CP Gurnani, CEO of Tech Mahindra, today was written down a bog on social media and shares his thoughts on “Return to the Old Normal or Normal”
In the blog, Gurnani said, “The world has changed faster in the past six months than it would have in any of our lifetimes. Our work and home lives underwent a radical rearrangement – or if you will, a fusion – with the lines between the two getting blurred. It wasn’t just how we work that changed, but also why and what we do that was redefined. ‘Positive’ and ‘the new normal’ became the most used (and abused) buzzwords of the year, and millions of sentiments (good, bad, and ugly) stormed families, institutions, and communities over the world.“
“Well, the good part is that life is slowly returning to the ‘old’ normal – the normal you and I know, love, and perhaps, want back. As businesses become operational again, shops open, malls get footfalls, it is time to also slowly start returning to the workplace.’ He said.
Do we need to be fearless? Well, not yet. Do we need to fear? Well, not quite. What do we need to be then? Careful, always.
He added,” Look at the world around you. There are enough and more stories of friends and families who didn’t have the privilege that most of us had of working from home. Government offices have been open since April with full attendance and full safety measures. Last week, I met the NTPC Chairman & Managing Director Gurdeep Singh at his office. I was impressed with the social distancing practice being followed there, but more inspired by the nearly 100% staff attendance he reported since April. On Saturday, our society stepped up and decided it was time we collectively Rise and Run above the fear. It was an invigorating experience. “
Like he said, respect the situation, don’t be afraid. Safety and health remain paramount and the numero-uno priority for all of us. But it’s also time to bring the energy back and show the world, the government, and everyone who is making our workplaces safe, that we trust them.
CP Gurnani said; Through this blog today, I want to talk to you about our preparedness and excitement about seeing you in the office again.
- Firstly, we think it is time. The big reset has happened. We have reprioritized life. Yes, we could do most of what we did in the office earlier at home. Yet, we want to return to work. The vibe and the vibrations, the cafeteria conversations, the team meetings, the ‘getting ready in the morning’, the drive, the ‘unwinding in the evening’, spending quality time with family, playing your entire day in your mind at night, making plans for the next day – we want all of that back. Don’t we?
- Then, we are ready. If you’ve been following communications at TechM, you’d know about the diverse initiatives we’ve recently introduced to keep you safe, informed, and engaged at the workplace. You have a whole new microsite for all the information you’d ever need on the pandemic, health checks upon entry and exit, dedicated rapid action force teams, thoroughly sanitized office and workstations, medical care facilities, and a number of other checks and balances in place for enhanced workplace experience. MHealthy, our award-winning ‘return to work’ solution (won the ET Health World Award for Best Technology Solution for Covid-19) is always waiting to greet you at the workplace and keep you safe and healthy. The wellness, corporate services, info-security, TIM, HR, and other support teams are ready, and so are your mentors and immediate teams.
- Lastly, we can’t be happier. The very vision of seeing the office come alive again (albeit in a controlled manner) is already making me happy. “Again” – yes, that is the action word here. Presentation boards will be drawn, coffee will start brewing, cafeterias will serve your favorite snacks again. Physical meetings will yield more ideas, instant debates, swifter feedback, and of course, the warmth of togetherness that no Teams or Google meetings can. The very thought of it recharges my batteries.
Above all, after months of seeing almost every person around us with misgiving, we will start building trust again. So yes, as Tech Mahindra switches the lights on again, He said, I welcome you back to the office. Are you with me? How can we make this work better?
