If the Contestants of India's Bigg Boss Season 11 were Office Workers

Sabyasachi Satpathy

Sabyasachi would be playing an important role in the organisation, either heading Finance or HR, while hardly ever being acknowledged for his high competency and dedicated hard work. He would perhaps hardly even be seen or noticed, even by his direct superiors and subordinates, on most days. This, while more often than not, him not just doing his own work with excellence, but also taking on a little workload from all those below him and above him in the structure. He would not get any thanks, but he would not need any either.

He'd be highly sensitive and caring towards everyone in the organisation, genuinely. He will never shy from helping anyone, even if the most he would be in the position to do, would be to lend a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. His fault would be that most people in the organisation would be tempted to exploit his quiet, helping and nice character. And most who would exploit him, would get away with it.

If Sabyasachi ever falls sick or needs to be away on leave, he'd be overwhelmingly missed, with things collapsing all around without him. Such will be the times when everyone would actually notice his existence and importance. If he were ever to leave the company, top management would be frantic and at least a couple of other employees may wish to abandon the company if not contemplate suicide (quite literally).

Sapna Choudhary

Sapna is the more vocal and visible face of the support department that Sabyasachi probably heads. She is not in a senior position but she is a strong disciplinarian who speaks her mind. She is an organisational enforcer, by default, something accepted by the senior management as necessary, to ensure that things are accounted for. She is not always right, and her temperament needs some work.

She has had no shortcuts in life, and has struggled hard from the pits to get to where she is. She has ambition to go further, without wanting to compete with anybody, and she is willing to work for it, which she does. When the rewards don't come, which she deserves, she buckles and becomes difficult to please or work with.

Sapna has a soft interior beneath a tough shell, which is no secret. Others in the office sometimes take the risk of exploiting that soft inside, to good returns, and they do get away with it. And Sapna ends up paying for it. Being dedicated to and excellent at what she does, she is an asset to the company nonetheless.

Vikas Gupta

Vikas would be a meticulous and far sighted senior management person in an important strategic role. To the board and the CEO he would seem almost indispensable. He'd be in the position to threaten to leave whenever things don't go his way and the company would seem to do all it takes to retain him.

Vikas would be the thinker who'd know where the business is, and he'd never fail to demonstrate the undeniable ability to plan the best ways to take it.

An objective rationalist, he'd be able to put aside any difference, no matter how serious, with anyone, to work towards success. His objectivity would also prevent him from taking sides with people who are wrong. He'll indulge in some office politics, but unlike most office politicians, his intention and purpose would only be to steer people towards the common organisational goal.

He will sometimes take a fall for others to take care of them because he sees the business sense in doing so. At the same time, he will not shy from holding a rigid stance and making tough decisions, where he feels he needs to. He does not come to work to make friends or enemies. He is strictly business. All business. Generally though, whether he is seen as such or not, he is a nice guy, who wants to be nice to others, as far as business or the organisation's overall interests would allow in his view.

Shilpa Shinde

In a supporting administrative role, Shilpa makes sure the water dispenser is always topped up and the office is never short of stationery. She has limited talents, which she uses with honest dedication. She is also falsely arrogant and egoistic about those limited talents which cause her attitude problems.

While not anywhere near the rank, competency or importance to the organisation as Vikas Gupta, who is her boss, Shilpa likes to act and be treated as if she is his boss. A careful sweet talker who is secretly highly insecure knowing well the limits of her competence or talents, she tries to secure her position by keeping her work closely guarded and playing vicious games against anyone she believes is a threat to her, both overtly and covertly. She misuses her natural gift of innocent appearance quite effectively to veil her nefarious intentions as well as actions born of her insecurities. And she clings, to anyone who she thinks can or will support her. Over time, she will gradually manipulate, very subtly and meticulously, the very people she clings to into believing that they need to cling to her.

Also because of the limited scope of her work, given her abilities, she is susceptible to boredom. To solve the issue of her boredom, she will engage in deep politics by encouraging, inciting, instigating and rallying others in subtle ways, that will lead to explosive results, which make for great entertainment for Shilpa Shinde. The others may suffer. She will enjoy it.

Mehjabi Siddiqui

A more able administrator than Shilpa Shinde, Mehjabi is also probably more focused on her work, into which she also probably puts in a lot more, but only to be overlooked or to go unnoticed because she does not know how to draw attention to herself. She probably is also accommodating to a fault, where she relinquishes the tasks sought by Shilpa Shinde, and takes on all the less appealing work, or work Shilpa Shinde cannot do.

Mehjabi is the kind of worker, similarly to Sabyasachi, that will only be noticed when is not in the office, because things start falling apart without her. Unlike Sabyasachi though, Mehjabi is a lot more temperamental and confrontational. It does not matter who you are, you would not want to be on the wrong side of an argument in the office with Mehjabi because she is more than capable of a ferocious response, but she is not a politician and will tell you what she feels only right then, to simply forget it right after. Being nowhere near Sabyasachi in qualification, caliber and rank, she is nonetheless comparatively an easy target for others jealous of her or who need to bully someone.

