On Thursday, I had to hope on a video call for a friend’s YouTube channel in India. Without disturbance, I set up a shop in Eco-Cut Cafe in my local Ikea. Unlimited coffee, free wifi and a great background. What more could one ask for?
It turned out that I am not alone in the choice of this lifestyle. According to a 2023 survey by office design firm Octra, 62% of UK professionals say they prefer to work from places such as cafes, libraries and even juicy public parks. This is true, more than half of us have dug cubals for Cappukino.
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For me, I write a regular column for NDTV and there is no office to speak. I work out of a comfortable small cafe inside my apartment complex. The cafe owner is Kurd, although she looks English, and her waiter is all English. If you turn this place into an office, it can easily pass for an unknown post, as its customers come from every corner of the world. My productivity thrives on the aroma of Arabiata and Cappukino is crushed. But I envy the neighbors of the next door in the 40-floor tower. They have found a wive, free-flowing coffee and a swaki colleague floor with designer sofas.
This is the world that I now belong to, and boxing in the office walls after about 30 years, it feels liberated. This is the same world that millions of other people when they want their office work, spark some creativity or just log in to another video call.
A fierce debate
The Return-to-Office (RTO) vs. Work-Off-Hom (WFH) debate is currently tearing through the corporate world-which includes India. Once an epidemic – was seen as a work -raound – hybrid and remote work – has now become a lifestyle foundation for millions of workers worldwide. People have become so comfortable working from home that they have only normally normally normalized dressing for camera – formal, pajamas or shorts below at the top. But when we thought that it was new, the suits are returning.
Big names like Amazon, Uber, SAP, JP Morgan Chase and Nike have given voice to Bagle. Employees are being called back to the office – sometimes for five days a week. According to a 2023 survey by KPMG, the CEO 83% globally says that they expect a complete return to office work within the next three years. Corporate justification rests on general mantras: cooperation, innovation and culture.
Is India watching?
In India, where the technical sector took Silicon Valley from work to the house (WFH), the pressure to return to the office is increasing-the same way as the Big Brother of its Silicon Valley. But socio-economic implications are different. Remote work helped Indians to avoid urban fare, open doors for women and gave a shot in better work-life balance to countless workers. To undo all those who could feel that people were in half the way like taking the ladder away.
And what about the Gig economy? It thrives on flexibility, but some experts believe that if the rigid office culture returns then it now stands to take a hit. Are we really going to ask a freelance coder in Coimbatore to look after someone who still does not fully understand how Jethb works?
After saying this, I must add that some Indian firms navigate the middle path with surprising agility. From Tier -2 cities to the IT Major using a three -day office week, an attempt is to be made to make hybrid work culturally and structurally viable. The key, as usual, will be to avoid copying the silicon valley with closing the eye – and instead optimize global trends for local realities.
An excuse for trimming?
Globally, an employee appears to be pushback. An SAP manager of Vancouver told the author that he believes that he brings more mullah for the company, who is working from a distance, as he was from Cubical. At his workplace, a hybrid setup has been over a year. “It’s there, but it has not been applied with an iron fist – at least not yet. It’s said, a quiet concern in the background is: will it suddenly flip into a rigid policy or be worse, will be used as an excuse for trimmed, trimmed?”
Certainly, he acknowledges some roles that in fact the in-tradition team work is beneficial-thinking that fast book churning, creative session or problem-solution marathon. But most jobs, they say, simply can be done as well – if not better – from a distant setup. “Personally, I was relieved that the routine of the old, rigid office was behind me. It offered a more flexible, general-knowledge approach-Come, stay at home when it is more understandable when it is more understandable. It’s a victory that respects both business needs and personal sanctity.”
To be honest, working from a distance was not a revolutionary idea before coming with Kovid -19. Virtual cooperation was already cooked in the system in many companies with footprints in many countries. Ask an experienced technique in Bengaluru, and he will tell you that his company’s operation went up to 24/7, which was scattered in time areas with his teams. Therefore, working from a distance was a need, not a luxury.
