus was crucified (Good Friday) or the holy day of Islam (Jumma) or fasting day for Hindu (Maa Santoshi Mata). Friday has always underscored its significance in every kind of civilization. Our very own software industry also pays a special tribute to this day of the week. Known as ‘Business Friday’ all over the global corporate, this day is observed as a day where life takes an off-track from the daily ‘off-whitish’ routine to a ‘colorful’ roadway. Yes, we are talking about clothing and attire. This day endows the liberty to the corporate employers to shed off their pale (and boring) formals and get a hang on to the casual (here it is called as semi formals) wear.

Our office also marks this as a special day. After donning those formal and heavy clothing from Monday thru Thursday, this day comes as a pleasant break from their daily (machine like) life. This is the day that observes an upheaval of brands. The formal wear brands that ruled all week long are mercilessly replaced by casual and sport brands. The Excalibur trousers are replaced by Pepe jeans. The Pan America shirts are substituted by Nike t-shirts and the Titan Gold changes to Timex Fast-Track!! Not only this, there are sundry other transformations that are observed. Those feet which were accustomed to wearing heavy ‘Red tape’ shoes are un-encumbered to light ‘Nike’ trainers. (Though I could be seen much more comfortable with my leather chappals.) The shiny black belts are switched to bottle green or gray fiber belts. The people, who were nice and dapper during the other weekdays, could now be seen in faded jeans and electric red t-shirts. The ladies, as if, find it very orthodox to wear the traditional Indian wear and are seen in branded attires. This day marks equality of men and women as both the races are sighted wearing the same fashion. Those nice and timid people of the department are now seen wearing t-shirts having messages like ‘I hate my work’ and ‘Dogs are loyal. I work for money’… what a noble thought!!

Not only this day has effect on dressing but the life style for this day also changes. All throughout the week people eat at the office cafeteria, but on Fridays you can see them at the nearest fast food joints and pizza corners during the lunch hour. Business Friday sure brings a lot of business to the food and hospitality industry! All this change is a cover, actually people takes this day as a medium to rejuvenate and enjoy celebrating a ‘pre-weekend’ spree. But there are some unfortunate ones also who have to work at weekends, nevertheless they still enjoy this ‘feel good’ day. At evenings, they part with each other with the spirits high enough to have a rollicking weekend ahead!! They turn-of their cell phones so as to avoid any impending predicament in form of a call from the work thereby disrupting the whole enjoyment.

In short, Business Fridays are those days which signifies a deserved change from the mundane IT world, fun and light mindedness an more so, add a ‘human touch’ to the soul of the corporate world. This, indeed, is a ‘branded’ day. Branded because this is what we IT professional go for. After all we are in one of the highest paid professional industry. (Really!!!! Is it so??)