Arshi Khan

Arshi Khan is the receptionist that actually draws business from many male executives from other companies, whether as suppliers offering a good deal or promising to be loyal clients, because they are hoping for an excuse, to on occasions walk through the entrance of the company where Arshi is at the reception, just to look at her.

Arshi knows that she would never win a pageant, and is hardly as vein as the impression of her may be, but she knows she looks good and shamelessly flaunts her good looks without seeing the need to enhance them.

She may take long tea breaks and lunch breaks (think super long) but is otherwise hardly ever away from her station though there is hardly anything that she ever does besides giggling on the phone with male inquirers all day, while polishing or filing her nails. At every company retreat, she takes away all the prizes for all the games or recreational activities. She also does a splendid job of entertaining at the Dinner & Dance or at any event thrown for the clients. You cannot trust her to organize anything though. That does not mean that she is not the absolutely best person to count on to entertain.

While she is naive enough to believe that scandalous rumors about her 'exploits' are funny, she is not exactly what she appears to be. She is far more self-respecting and holds more decent personal values than do many of her other more respected colleagues. As hard as that is to believe, it is just that her sense of humor is acutely misplaced. While she is never going to rise above reception for her laziness, she certainly is not incompetent or unintelligent, except when it comes to her humor and self-image.

Bandgi Kalra

Bandgi is probably the lowest level tech support staff, that does not know very much beyond basic trouble shooting. Even if she does know more, she is not of more help. She is one of those persons who is probably very slow to respond to anything, and even slower at fulfilling her tasks, though which she won't ever fail at, because there won't be much for her to fail at.

If the company ever wants to consider streamlining or cost-cutting, Bandgi would probably be one of the first few in line to go. That is because everyone knows this quiet technician wanting to be left alone is better at and more interested in her hair, dressing and make-up than actually doing her job.

Bandgi's visible motivation to come to work is to romance and capture the star salesman bringing in the big money clients.

Puneesh Sharma

For what Puneesh wants, he knows he needs money and lots of it. He is willing to earn it one way or the other, and he very well knows how to.

Puneesh is a high IQ streetwise hustler, who is well-connected and knows how to get his foot through any door. It runs in his blood.

Puneesh is bringing in the most treasured high dollar value clients, at the relatively early stage of his career. He is willing to work 48 hours straight if he has to, to get the job done. His flaw is that it has always been getting to his head and he is not going to learn, before it is too late someday. His arrogance is either going to land him in the hospital at the end of a fist fight or in jail. If not, he is going to get fired after making millions for the boss, with a nasty reputation that will follow him into all subsequent interview rooms.

Akash Dadlani

Akash would be that junior most sales or business development guy that will never bring in the high value business or sales, but he will bring the high volumes cherished by the company for stability. A noisy workhorse, he will never be promoted, often thus feeling unappreciated despite his volumes, because he is uncoachable, unteachable and incapable of improving due to his stubbornness. He will honestly always believe he is always learning and improving, but it won't be true.

His hard work cannot be disputed, but he has a huge blind spot, that his conduct is hardly professional, and he can't see it. While clients will find him entertaining and thus will never turn him away from their doors, his colleagues, will either mostly find him annoying, or a necessary pain to have around because of the volume of sales he brings in, even if of low dollar values.

Most of the workplace conflicts, arguments or disagreements, will somehow either revolve around Akash or will see him drawn in. Beneath a thick layer of bravado, he really is a gullible village buffoon that is a pawn for others, and everybody knows it except for him.

Dhinchak Pooja

She is that extra intern taken on by the company that people don't expect too much from, but give her what they'd rather not do themselves and won't mind if she isn't too great at it. If she throws tantrums out of frustrations of not understanding what is happening around her, everybody will be quick to put her down, but everybody knows, that she knows little.

The best thing about Pooja is that she knows that she isn't very great but that does not stop her from trying because she is a staunch believer in effort and self-confidence. Eventually, she will go rather far in life because of such qualities, but for now, it is time to go back to the last lap of her sheltered life in school to finish her education. For now, whatever little exposure she has gotten of the real world, is enough, just for now. Her time has yet to come.

Benafsha Soonawalla

Benafsha is an over-qualified lowest level admin assistant, a shared resource at that, tasked with administrative duties like photocopying and filing, but nobody knows what she actually does, because in reality, whatever her seniors need of her, they are doing themselves, without even thinking of her most of the time.

It is a mystery to everyone in the office how she graduated from college, for she always seems lost in space somewhere. The other women in the office hate going to the washroom after her. The cleaning lady who cleans the ladies' washroom curses her. Nobody wants to go near her desk. And she leaves a mess everywhere, to the extent that it is amazing.

Luv Tyagi

Luv is the office boy that delivers stuff from one place or another. He is very dispensable and his absence will hardly matter. He tries to assert a semblance of self-importance through uninvited aggression and misplaced bravado. Basically, he is the office nobody that tries to act like the office thug. When the senior management has time to notice him or think about him, he will be fired.

