How are you engaging with your team and distributors considering the nationwide-lockdown situation? Which app do you use for video conference and file sharing?
Communication during this phase of lockdown is extremely important. Engaging with the team, partners, investors and followers on social media is crucial to keep them up to date with our thought process and plans, while also providing them with interesting content that can be beneficial to them..
Emails, phone calls, messaging, group chats, twitter messages are now routine to communicate with the outside world. Along with this, I do use Google Hangouts and Zoom for video conferencing.
Internally, we have our WhatsApp groups and have our regular Hangouts call so we are all on the same page and everyone is aware of what is going on. The smartphone has become even more important in this time of lockdown.
How are you managing your time? Tell us more about your work from home routine.
My wife and I, both being working parents to a 2.5-year-old daughter have to plan on a daily basis. We each have to divide our time so one parent is working while the other is taking care of our child. So, we do not have a set routine for the day except that the previous night we divide the household chores according to our work schedules. I try and get most of my reading and writing assignments done at night when my daughter is asleep.
Do you think working from home compromises productivity and quality of work?
Work from home has become the new normal. And probably is here to stay. We have seen companies across sectors performing their day-to-day duties with staff working remotely. However, productivity depends on primarily two factors:
1) Profile: Some roles can be performed remotely while others require presence at the office. For instance, someone in research may benefit from this system as it saves them travel time. But a person in operations may find it difficult.
2) Individual: There may be several instances where a person's role could allow them the flexibility to work from home but their circumstancey – housing, family, technology, etc. – may not be feasible. In these instances, productivity does get compromised.
We have been working tirelessly trying to iron out any issues that may hamper productivity.
What is the most important thing that you are missing at the office?
I am missing the physical interaction with my colleagues. Having those lighter moments between work or just having a coffee with my team or getting excited about a project or celebrating a success, is something I dearly miss. These are things that get the organization closer and increase the trust and camaraderie within the team. I don't think these feelings can be replicated with work from home.
Also, it is easier to collaborate and coordinate when everyone is together in a physical space. A lot of time is spent at home just coordinating tasks and projects.
What are the two biggest lessons for you during this phase?
What seemed impractical a month ago has become the new normal today. I have realized that things can move very quickly so it is important to not lose sight of the bigger picture of what you want the organization to achieve. We can get caught up with what is happening around us and it is crucial to just cut the noise and speculation and concentrate on what is essential.
It is no secret that digital is the way forward. This phase has made it even more vital to have a top-notch digital experience for various stakeholders of the fund. Spending resources on improving digital capability and experience will be a top priority going forward.
Finally, what is the one thing that you would do differently once the work from home phase ends?
I will rethink the amount of travel we do. Or the need to have physical meetings if the distance is far. This period has taught us that things can happen smoothly even though we are working remotely. This can save a lot of time and resources for the organization.
The mindset of people will also change regarding work from home and there will be a need to have a more liberal policy if we see an increase in productivity of the individual and team.
What is the one advice that you would give to distributors in the current scenario?
History has taught us that tough times do not last, tough people do. These are unprecedented times so it is important we survive this period and come out of it stronger, as this too shall pass. So please do not panic and make hasty decisions currently, in your life or with your investments. Take this time as an opportunity to spend quality time with your loved ones, practice your hobbies, learn new skills, improve knowledge, catch up on movies and old friends (virtually off course).
