What's the one thing you can't live without in your work life?

Sometimes I feel that the work I am doing in the office is worthless. It is providing no value to the client nor does it help me. I am able to answer the technical questions of the client which help in their business decisions and I think that's what keeps me employed. But I still feel I am wasting my time and I really don't know what I should do. Does anyone else face a similar issue or is it only with me? Also have someone come out of this and would like to share their experiences.

I am an engineer and have been working remotely since the pandemic started. Initially, it was great as I could save time by not commuting to office but now I feel like I am missing out on something. I don't know what it is but I just feel like I need to be in an office environment to thrive. Maybe it's the social aspect or the structure of having set hours, but whatever it is, I can't seem to find the same level of motivation when working from home. Anyone else feeling this way? Any tips on how to make remote work more productive and enjoyable?

I have no time for hobbies or anything considering I spend most of my time working. My only social outlet is my colleagues and I don't want to end up gossiping with them all the time. How do you guys (who are in a similar situation) manage?

I understand different things matter to different people. I thought it would be interesting to understand the consensus on some bare basic requirements that make up a healthy workplace.

I am seriously asking this question, how do you work less In office, when you know you can do your work sorta easily, but you also know that whatever work you are doing is senior level work, ie not your pay scale? 🤡 I it just me or am I making sense??

Am I the only one who likes working from office (Bengaluru)? I go to office every day, and it helps me to be more productive. - There will be no distractions - Team mates will be around, and if there is any queries, I can straight away ask them rather than typing a message or setting up a call - Occasional chit chats - Having lunch together - being a part of all the conversations happening - Managers works from office - a good rapport with him as well - Free food - Free Transport (can mates - another plus point) - Good work set-up - Meet new people almost every day - Build/deepen real connections every day - Interact with folks starting from entey level to senior directors or VPs regularly (L1 - L9 is the range mentioned here) FYI: I moved to Bengaluru for work, although I've the option to work completely remote. One of my team member even mentioned that he has not yet been able to connect with the team member who has joined before me, like how he could connect with me. I understand that once people have family, it will be difficult to manage everything. One of my team mate actually mentioned that, he used to do/manage everything properly before Covid, but it's kind of not easy/lazy since Covid. I also realise that not everyone has the above perks, but still. Commute can be an issue. I travel 50+ KMs every day to and fro. I start by 7 am in the morning to morning traffic, and take around 75 minutes in the evening (I can survive the traffic without having to use my mobile 😂) I do miss my family frequently, but I do have the flexibility to go home and stay a few days when I want. Staying alone in a service apartment is the only disadvantage as of now.

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?

They have no life They have nowhere to go They have no one to be with They have no passions outside work either And they make your life hell as they become the baseline for comparison for all sorts of management from appraisal to work distribution. Feel free to disagree with me, but I’m genuinely pissed today. How do you deal with them? I have a decent life outside work but lose most of it while trying to catchup to such people so that I don’t get fired. Sorry for the title.

Translation: I come to work on Sundays too. Rant Alert: Since I have been flexed this school of thought more than twice now, I want to ask: What is up with Founder bros being so tone-deaf about everything which is not about building their company? If you refuse to work on a Sunday, you are deemed lazy. If you are not building the Bro's business 24x7, you have no drive to succeed in life. And for some reason, the rest of the workforce complies without questioning! Very commonly noticed in FMCG, EdTech, and a few other domains.