With a paradigm shift from conventional working methods to a ‘new normal’ where work now is looked at with a more flexible and blended approach, a generational gap in thought processes is more than evident. In the same context, we imagine a conversation between a father and his son where they talk about their professional life and what it was and is about.
As Rehan comes down to the kitchen to have breakfast, his father Mr. Vyom asks him if he would be free for lunch by 2 in the afternoon. Rehan says that there’s only a progress report meeting scheduled for the day and it’ll get over before the afternoon. He suggests they go out for lunch at this new restaurant that recently opened near their place. Vyom sees his son shuffle around for his charger and a few files he left at the coffee table last night. Rehan then saunters to the kitchen counter and decides to prepare a smoothie. Vyom can’t help but draw a comparison between Rehan’s relaxed morning routine and the kind of rush he would almost always be in when he was working in his youth. He remarks, “I genuinely feel that with remote work, you people now have a lot of freedom in terms of time.”
Rehan responds, “But we still have to work for the hours assigned to us. I would even say that we now have more accountability than before.”
Vyom responds a bit argumentatively “I agree. But with remote work, you save a lot of time that you would’ve otherwise spent on traveling to and from your workplace. For example, you are casually making a smoothie before you sit down for work while a lot of times we had to pack our breakfast and have it in the bus we would board.”
They step out into their garden for a small stroll.
Rehan asks his father if commuting every day to and from work became draining. Vyom thinks for a while and says, “Um, I don’t think so. Honestly, we did not know if there was any other way. When you’re not aware of options, you don’t really have a choice to make. And when you don’t have a choice to make, you adapt to whatever is asked out of you. I adapted but now that I think about it, it was the least favourite part of my day. But waking up early, rushing to catch the bus in time, and travelling to my office for two hours back and forth became a lifestyle. Everyone around me was doing the same.”
Rehan pours a glass of the mixed fruit smoothie for his father and says, “I get it. But did it not for once feel that your work is your entire life?”
Vyom laughs and says, “Now that you say it!” He adds as if trying to justify something he has done most of his life, “But there were weekends. We had fun then. And you know, I don’t remember complaining about the weekdays either. In fact, I would look forward to the two-hour-long journey to the office. Throughout, I would busy myself thinking about the stories my friends in the office would tell me and how we would share our work. I even read a book sometimes. In a way, those long hours didn’t seem long enough. I was attached to this routine.”
Rehan pauses for a second and says, “I personally think it was a routine but a very monotonous one. Don’t you think people probably grew attached to it because this very routine and monotony didn’t allow them the space to be attached to something else?” He adds, “I feel there is also sort of a tendency to romanticize everything that is old. For instance, people used to argue that Test Cricket was too long and One-Day International cricket was the perfect length but now they feel it’s too long and T20 is the perfect length.”
After what feels like a whole minute, Vyom says, “Maybe.”
He begins to put away the dishes for breakfast in the sink and continues, “You know, we also had an incredible bond with our teammates in the office. There was a different energy in the workplace and I’ll be lying if I say I haven’t had valuable experiences there.” Rehan replies, “I am sure but remote work hasn’t put an end to those kinds of experiences either. Just because they are more virtual than before, their realness hasn’t diminished in any manner. Also, you made me realize how much gratitude I should have for the time and space that I have now.”
Vyom smiles and begins reading the newspaper while Rehan goes upstairs to attend his meeting.
