Salary Day ~ perception and the happiness of physical cash

Today, being the last day of Month,  would make us happy.  Mostly one would receive a SMS about salary being credit to the Account ~ stop on way back home, to withdraw cash from a nearby ATM is routine of many…………  have you ever thought what you are missing  !!

Before you read this,  a couple of famous quotations:

** Humans see what they want to see.

**Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.

Is it all about perception ! ~  Perception (from the Latin perceptio) is the organization, identification and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the environment. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs. For example, vision involves light striking the retinas of the eyes, smell is mediated by odor molecules and hearing involves pressure waves. Perception is not the passive receipt of these signals, but can be shaped by learning, memory and expectation. Since the rise of experimental psychology in the late 19th Century, psychology's understanding of perception has progressed by combining a variety of techniques.

We  perceive or have our own thoughts of many things without ever realizing that they could be far different from what we think them to be…  some would not care to know what in reality it is, worser still, some would only hear to those voices, which correspond to our style of thinking and ignore any deviant thought or words. 

Sure all of us schedule our activities, right from getting up to going to bed ~ and hence look to the clock often checking whether our activity is in tune with the time we intended to happen.  Some have the habit of setting up the clock / wrist watch a few minutes faster ~ the logic being that when you notice time, one will still have time to do the intended activity ~ but will one not be lethargic or take that for granted, as one knows that the time seen does not represent the real one but is actually.. XX minutes faster !!!

Coming back to the day – sure getting the salary for the hardwork done for the month, makes everyone feel happy.  Still, the bank credit takes away the pleasure that lesser mortals used to enjoy.  In PSUs and in most Private companies as well, salary disbursement was a hectic, interesting, important activity.  The Accounts Department [usually] would withdraw sufficient money for disbursal ~ then a group of people would sit together in the process of ‘salary cover’ – the net salary of each individual would be carefully put inside the cover in different denominations ~ Xnos. 100; some 50s; some 20s, some 10s etc., and one’s joy knew no bounds when one can touch, feel and smell the new currency notes………  In fact, getting to know the actual salary by looking at the salary slip before the salary day, taking possession of physical cash, feeling it – all provided  such wonderful moments of happiness, which somehow are missing when you take out cash from ATM mechanically.

It is another matter that some employees would create another ‘salary cover’ on their own, to show at home, a much lesser amount, keeping a hefty pocket money in the process…. !!

The salary disbursal in cash generally was on the penultimate day of the month. Salary in cheque would be paid 3 days in advance to that ~ there was the rule that employees should not keep Account in the same branch from which salary cheque was being issued.  In the month of March alone, the disbursal of salary would take place much earlier, to accommodate proper accounting before the year end activity. 

Some friends used to quip that if ‘salary day’ could be advanced it would make them more happier; I had that perception that it would not do any wonder ~ for instead of 30th, if you are to receive your salary by 25th of every month; after a couple of months, one would say that it would give greater happiness if salary could be received by say 20th !!!!  ~ perceptions, dear.

Down under in Newzealand, there is the pay roll system known as ‘Novopay’ thorugh which school teachers get their salary. There have been widespread criticism on its functioning.  Now there is news that Ministry of Education have moved payday for teachers forward to December 21 to make sure payments with the plagued Novopay system go smoothly. So, School staff will receive their Christmas pay on December 21.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

30th Nov. 2012.