Editor’s Note: March 2024

This Editor’s note is condensed for both February and March :). Much of this time I spent in India with the team in Pune. 

It was an opportunity to collaborate closely with the team, enjoy their company, participate in in-person ideation sessions, understand their work styles and know their aspirations. Ability to connect and collaborate with the help of virtual technology is undeniable, however the in person collaboration has benefits that are impactful in a subtle but a long lasting manner. 

The pandemic of 2020 has changed the way we view ‘Remote’ work across the world. Mostly it is for the good. There is a thin line where it starts to become detrimental. To note a generic observation there are people who are flourishing in ‘back to office’, and then there are others who are anxious about it, preferring to avoid human interaction – it feels safer to be in your own private space than to step out and deal with the world. This is slowly resulting in losing the social connection, spirit of community. Possibly slowly leading people to forgetting how to share a table, to include, relate and respond. There are many young professionals who have entered the workforce and have not been able to experience a live work / office culture. They are missing out on mentorship, accessibility to peers and seniors. Experiences that were once integral to professional learnings and helped us all grow and evolve. Many of these young folks feel awkward and out of place in a regular work setting. 

In my opinion “Remote’ is a great work alternative, a pragmatic sustainable option for both organizations and employees. It has opened up employment avenues that were not available earlier. However, it will only serve us well as long as it is adopted for the right reasons.