Regaining momentum is Plum and Phy founder Shankar Prasad’s biggest worry post-lockdown

Working from home is a challenge for most people. But for others, it’s just another weekend. “I have a habit of working weekends so it’s not something very new for me (or for my family, for that matter),” said Shankar Prasad, Founder, Plum and Phy. “What is different is the sheer length of time for which we’re having to do this.”

Prasad believes that once the lockdown is over people might find it difficult to transition back to a normal routine.

“There’s nothing much we can do about the current phase,” he told ET Panache. “My big worry is about getting back in form and regaining our momentum when things open up. To go from 100 to 0 and then go back to 100 (and to think beyond) - it’s a strange feeling!”


He recommends upskilling wherever possible.

“Some people’s work profile is cut out for remote working, (but) for many it isn’t,” said the IIT Bombay alumnus. “If you’re in the first category, stick to a strong routine and don’t sleep during the day. If you’re in the second category, use this time to catch up on all the skills that you were found wanting on. Everything from tech to communication to basic science to whatever else you felt you needed to work on. There isn’t going to be another chance like this (lockdown) again.”

WFH - Yay or Nay?
On the whole, however, Prasad believes remote working has been working out well.

“Working from home has taught me the value of focus. In fact, I’ve found meetings and calls to be crisper and shorter as there are fewer distractions. My usual office environment tends to have a lot more distractions because of the way we’re structured. That’s one thing that’s got to change once we open up.”

His only challenge with remote working - the internet bandwidth. “It’s quite draining to have people repeat themselves and still not being able to catch what they are saying,” he explained.