As economic activity picks up, and offices reopen, the bubbly younger lot at Samsung India is raring to get back to the workstations, with fresh minds, souls and vigour!
Work from home for the last 50 days or more has brought in tremendous learning and have made them evolve, both professionally and personally. Like articulating presentations better, says Shailaja Pathania, who works for the Public Policy team. Or making those chappatis perfectly round as in the case of Hasit Mankodi, who is part of the Customer Services team.
“The last few weeks have been challenging, but our seniors and members of the HR teams, have ensured that our spirits remain high and Team Samsung carries on with its mission to transform lives with our innovations, with a bigger resolve than ever,” says Hasit. “There couldn’t have been a better test of work-life balance than these extended days of work from home.”
Hasit Mankodi: There couldn’t be a better test of work-life balance
Hasit says he’s a changed man. One of the biggest life lessons for him is not to take anything for granted–health, relationships, finances, and the importance of continuing to skill oneself.
One recurring image during WFH was kids interrupting video calls! On one of those days, Shailaja’s two-year-old son jumped in on a video call with his milk bottle, refusing to leave. That was the day she realized the value of team spirit.
“My team enjoyed the new team member’s participation. It just put me at ease,” says Shailaja.
Shailaja Pathania: This is a home from where I work, not an office where I live
To manage the long working hours, she had to put down an extensive schedule for every workday, with small breaks thrown in so that she could manage the toddler. “This is a home from where I work, not an office where I live,” she says. This mantra has allowed her to find time for the kid, and also cook two meals a day (dinner is the husband’s domain!)
Amit Bansal is in a different space altogether. As luck had it, he had to take his family to his hometown Indore for personal work just a week before the lockdown began, and he’s been there since then.
“I have definitely been more productive working from home. Co-working fabulously with the team, understanding the lives of team members, and helping each other manage their time better, for work and for home,” says Amit, who has spent eleven years with Samsung, and is currently part of the online team for consumer electronics.
Amit Bansal: You Only Live Once
And in between work, he has been able to reconnect with his kids, thinking up innovative breakfast recipes for them. “I have started believing in the mantra of YOLO – You Only Live Once and I am now taking time out to do things that I missed out on earlier, which includes building up a fitness regime,” says Bansal.
Varun Nailwal, who leads the wearables team is also rekindling some old passions. He’s had a bunch of graphic novels that he’s collected over the years, but in the humdrum of work-life, he hasn’t paid much attention for years now. “It’s a great stressbuster for me, though not the biggest of all.”
Varun Nailwal: Conversations with my daughter work as an energy booster
The biggest stressbuster for him has to be his 3-year-old daughter. “Conversations with her work as an instant energy booster, any time of the day.” With both parents home, and all the chats they are having, his daughter’s communication skills have improved tremendously.
Work From Home also allowed greater co-working between teams, and getting to know the others better. Hasit says he has realised the importance of communication in our lives—professionally and personally. “Be it communicating with the teams over emails and con-calls or the team interacting with our consumers over the digital platforms, there is a new experience.” Adds Amit, “There is a new found respect for each other, and for each other’s time, which is also the reason for being more productive.”
It’s a new normal, but Change is still a constant. And Change is in fact one of Samsung’s core values. GeNext is living it every day!