Today was a regular day of work at ShikshaDaan for Krishnan and I. The first thing we did was to work on queries that had been raised on our proposal to a company and then we had a call with another potential sponsor. We had a meeting with Sudha, a development sector professional and a dear friend at 2.30pm. So we got into the metro (tube) and went over from Gurgaon to Rajiv Chowk, the largest interchange in the Delhi metro. We walked into a Cafe Coffee day and waited. Sudha sent a message saying she was already at the CCD and we spent the next 5 minutes locating each other.
We discussed about ShikshaDaan and her organization ASED over frappes and juice and then she took the metro to get back to her home&office and we took the metro back to our home&office. While we were having our discussions, we shot off emails connecting people up depending on the discussions. Got back to complete some posting on the ShikshaDaan website. Both on the way to the meeting and on the way back, we completed some work related to our leadership coaching.
Now, this is a very typical day at work, but its not regular if we rewind this ten years back. We didn’t have the metro connectivity between Gurgaon and Delhi, blackberry’s were the smartest phones in town and I was still using a Nokia phone on which typing was tough and work meant going to an office :):). You worked from home as an exception not a rule. Also the level of connectivity that you have now, was missing. So the “new” regular is here and all of us need to adapt and make full use of the advantages that technology offers us… many days in this “new” regular day at work includes video conference calls and giving presentations across countries. Fascinating and so much fun.
Last week, Krishnan and I made one day trips to Chennai and Goa respectively. We spent more time at the airport and the plane than meeting the people we went to meet, but such travel was unthinkable fifteen years back. We didn’t have Spicejet, Indigo and the whole “low cost” airlines story starting with Air Deccan and of course our dear Mr. Mallya running away without paying folks at Kingfisher Airlines. But, the point is, the “low cost” airlines just changed the way we travel. Its easy enough to go in the morning and get back in the evening. What a privilege ! I am thinking, the Pushpak Vimana must have been a private jet during the time of the Ramayana :):):). Fly anywhere and at will.
Krishnan and I are enjoying this “new” regular way of working and am sure there will be more technological advances that make a working day even more different. Organisations need to adapt as well and think about the new paradigms of employee engagement.
I wrote something like this a couple of years back – Anywhere Office ! Its indeed office anywhere.