Work from office vs remote - which side are you on?

Twitter is the best place for all kinds of debates (and learning also, tbh). You have an opinion, a counter opinion - all good till now. Then you have the shitposters, the trollers, the ‘i told you so’-ers, founders plugging in their products (i feel you) etc. Web3, DAO, metaverse, NFT’s will come and go but i do hope twitter remains.?

Amongst all the fads (this weekend it was the nice the IIT degree bro) that have come and gone - one debate that is still going strong is, work from office vs remote. I have some views on this too. Let’s rewind a bit first:

Someone asked my views on wfh in 2018-19 and i remember saying wfh does not exist in India as we don't know how to make it work and think of it like an easy work day. So either work from the office or take off. Since it was pre-covid I might be forgiven for those views. Over the last 2 years, having worked remotely, in the middle of a 0-1 journey, my views have obviously changed. The notion of wfh = chill day, no longer exists. The exact opposite, if you truly ask me.

Companies are now going fully remote and it's the new cool - kind of like TT or foosball tables in web2 startups, did i use that right ??).?

Global talent, work life balance, no time spent on commute, time off for mental wellness ++ are arguments in favour of remote. We think it’s the future. But there is the other side too.?

While I understand reasons for companies to go 100% remote (hiring is super tough + it seems like we will lose out if we don’t keep up with the best), I personally agree with Kunal’s views too. Here’s why:

My closest friends today are folks that I worked with in the past. The bond and camaraderie is not possible on Zoom or once a quarter off-sites. My biggest learnings have come from being in the room with some really really smart people. I have copied how they talk, how they conduct themselves, have tried to understand their decision frameworks and all of this happened because I was there. A walk with the founder or a team mate, office parties and all similar experiences have contributed to who I am today. Sitting in a room (or in Goa or the hills), I would not have had half the experiences. For me, working from home = casual connections = transactional relationships. The Zoom fatigue is truly real, regardless of how social you are.

Kunal also mentions another v imp point. Comfortable.?

As much as we all like to tweet that magic only happens outside our comfort zone, we as humans love being comfortable. And nothing is more comfortable than getting up in the morning and doing your thing, and maybe walking to your desk and starting work in your pyjamas. No commute, no rent (if you’re lucky), home food, don’t hurt either. But as humans we are also limited in our ability to think long term. Imagine yourself after 10 years and now think which parts of life do you want to optimise. Experiences, learning/ growth, friends, or home food, saving on rent.?Of course there are people who will think differently and I am all game for whatever floats your boat.?

Like wfh, even all the talk about mental wellness at work place did not exist pre covid. Don't get me wrong - I am v glad that this change happened and I hope this only gets stronger. But sometimes I do think that the office camaraderie, human interaction (outside of our 4 walls) helped us stay more sane. The more I talk to early stage founders, the same story repeats itself. The team doesn't feel connected to the company, things get monotonous very quickly, things not moving as fast they potentially can - even if you’re working longer hours.?

At leap.club (yes, this is my plug in), we have kept my personal views aside and have tried to come up with a model that walks the middle path -?

• Hybrid model for folks in Delhi NCR (our hq). Twice a week at the office, wfh for the other 3 days.?
• Team members outside Delhi NCR have the option to move to Gurgaon.?
• If you are remote, we respect that and will do our best to make you productive and happy.
• Off-sites twice a year (we would have loved to do more of this but $$).

It's been a couple of weeks of following the hybrid model and 1) things are already moving faster 2) I am getting to know our team better 3) there is a proper end time to the day wrt work 4) Overall we feel more energetic and happy.?

Again, I know a lot of points that I mentioned might not work for you or maybe you think differently. I respect that. Plus a lot of these points might be better suited for folks with less than 10 years of work ex. But what I really want to say is, make your choice based on the right factors. Don't let home comforts take over. Working from a beach may sound cool but optimise for learning and not the waves.

To wrap up and it doesn't matter which side you are on, here’s a friendly reminder to change your Linkedin bio. I have changed mine already.?

p.s. - I understand and appreciate the new opportunities that have opened up because of remote work. This blog captures my general opinion and is targeted towards folks who are in a position to make a choice.