Doceree boss felt things were back to normal after scribbling brainstorming ideas on office whiteboard

Going back to work was refreshing and exciting for Dr Harshit Jain.

By Glynda Alves, ET Bureau | Nov 27, 2020, 03.10 PM IST

The first thing Dr Harshit Jain did when he got into work was write on the whiteboard.

The past few months have seen the lines between work and home life blurring. It was no different for Dr Harshit Jain, Founder, Doceree. So, getting back into his office, after months of working from home, meant that Dr Jain also got his home back.

“During WFH, it was all about work. Normal home life went for a toss. Even though family was around, there was hardly time to spend with them,” he says. One of the biggest changes he’s experienced since unlocking his office is that he’s got to spend more time with his family. “I got my home back,” he says. “Now that time is strictly devoted to family. With resuming office hours, the demarcation between office and home is again very clear,” Dr Jain adds.

Back in biz
Dr Jain says that going into work is refreshing and exciting – and it has brought a sense of normalcy to his routine. They only just started business in India when the lockdown was announced, so it was good to be back in business. “There is an insatiable urge to mingle with people and collaborate after I reached a breaking point during lockdown-induced WFH. The office atmosphere and seeing people around, even in a restricted way, was a big sigh of relief. At work, we are taking all measures to keep ourselves safe and it is fantastic to be together. The world suddenly seems so much bigger,” he says.

Write attitude
The first thing Dr Jain did when he got into work was write on the whiteboard. “I wrote down brainstorming ideas and such. I have a habit of scribbling things. I have multiple whiteboards from our discussion room to my personal area. At home, I missed that terribly. Coming back to office and writing on the whiteboard was very symbolic of getting back to normal."

That and face to face interactions – something Dr Jain missed greatly. “At home, the availability was just on calls or zoom, which was not the same. At one point, it became sickening to be confined to one room. Now, that we are back, the feeling of belongingness has returned,” he adds.

Lockdown lesson
While he missed his office space, Dr Jain’s time at home helped him discover himself. “Looking within is something I did and realised we all need to slow down and savour life’s moments too. I am not living a mechanical life anymore. Now, I have something that I actually call life and to be in that place feels blissful,” he says.

Office Interiors To Change Post-Lockdown: Here's What The Future Will Look Like

1/11

“For office culture to revive and survive, office spaces are looking at a pretty drastic alteration of layouts and design,” says Pankaj Poddar, the co-founder of Hipcouch, a Mumbai based Interior Design Company. He says the new normal will also see some reversal.

“We will see the reversing of very hot trends of open offices and shared desks.” While we wait for the official decrees, here’s what the rough framework is looking like so far according to Poddar.