Employees working overnight, especially when facing project deadlines, exemplifies the sociological concept of alienation. Coined by Karl Marx, alienation describes an individual's detachment from their work, society, or self. This disconnect arises when workers feel estranged from their output, the production process, their own humanity, or colleagues. In demanding fields such as IT and advertising, tight deadlines frequently necessitate extended work hours, including overnight stays. This can foster a sense of detachment, reducing employees to production tools rather than active contributors. Such circumstances demonstrate how work pressures can lead to alienation from both labor and personal life, as professional commitments supersede personal health and social connections.
| Phenomenon | Aspect of Alienation |
|---|---|
| Overnight office work | Detachment from personal life and health |
| Work disengagement | Estrangement from the production process |
| High project demands | Intense pressure and diminished autonomy |
Consequently, the applicable concept is Alienation.
| List-I (Thinker) | List-II (Idea) |
|---|---|
| (A) Harry Braverman | (I) Work is broken down into its smallest repetitive elements and divided between workers |
| (B) Mahatma Gandhi | (II) Machinery de-skills workers |
| (C) Karl Marx | (III) Machinery helps to increase production, but will eventually replace workers |
| (D) Frederick Winslow Taylor | (IV) Workers produce only one small part of a product which makes the work repetitive and exhausting |