Priyank Sharma

The office playboy. He is in sales or business development, performing nowhere close to either Puneesh Sharma or Akash Dadlani, which is why he is extremely jealous of both of them. He is also feeling extremely threatened and insecure by the performance of both those colleagues. This leads him to act up by engaging in lowly politics, mud-slinging, rumor mongering and so on. He tries to instigate and provoke both the other men, and he wants a fight, because he needs to let out his frustrations physically. That is something understandable given he has far more muscle than he has intellectual horsepower.

For a while, he'd try to earn the favors of Vikas Gupta, but only until he'd realize that Vikas is too objective, after which he'd surrender himself as Hina Khan's puppet, in false hope that she will protect him. He would not need all that, if only, instead of spending so much time in the gym or flirting around, he'd put in more effort, into his work.

Priyank is the guy that scares the other male employees away from attending the Dinner & Dance with their wives or girlfriends. Part of the reason Priyank's sales are poor, is that he cuts his own opportunities by unconsciously limiting his options to only female prospects.

The only reason Priyank got the job, was because of his looks and the stack of lies he presented at the interview. It is a decision that the management is already regretting and thinking about correcting, with all the fights he is always going around starting. And no, Hina Khan is not going to be able to help him. And even if she could, it is not like she would.

Hina Khan

Hina Khan is the all time biggest mistake of the company. The company should never have hired her. She is toxic, divisive, destructive and everything negative. Nothing nice or positive about her.

Hina is the reason the company would make a loss. She drives wedges. She turns people against each other. She incites and instigates. She is petty. She is childish. She spends more time in the washroom, working on her hair and make-up, than she does at her desk. When at her desk, she is busy provoking conflicts, after which she will try to appear to intervene, as a problem solver, of importance. When she gets caught out, she will cry, with actual tears (boy she is an actress there alright) to earn sympathies.

Hina was a long-time employee at a previous company, because she had nowhere else to go, and that company did not have the means to replace her and could not replace her because it was already facing high turnover of good staff, much to her credit.

Hina herself is of mediocre caliber, and though in no management position, behaves as if she runs the company. If she can't pick on anyone else, she will pick on the receptionist Arshi Khan.

She knows people see right through her facade from time to time, but she tries to manipulate them anyway, into thinking that either they have a misconception or that she has been wrongly presented, either with a game of words or with her phony tears.

The trouble the company has, is that it is difficult to attribute Hina's faults to her, so not wanting accusations of wrongful dismissal, management puts up with her. Unfortunately, the company bleeds good talent, because of her.

Hiten Tejwani

This one will be a little long.

He has come into the corporate world with shinning bright transcripts from a world's Top 50 university and a premiere postgraduate school after. He has never had to think about struggle, challenge or climbing in his life. That he'd be successful, has never been a question.

Born into an affluent family, raised in elite circles and gifted with a high IQ coupled with access to high wisdom early in life, this man is bound to be at least deputy to the CEO if not the CEO by his mid-40s. Eventually, his career will see him as a Chairman of the board of an important corporation. With all that, he does not need much attention and he knows that.

Whatever Hiten does, he does it well beyond expectations and excellence, without fanfare or flamboyance. He is a cross-functionally trained all-rounder and does not shy from challenging rotations across contrasting functions within the organisations. If given unflattering tasks, he will do them well, without fuss, just the way he would do something highly envied.

Hiten will never be in a hurry or a rush towards success. He knows it is always coming and he never has to chase it. He works hard even if no one sees it, feels it, thinks it or knows it. His results are seen very clearly. Every time a promotion is up, based on the results he quietly produces, Hiten's name is always up without a challenge.

He is probably in senior management, to which he has gotten pretty fast. He will outlast and outgrow Vikas Gupta, which is no secret to anyone. On most days he walks, jogs or cycles to work. On some days he opens the office and leaves an hour after the second last person. On other days he spends the work day on a golf course with no one complaining, because he is cutting big deals through blue tooth or face-to-face with his fellow golfers.

Hiten does not engage in conflicts or politics. He is the grand master of both though. And he is the biggest opportunist you can find. While he does not meticulously plan or craft strategies like Vikas Gupta, he knows how to identify, capture and exploit opportunities without having to work his brain too much. And when he spots a conflict, disagreement or politics among others, he knows exactly what to do with any of it to elevate both his image and position. This subtle difference is the reason why someday Hiten will be the boss of Vikas Gupta. He is in all circles and everyone believes they have him on their side. He is a genuinely nice guy nonetheless, who will do what he can, to take care of all persons around him, without having to stretch his arm too much.

Harish Shah is a Professional Futurist , Management Strategy Consultant and a Coach. His areas of consulting and Keynote Topics include the Future of Work, Leadership, EmTech, Industry 4.0, HR, Digital Transformation, Strategic Foresight, Systems Thinking, Organisational Transformation and Organisational Future Proofing.