It has been a tumultuous week for leadership at Rockswell IT Company in Hyderabad. In an unprecedented move, staff from Generation Z have unionized and implemented a policy mandating that if a supervisor assigns any task that requires more than basic effort a No Objection Certificate (NOC) must first be issued by the employee.
Mr. Manoj, a supervisor at Rockswell IT who manages a team largely composed of Gen Z workers, expressed his frustration with the new process. “Even a simple task like sending an email to a customer now requires a signed NOC from the employee assigned to it,” he said. “As you can imagine, there are a lot of NOCs that have to be drafted, reviewed, and signed throughout the day.”
Minal Kumar, a vocal Gen Z union organizer, defended the policy, arguing that the NOCs are a vital safeguard against unnecessary stress and unwarranted effort. “Work can be mentally challenging, and when it gets too much, it’s, like, very cringe,” she explained.
The NOC process involves filling out a detailed form outlining the specifics of the task, its estimated time commitment, and the level of mental engagement required. Employees then review the request and decide whether they feel equipped to take it on. “Sometimes I get NOC requests that are, like, so sus,” said Aditya, a junior software developer. “Why should I reply to a customer email when I could be working on something that’s more meaningful to me?”
Management at Rockswell IT has been scrambling to adapt to this new reality. HR has started conducting workshops on how to craft task requests that will be palatable to employees and less likely to be rejected. The company is even exploring the possibility of hiring dedicated “NOC consultants” to streamline the process and reduce friction between supervisors and employees.
Meanwhile, the Gen Z union has proposed additional amendments to the workplace policy. These include mandatory breaks for scrolling through social media, a “no-work-after-4:00 PM” clause, and hourly mental-health check-ups. “We’re not saying we don’t want to work,” Minal clarified. “We just don’t want to work as much. And if that means saying ‘no’ to something that doesn’t vibe with us, then so be it.”
