Work-Life Collision (and other lessons from the pandemic) / 001 July 27,2020

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“Work-Life Collision and other lessons from the pandemic” / 001, July 27 2020

I remember fondly looking at everything in my office one last time before leaving for the lock-down. I was wondering when I would be in my office again – well, as it turns out, four months have passed already, and I am still working from home! The last four months have been extraordinary in terms of coping with change and unlearning many things, along with learning new skills. A few working lessons that I learnt on WFH mode during the pandemic:

1. Work-Life collision - So far, it was all about Work-Life “balance”; until the lock-down brought about a collision between the two. Now, after weeks of struggle, I’ve somewhat figured out how to segregate the two and maintain a semblance of discipline in both – and yes, also have learnt to smile at the unintended impacts of this collision when children waltz into the frame during a VC or sigh inwardly when I hear a pressure cooker go off in my background or empathise when a colleague solemnly informs that he cannot attend a call since the grocery vendor has finally arrived. I realise that Work is only a part of Life, and Life needs a lot of Work
2. We resist change until we can’t - Think of it, Videoconferencing (VC) tools have been around for at least twenty years; and despite much hype, they didn’t really become the default mode of communication. I continued to prefer to travel and meet in-person, citing myriad reasons. Now, VC tools have become the new default way of life, enabling the “new normal” in so many ways for me. It is now possible to meet customers in Kolkata, Bangalore and Noida on the same day!
3. Talent pool is opening up - Now that work is happening from home and seamlessly at that, I believe the future will see a hybrid style of working – with WFH becoming a regular option for most professionals even after normalcy returns. I realise this additionally opens many new frontiers – such as enabling better gender-diversity in the workplace, breaking down the entry barriers for aspirants from smaller towns and utilising talent from wherever they are instead of relocating them
4. Impact of black-swan events - Every organisation had their version of a Vision 2020 document during the last decade and the impact of such a pandemic really didn't factor in any of them. I realise that we need to factor-in the disruptive impact of such events while planning future investments and growth strategies. A global supply chain, for one, which we all took for granted, will need to be re-evaluated now; an organisation will be more robust with a hyper-local supply chain. Digital technology adoption will now receive a big boost, well beyond VCs, to include digital monitoring of critical equipment and entire factories, with built-in remote service capability. Black-swan events do open up new opportunities even as they disrupt existing ones
5. New respect for the front-line workers - During this pandemic, we have all come to respect and show our gratitude to the front-line workers – healthcare workers, delivery staff of e-tail companies, milk suppliers, manufacturing workers, staff of pharmacies and grocery shops, vegetable and fruit vendors, house-keeping staff and many more. They braved the pandemic so that we didn’t have to face a lack of essential services. Their work matters now, more than ever, and from my side, I have made it a point to be supportive, empathetic – and to be generous with them
6. Refocusing our cluttered lives - This pandemic has given us relief from the mind-numbing routine of our daily lives and commutes. It has enabled me to think deeply about what's important, versus what would've been just a distraction in the long run. I have realised how important health is, how precious the moments with the family are, how vital it is to learn new skills, and how to focus on the few things that really matter - the pandemic really opened my eyes to them.

I am sure many of you had similar experiences too. I look forward to hearing from you about them, and sharing our experiences and lessons learnt during this pandemic. Let’s keep the conversation going! Warm regards, Krishnakumar