Venture Capital

Me joining coworkers for a chai-sutta break on my first job

Product Marketing Manager

Me joining coworkers for a chai-sutta break on my first job- Grapevine

Welcome to Office Gossip's Private Community

Thinking of starting something new. Especially if you're WFH, or don't have lot's of folks to go to chai sutta break in office. 
Say anything that comes to mind, no holds barred.

Disclaimer: I don't endorse sutta.

Chai-Sutta-Thread: How's work? How's life? ☕️🚬

Product Manager

Mine is no non-veg in office campus. I once asked it team meeting and the question was ignored.

What’s your office’s weirdest rule?

Software Engineer

Welcome to Indian Startups's Private Community

I've had the fortune of having worked in 3 countries so far. India is by far the most exciting place to be in 2024.
But there's something about our work ethic that just concerns me. In both white and blue collar.

In most other countries, I've observed people strictly sticking to the 9 to 5, working diligently in those hours - not wasting too much time on chai sutta breaks, instagram browsing, gupshup etc.

They work for 8 hours, then leave. And think about work directly the next day.

In India, most of us spend more hours - but very obviously very few of those hours are productive. In fact, I lately feel that too many people around me are doing even 2-3 hours of work on a good day.

We end up just staying around, passing time, and then go back home. When we could have achieved so much more.

Work ethic has fallen. Work hours have gone up.

We need to be more mindful of our actions, we need to work well at work, and then do well at home.

I think it's a function of being over populated. There are 1.5-2 people doing what 1 person should be doing, hence this effect.

Needs to be fixed, it's the sign of a major problem in the workforce. Thoughts?

Disguised unemployment in India - It's all around us :/

We don't end up staying long hours because we need to. But because we have to, so that the manager doesn't feel like we leave the office by "half day".  
  Also, they have a leverage that they can shut their laptops at 5 and nobody will reach out to them. But here in India, managers do reach out for escalations, or make us attend lat evening calls because it's afternoon in Europe or morning in NA. The people sitting in Europe or NA are not made to wake up early or attend night calls to accommodate us during our actual 9-5.  
  People also chit chat etc. bcz they know for sure that they have to sit for long hours..so they need to take small breaks in the day. No one has the capacity to work 10-11 hrs without any breaks.  
  Here it would never be possible to have such a strict 9-5.

Customer Success

Corporate Strategist

I have been on a permanent wfh role since covid. Yes, been 2+ years since I stepped into an office. I stay alone and have little expenses but also 0 social life. Friends are all spread out. Not on any dating app because its exhausting. Can someone just talk about any impacts on their personal life from work life? Does anyone here feel a void too? I’d love to connect.

WFH = 0 Social Life

I have been working remotely and honestly, I don't want to go to office ever (at least that's what I feel right now) 
  
 I don't want to become besties with my coworkers, and I stay with family so I'm very happy spending all my time with my favourite people in the world! I also have the option of traveling and have decided to take an out of Delhi trip every 2 months at least 
  
 I might be biased, because my parents and immediate family are professionals as well and have home offices, so all my life, I've had the kind of atmosphere where offices don't play a huge role, so I'm happy! 
  
 But yes, I suppose I do get the socialising aspect, it becomes harder to make friends as one grows older, especially when all your school/college friends have office jobs 🙃🙃

Lawyer

Operations Manager

What us your favourite time of your job

And
How do you guys utilise the time to commute

How Do you guys prevent sleeping after having lunch in the office?

Just wanted to know what are some of the weirdest things you’ve seen your co workers do?


My co worker at a previous organisation used to take milk packets home which were  to be used in the coffee machines.

Weirdest thing you’ve seen your co workers do?

Assistant Manager

Ranting - Seriously after seeing this post by meesho, it hit my nerves, we have nothing dude in our NEW BIG office.

I saw many small companies have such play items to relax in between the work.
Goddamn it, for us, it's chai sutta bass. Khtm.

Aur haa, boring HR activity once in a month 🤦

What play stuff you have at your workplace?

I used to work at Meesho back in 2019 when they had an office in Koramangala. They had a cricket pitch and nets on the terrace along with every other games like TT, Fooseball. Etc. As a new joiner all these was amazing. For a month I played all of it and really had fun.  
  
 But that's it. A month. After that you get bored. Doesn't matter what the game is. Right now perks like these doesn't interest me. I want some perks like 15-20% hike for good performers, flexible work policies, year end leaves, decent amount of PTO and no micromanagement.  
  
 Point is don't get fooled by these in office perks. Culture and play areas are entirely different.  
 You love your job? That's amazing. But don't pretend to love it just because you have a fooseball table or indoor golf.

Analyst

Growth Manager

I know a lot of people love working from home. But small rant here. 
Honestly, straight out of college I thought I would do too. But no, I absolutely do not.

Why? 
1. No personality development. It's honestly like an online college all over again (1/2 of my college "life" was online). I talk to a screen, waste a lot of time otherwise. 

2. I don't have a room to call my own. I know this is going to make me sound like a privileged brat but I need my privacy to feel my full confident self. My family members are always on top of my head and spy on me during work. No they really do.

3. I hate, absolutely LOATHE approaching people on teams. I'm more social, confident and comfortable working in an offline setting be it presenting something or talking to senior folks in general. 

4. I have NO life outside of the computer/home. My hobbies, interests everything are inside the tiny room I share with my parents. I still have 2 different desks (which are literally next to each other) for work and personal stuff respectively. When I had offline semesters, it was really awesome as I had balance.

I graduated in 2023 and of course I have a lot to learn, but I'm seriously thinking about searching for another job that's not WFH. I'm still early career and I think I should not be working remote. Am I stupid?

I cannot work remotely.

Work from home is hellish for extroverts. There is no alternative. I've tried co-working spaces. But nothing beats the actual office experience. 
  
 If you're young, go to office and build your network.

Account Manager

Welcome to Confessions's Private Community

Just came back from a hospital visit. Amidst some other visitors muttering to him a general “I am so Sorry” was my voice. I never thought a sorry would come from me with as much guilt and sorrow in my heart. I held back tears and tried to steady my shaking arms saying the words.

8 years ago, He was an intern and I was an associate. He started to join me on my Chai breaks, I’d never tried to persuade him to become a smoker but one day I’d seen him staring at box as I was taking out a cigarette.

Looking where his sight was I offered him one and he took it. And off it was to a greater camaraderie over the smoke.

Started with us talking about our lives then the jokes, then the invitations to house parties, the travel plans, talking about our dates, then our girlfriends, marriage and finally our kids.

I haven't been in touch as much after we both had our daughters last year. And I couldn't believe my ears this morning when the call came.

I didn’t make him smoke but showed that it was okay. That one is on me.

Me joining coworkers for a chai-sutta break on my first job

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