How are you engaging with your team and distributors considering the nationwide-lockdown situation? Which app or tool are you using for video conference and file sharing?
Clearly, there is a greater need to connect and engage – with partners, customers, team-members as well as our community at large. Thankfully, technology today is a great enabler. However, the need for security and record keeping has to be carefully considered, especially in financial services. In addition to office email and IDFC’s proprietary tools and reports which are integrated with our smartphones, we are leveraging secure VPN to gain access to required data and systems. We have also been using Microsoft Teams for video conferencing to augment regular conference call bridges for team & partners.
How are you managing your time? Tell us more about your ‘work from home’ routine.
When we started working from home about three weeks ago, I was looking forward to the extra time from the commute saved. There was the attraction of spending more time with family, reading, calling friends etc. – things we often struggle to find time for during busy work-weeks. While most of these have fructified, I have also realized that the flexibility of working anytime from anywhere can blur the lines between ‘work’ and ‘home’. I think this differentiation is important to find the energy and balance to sustain the work from home format. I have therefore set myself an ‘office’ area as well as a regular routine at home. I finish my light exercise and required household chores early in the day. My work schedule then is largely the same as regular office timings, with some added flexibility where required. I find that this helps me switch-off once I am out of this ‘work’ time and space to pursue other activities.
Do you think working from home compromises productivity and quality of work?
Work from home can be great for focused, individual work. The buzz of open office formats, intermittent meetings and calls can sometimes distract from tasks that demand longer, deeper focus. It can also help productivity since it allows better control over one’s time and scheduling. I can imagine many of our sole-contributors, researchers and analysts loving this format. However, work that needs active collaboration could be impacted. Individual workflows often adopt a sequential thought process as a default. One must remind oneself and leverage available technology to benefit from the varied perspective and specialist knowledge that a wider team interaction can bring.
What is the most important thing that you are missing at office?
The vibe, the energy, the buzz. The sharp wit and the boisterous laughter. The spontaneous argument and the debate. The smiles each morning. The beam and swell of a win, the burrowed forehead of a loss. As social beings, physical interaction adds a critical dimension to our life. I am blessed to have great colleagues to work with, and their presence together is sorely missed.
What are the two biggest lessons for you during this phase?
The entire series of events over the last two months have several invaluable lessons to offer, even as I believe there is more to come! However, narrowing down to two:
The degree of interconnectedness and dependency we all have. Whether its countries, industries and supply chains being so interdependent; or individual safety that relies on what the entire community does collectively.
The unpredictability and fragility of our systems. A grim reminder of how little we know or control. While we should continue to build scenarios and plans, continuously adapting in real-time will continue to remain a much needed skill. Second or third-order impact of our actions needs much deeper consideration.
Finally, what is the one thing that you would do differently once the work from home phase ends?
Spend more time in our cafeteria! In general, I do think I would like to spend more time out of my office cabin as well as conference rooms.
What is the one advice that you would give to distributors in the current scenario?
Every crisis has two sides. There is the danger and risk. And then, there is the opportunity. Markets are in turmoil following the assessed risks, and customers need your help and guidance – now more than ever! This is a time to proactively engage and over communicate where required. Yet, there is also a lot for all of us to learn from this crisis. We must look out for the opportunity, and it may come from quarters not as evident yesterday!
