Pawan is working as an officer in the State Government for the last ten years. As a part of routine transfer, he was posted to another department. He joined in a new office along with five other colleagues. The head of the office was a senior officer conversant with the functioning of the office. As a part of general inquiry, Pawan gathered that his senior officer carries the reputation of being difficult and insensitive person having his own disturbed family life. Initially, all seem to go well. However, after some time Pawan felt that the senior officer was belittling him and at times unreasonable. Whatever suggestions given or views expressed by Pawan in the meetings were summarily rejected and the senior officer would express displeasure in the presence of others. It became a pattern of boss’s style of functioning to show him in bad light highlighting his shortcomings and humiliating publically. It became apparent that though there are no serious work-related problems/shortcomings, the senior officer was always on one pretext or the other and would scold and shout at him. The continuous harassment and public criticism of Pawan resulted in loss of confidence, self-esteem and equanimity. Pawan realized that his relations with his senior officer are becoming more toxic and due to this, he felt perpetually tensed, anxious and stressed. His mind was occupied with negativity and caused him mental torture, anguish and agony. Eventually, it badly affected his personal and family life. He was no longer joyous, happy and contented even at home. Rather without any reason he would loose his temper with his wife and other family members. The family environment was no longer pleasant and congenial. His wife who was always supportive to him also became a victim of his negativity and hostile behaviour. Due to harassment and humiliation suffering by him in the office, comfort and happiness virtually vanished from his life. Thus it damaged his physical and mental health.
(a) What are the options available with Pawan to cope up with the situation? (b) What approach Pawan should adopt for bringing peace, tranquillity and congenial environment in the office and home? (c) As an outsider, what are your suggestions for both boss and subordinate to overcome this situation and for improving the work performance, mental and emotional hygiene? (d) In the above scenario, what type of training would you suggest for officers at various levels in the government offices?
Approach · directive: “what options / what approach / what suggestions / what training”
What it asks · (a) State Pawan's options; (b) suggest his approach to restore peace at work and home; (c) advise both boss and subordinate; (d) suggest training for officers at various levels.
The question has 4 parts — answer each
- (a) State the options available to Pawan to cope with the situation
- (b) Suggest the approach Pawan should adopt to bring peace, tranquillity and a congenial environment in the office and at home
- (c) As an outsider, suggest measures for both the boss and the subordinate to overcome the situation and improve work performance and mental and emotional hygiene
- (d) Suggest the type of training for officers at various levels in government offices
Open with · WHO estimates 12 billion working days are lost yearly to depression and anxiety; a humiliating boss has carried Pawan's distress from office to home.
Cover
- (a) Options: private talk with the boss; documenting work; mentor and peer support; escalation to a higher authority if harassment continues; transfer as last resort.
- (a) Personal coping: exercise, yoga or meditation, counselling if needed, and keeping office tensions from spilling into family life.
- (b) Approach: emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-regulation), respectful assertive communication, focus on quality of work, separating office from home and involving the family as support.
- (b) At home: share the problem with his wife, apologise for outbursts, and rebuild routines of time together and rest.
- (c) Boss: recognise the impact of his style, listen, give private and specific feedback, appreciate good work, and seek help for his own stress.
- (c) Subordinate and organisation: clarity of tasks, solutions offered, records kept, allies built; mediation by a senior, a clear grievance route and wellness support.
- (d) Training: emotional intelligence, stress management, assertive communication, conflict resolution, people-management for supervisors and dignity at work, by role through Mission Karmayogi.
- Anchors: WHO data and manager training; Tele-MANAS helpline; Nolan leadership principle; iGOT Karmayogi behavioural courses; tiered training by level.
Close with · Calm, documented action restores the office and honesty the home; the lasting fix is training supervisors to lead people, not command files.
Add value (verified)
- WHO: an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety, costing US$ 1 trillion a year in lost productivity. Mental health at work — WHO fact sheet ↗“Globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity.”
- WHO recommends manager training for mental health, so managers can recognise and respond to supervisees experiencing emotional distress. Mental health at work — WHO fact sheet ↗“To protect mental health, WHO recommends: manager training for mental health , which helps managers recognize and respond to supervisees experiencing emotional distress; builds interpersonal skills like open communication and active listening;”
- Tele-MANAS, the National Tele Mental Health Programme, was launched on 10 October 2022 as a free 24x7 toll-free helpline (14416) offering tele-counselling. Advancing India's Mental Healthcare and Well-Being — PIB backgrounder, Budget 2026-27 series (February 2026) ↗“National Tele Mental Health Programme (Tele -MANAS) 12 • Launched on October 10, 2022, as a 24x7 toll -free helpline (14416 or 1 -800-891-4416). • Provides free tele -counseling for mental health”
- Nolan principle of leadership: holders of public office should exhibit the principles in their own behaviour, treat others with respect and challenge poor behaviour. The Seven Principles of Public Life — Committee on Standards in Public Life, GOV.UK ↗“1.7 Leadership Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.”
- iGOT Karmayogi: more than 1.48 crore users and over 4,200 courses across domain, functional and behavioural competencies (PIB, February 2026). PIB — Parliament question: iGOT Karmayogi platform (5 Feb 2026) ↗“As on date, more than 1.48 crore users have been onboarded, and the platform hosts over 4200 courses across domain, functional and behavioural competencies, with more than 7 crore course completions.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2021, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 385 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
The WHO estimates that 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety. Pawan's case shows how a supervisor's humiliation travels from office to home and body.
(a) Options available to Pawan
- Endure silently: avoids conflict, but the damage to health and family deepens.
- Talk to the boss privately: name the pattern calmly, ask for feedback in private and for clear expectations.
- Document and seek support: keep a record of work and incidents; turn to a mentor, peers and counselling.
- Escalate formally: a written representation to the higher authority or grievance cell; transfer only as a last resort.
(b) Pawan's approach for peace at office and home
- Emotional intelligence: notice anger before it reaches home, answer criticism with facts rather than temper, and see that the boss's troubles explain, but do not excuse, his conduct.
- Assertive, not aggressive: keep performing, act on specific points, and refuse to accept humiliation as normal.
- At home: tell his wife what is happening instead of passing on the anger, apologise for outbursts, and restore shared time and rest. (Since then, Tele-MANAS, a free 24x7 helpline launched on 10 October 2022, has offered tele-counselling.)
(c) Suggestions for both boss and subordinate
- For the boss: public humiliation lowers performance. Give feedback privately and specifically, acknowledge good work, and seek help for his own stress; the Nolan principles expect leaders to "treat others with respect".
- For the subordinate: seek tasks in writing, bring solutions with problems, protect sleep, exercise and hobbies, and use counselling early.
- For the office: mediation by a senior officer, a confidential grievance route, and 360-degree feedback so a supervisor's conduct counts in his appraisal.
(d) Training for officers at various levels
| Level | Training focus |
|---|---|
| Junior officers | Stress management, assertive communication |
| Middle supervisors | Feedback, coaching, conflict resolution |
| Senior leaders | People-centred leadership, psychological safety |
- Manager training: (since then) the WHO has recommended training managers to recognise and respond to supervisees in emotional distress.
- Delivery at scale: the iGOT Karmayogi platform (since then) has come to host over 4,200 courses across domain, functional and behavioural competencies (2026); make people-management modules mandatory for supervisors, with refreshers.
Pawan can restore his office through calm, documented action and his home through honesty with his family; the lasting answer is a service that trains supervisors to lead people, not merely command files.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.