Today, it is a global culture. The technical world was a pioneer, and now, it has attached all regions. Let’s look at some facts: 52% of hybrid workers say they are more productive. Another 64% claims that this is a better use of their time. And 85% say they are happy to do it. So if you are killing your goals while walking your dog, then perhaps we don’t need to panic?
Productivity or “impurities”?
Owners are concerned about “impurities” – to pretend to work while washing, strange discussion for groceries, etc., etc. and of course, some people are doing household chores as well as dialing in office calls. Research refunds some of these concerns: A 2022 study by Microsoft found that 49% of remote workers accepted non-functioning activities during work hours, such as working or doing domestic work.
RTO supporters argue that bringing all to the office ensures fairness, especially in roles for on-site workers that cannot be simply done from far away. They also claim that this workplace strengthens culture and improves transparency. Appropriate points. But the critics pushed back, saying that the culture is not in the kitchen of the office. It is created on confidence, purpose and leaders that do not micromeans to employees such as headmasters. And nothing disappears that really rapidly than the treatment of adults like adults.
On the other hand, hybrid workers constantly report low stress levels, said 85% said the flexible system has promoted their job satisfaction. Burnout drop, inspiration increases, and people still give results – without all the need to sit in the badge -swipe or traffic. Nevertheless, people advocating a complete return emphasize that in-tradition promotes work, accountability, clear communication and shared sense of purpose.
So the question is that if people are meeting their goals or even crossing their goals, where do they sit while doing so?
Cost of coming back
The RTO mandate is not just morale-bosses for many. They come with a heavy price. A UK-Wide study of the Global Architecture and Design Firm, Gensor estimates that maintaining an office location can cost more than £ 7,700 (Rs 8.7 lakh) per employee. Add to that human cost: According to a report by owl labs, about 40% of remote professionals say they will consider leaving if forced to return to the office throughout.
And this is not an empty threat. A study by the University of Chicago found that companies making a full RTO compulsory saw a significant loss of senior talents. Many experienced professionals – institutional memory of any organization to speak – the option to jump ship jumping more flexible employers. This talent drain not only affects productivity, but also leaves junior employees without a guardian, further damage long -term performance.
RTO Hardlineer also ignore an important truth, that presentism is not equal to productivity. Just because someone is heating the chair, it does not mean that they are making meaningful contribution. In fact, rigorous appearance policies often lead to dissolution. Today’s workforce craves autonomy – the ability to decide how and where they work best.
Sir Carrie Cooper, professor of organizational psychology at Manchester Business School, was quoted in a report stating: “If you Micromanage, you will not get productivity benefits and you will not attract the next generation.”
Flexibility is mantra
So what is the smart way? Flexible function structures that prefer output on optics. Companies embracing hybrid and remote models a lot on real estate. That money can be redirected in people-focused initiatives, such as training programs or welfare initiatives. This can be reinstated in better technology. And hold, RTO radical. Even a half decent coffee machine can bounce more creativity than those inaccessible old vending machines that coughing lukewarm mud in the name of an office.
There is a deep cultural victory. When companies trust employees to work on their own terms, it creates loyalty. This indicates respect. It says: We care more about where you get it. Of course, flexibility does not mean free-for-all. This requires structure, clear expectations and regular communication. It also means designing the hybrid system that allows a person to cooperate without converting into a low-hearted hamster wheel.
Some of the leading companies are moving forward here. For example, AirbnB allows employees to work permanently from anywhere. Spotify provides “Work from anywhere” program. Distance work is not a trend; It is a tectonic shift. And while the return-to-office policies can work for some industries or roles, a size-fit-all approach is unlikely to stick in a long time. For many of us, the epidemic started not only our routine, but also our expectations. We found new ways to work, live and balance both. The flexibility is no longer a perk – this is a basic requirement.
Finally, the great irony is that Silicon Valley sold us the dream of working anywhere – now everyone wants it back to their desk. Well, they have found the dough, they have found clouts, their wishes may still be strong.
For me, I am writing this very column from my favorite cafe, which is Ili coffee and fuel from a cool corner. The work gets done – often more smoothly more smoothly than us of fluorescent lights and a tired vending machine.
On you, dear readers.
(Syed Zubair Ahmed is a London -based senior Indian journalist who has three decades experience with Western media)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
