โ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ 5 ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ (๐๐ ๐) ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง?โ I wondered to myself. And now I have an answer.
But before I jump into the answer, I would like to give some context of my own professional journey. Half of my career, which is roughly 7-8 years was self-employment where I was running a couple of Subway restaurants in Mumbai.
This business format didnโt have a Work From Home format. I couldnโt really ring cash registers sitting at home nor help with customer service. On the other hand, my sister who was in US, was working from home 5 days a week.
That is when I thought to myself โWould I take all 5 days WFH if given a chance?โ
Cut to 2017, I joined my current startup. COVID was still a couple of years away and the world was yet to be forced into a WFH situation. I was trying to adjust to my new professional reality which had its PROs and CONs (story for another day).
When COVID forced everyone to work from home, I took it not as a privilege but more as an adjustment. I used to think more about whether we will survive another year than whether WFH was suiting my work style. Since I stayed alone in Gurgaon and travel was restricted, the loneliness hurt even more. That is the time I realized the importance of having people around.
Since normalcy returned, I am proud to say that my company adapted extremely well to the new hybrid work format. Those who needed got 100% WFH and others got it on-need-basis. Some got more some got less but overall, there were no complaints.
Personally, I like to work from office because of the energy and the routine. You reach office panting after climbing a few flights of stairs, catch a few breaths, settle with a cup of coffee(on days when the machine works) and get into the zone. Also because of my role in which I work directly with the CEO, I was expected to be in office more than others which I thought was reasonable. Putting myself in his shoes, I would pretty much expect the same.
Working in office has vibes which help with quicker huddle meetings and faster decisions. The lunch break and other informal breaks allow for sharing of information which would otherwise require formal emails and calls which would not only be productivity killers but also boring. On the other hand, if you really want to dive deeper into a topic, experiment with tools or think long term, work from home is better than going to office.
I am writing this sitting in Darbhanga after taking 10 days of work from home. My truth is that WFH in desired quantity not only increases productivity but also freshens your mind.
And finally, to answer THE question, no โI would not prefer 5 days a week WFH.โ In the knowledge industry COLLABORATION is still critical to move the needle.
PEOPLE WORK WITH PEOPLE.
Whatโs your ideal mix of WFH and office? Would love to hear how others are navigating this new normal.
โ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ 5 ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ (๐๐ ๐) ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง?โ I wondered to myself. And now I have an answer.
But before I jump into the answer, I would like to give some context of my own professional journey. Half of my career, which is roughly 7-8 years was self-employment where I was running a couple of Subway restaurants in Mumbai.
This business format didnโt have a Work From Home format. I couldnโt really ring cash registers sitting at home nor help with customer service. On the other hand, my sister who was in US, was working from home 5 days a week.
That is when I thought to myself โWould I take all 5 days WFH if given a chance?โ
Cut to 2017, I joined my current startup. COVID was still a couple of years away and the world was yet to be forced into a WFH situation. I was trying to adjust to my new professional reality which had its PROs and CONs (story for another day).
When COVID forced everyone to work from home, I took it not as a privilege but more as an adjustment. I used to think more about whether we will survive another year than whether WFH was suiting my work style. Since I stayed alone in Gurgaon and travel was restricted, the loneliness hurt even more. That is the time I realized the importance of having people around.
Since normalcy returned, I am proud to say that my company adapted extremely well to the new hybrid work format. Those who needed got 100% WFH and others got it on-need-basis. Some got more some got less but overall, there were no complaints.
Personally, I like to work from office because of the energy and the routine. You reach office panting after climbing a few flights of stairs, catch a few breaths, settle with a cup of coffee(on days when the machine works) and get into the zone. Also because of my role in which I work directly with the CEO, I was expected to be in office more than others which I thought was reasonable. Putting myself in his shoes, I would pretty much expect the same.
Working in office has vibes which help with quicker huddle meetings and faster decisions. The lunch break and other informal breaks allow for sharing of information which would otherwise require formal emails and calls which would not only be productivity killers but also boring. On the other hand, if you really want to dive deeper into a topic, experiment with tools or think long term, work from home is better than going to office.
I am writing this sitting in Darbhanga after taking 10 days of work from home. My truth is that WFH in desired quantity not only increases productivity but also freshens your mind.
And finally, to answer THE question, no โI would not prefer 5 days a week WFH.โ In the knowledge industry COLLABORATION is still critical to move the needle.
PEOPLE WORK WITH PEOPLE.
Whatโs your ideal mix of WFH and office? Would love to hear how others are navigating this new normal.