Work from home and its displeasure: Why many executives are missing office these days.

What does your office mean to you? A survey find out by IIM Kozhikode’s Centre of Excellence for Social Innovation did a study to understand the perspectives of executives from 13 different industry sectors when Covid-19 locked them within the confines of their homes, which morphed overnight into makeshift offices.

Offices, we found, have come to mean so much more than a ‘space to work from’. For many, office was their ‘second home’, a few even daring to say ‘a more energising one’. It was a place that confirmed their identity as a ‘valued employee’ and a ‘successful professional’, which they took back home with a great honor. This was more so for the women, since office was where they could express themselves and be recognised for contributions beyond usual roles and expectations they are at home.

The sudden shift to WFH made it difficult for many to retain those identities as they were (at least temporarily) robbed of that space where their contributions gave them recognition. Little time to copy critical files, transfer software or get a VPN connection has no doubt frayed nerves, with executives now having to work from their dining table, sofa or the bed.

But the bigger issue was how to convince their bosses that they were indeed contributing. Performance, they realised, wasn’t just a matter of doing, but of showing that they were doing things as well. For the boss, what could replace that peek into a cabin to be reassured that things were moving?

Doing itself got more challenging. Leaders suddenly found their impact on their team waning when reduced to a tiny head-shot in a crowded screen, far removed from power-packed, face to face interactions. Team leads missed the ease of walking across to a colleague’s desk to resolve an issue. The same process needs scheduled calls amidst blocked calendars when working from home. What could be best explained face to face now required an exasperating number of calls, after which an executive’s wife could ask the boss, “Do you work for a call centre?”

Interestingly, informality that had helped them to be effective in the formal office settings had to be replaced with formality when they moved to informal home settings. Virtual meetings had to begin and end on time (as there were many more meetings). Gone were discussions that stretched till the tea-boy arrived with steaming chai and samosas.

Not being in the safe confines of office meant that they had to mind their language. An executive confessed that at office, a risqué but apt example could be used among colleagues to drive home a point. But at home, being an earshot away from impressionable children and elders, illustrations needed to be chosen carefully. Executives rue that friendly banter and an encouraging pat on the back have found poor substitutes in smileys and thumbs-up emojis.

Difficulties in maintaining informal connections have blocked their usual channels for information. A quick stroll to the pantry was missed not for the coffee and cookies but for the gossip and goings on, the smoking joints in the car park for catching up with colleagues or chance encounters with prospective customers. Many felt that they missed out on critical business updates without these informal connections.

The physical space of office was missed not just for ergonomics, but as a lived space. Many in the manufacturing sector clung to memories of trips to the shop floor, spirited brainstorming sessions with quality teams which have been replaced with endless webinars. A screaming kid or the whistle of a cooker were a stark contrast to the familiar humming of machines.

While HR suggested that dressing up for work helped to recreate a sense of office, most executives found it hard to do. As one put it, “Our offices are perfectly air conditioned. Our homes are so hot, power cuts are there, we’re sweating the whole day, we’re not able to work.”

Not working out of office also meant not being able to call it a day and leave. The office space and timings set boundaries between work and home, which are now blurred beyond distinction for many. Reason enough for an executive to sum up, “I’m struggling with this mode of working, I want to go back to office no matter what.”