My Utopian Workplace
I was pleasantly surprised by what I thought was utopian and how my sense of utopian has evolved over the years.
It was way back in 2003 when I entered a “workplace”, a place I waited to enter for a long time as it signalled that I am now capable to “earn” money.
Though I was very blessed to have parents who ensured I got a very good upbringing and have more than what I need, it was quite a struggle at various levels to be in a position to earn. A lack of perspective, a lack of seriousness, a lack of focus on education ensured my journey was anything but linear. (As it turns out these are the things I am heavily focusing on the past few years.)
Little did I realise then that the struggle has just begun.
For 9–11 day of glory (1 day when our salaries are credited and remaining 8–10 days of weekends), there are 20–22 days of all possible emotions at all extremities possible. Needless to add, there are more negative emotions at extreme levels and far less productive than I desire and what I am capable of.
This has made me think, is this really worth it? If I had all the magical powers, how would I design an ideal workplace for myself (as different people would have different utopia in their minds)?
Do keep in mind that the perception of utopia different at different ages. When in 20s how we view our ideal workspace is very different than when we view in 30s, 40s and so on.
So this is my version from a vantage point of 37. In no particular order of importance.
Purpose and Meaning
(Another way to see it as your North-star, something to guide you or motivate you every single day.)
My view on this would be very different a few years ago.
I have experienced first-hand how life is fragile and your world can go upside down with just 1 medical diagnosis.
This has made me realise that time is passing by and fast (maybe today is my last day) and hence I want to do work which has purpose and meaning. (Writing posts like these gives me a tremendous amount of both).
As someone who is in the field of Product Management (in addition to be a UX Researcher & UX Designer), I want to work on products which WILL make things better for the user and on the whole advance the whole system forward.
I want to solve challenging problems, these may be boring or interesting which is fine as long as the outcome is worthy.
I want to solve problems with impact people at scale. Problems which are systemic in nature. Problems which require a holistic way of thinking and execution and not just solving one piece of it.
People
I would have never imagined I would say this ever as I am a proud introvert and most often than not I prefer being alone or prefer 1:1 conversation on a meaningful topic at a deeper level. I hate crowds/groups/parties as all this is very artificial and drivel to me. No sensible outcome comes out of these. People who indulge in these often are gossip-mongers and have an inclination to win the popularity contest at any cost.
Having said that I love talking to people who broaden my perspective and/or has a different viewpoint than mine and/or are also in pursuit of meeting their purpose and doing meaningful work.
Days when I don’t get to do the above, I feel incomplete.
I want to work with people who are not a frog in a well. Who are not limited by their current surroundings and realise there is a world beyond where they are now.
I want to work with people who think 100x, who have the fire in the belly to learn, to stay curious all the time.
I want to work with people who value ideas over who the idea came from.
I want to work with people who encourage failing.
I want to work with people who dare to do the impossible. Even if they fail they would have done something which was impossible for others.
I want to work around those who are not slaves to the authorities just because they want to “grow” in terms of their salaries. These people lose the long game for a very short one.
I want to work around those who have the inclination to judge me from my work and not with whom I know or my associations at work or what’s my education background.
Being around these people is guaranteed to level up your own game. It’s not about how much you earn but about what you become. Money is transient but what you become will stay with you.
Customer/User Centric
The word Human-Centered Design has been used and abused over the past few years.
And yet its as important as ever. Unlike earlier, the barrier to enter a mature industry is very low and anyone can disrupt any business, especially tech where moats are ever changing ever evolving.
Regardless of what role one is employed in, a great workplace for me is one where I get unfettered access to Customers/Users who are using my company’s products and whom we owe our survival and glory days.
Specifically, in my case as a Product person, I would love to spend at least a day in a week with actual Customers/Users and get a sense of what they feel about our product, how they are using it, what are their moments of delight, what are the needs/pain-points which we haven't addressed it yet.
The only way to be in the game is to be on the customer’s side. You may still lose, but even if you are not on the customer’s side you will lose.
I would go at length and even say that this activity should be made mandatory for everyone. The cadence can vary depending on the role of the employees.
To the outside world, every employee of the company is a brand ambassador and the face of that company and its products. And hence it's important to stay in touch and grounded with the customers/users regularly. It also helps broaden one’s perspective as it’s easy to be in a shell and focus on products/features without being cognizant of what problem need to be solved and whether there is a market need for the products/features we are building.
Work from anywhere
It was in the industrial age where workers had those job cards which had to be punched while entering and exiting. Though that age is a long history, some of those practices are still followed, if not literally though metaphorically. Most Orgs want their employees to be in the office for 9 hours. Or most Managers want their people to be around even though they are fully motivated and capable to work from anywhere and get the work done.
So my ideal workplace should have the flexibility that I can work without being in office, as long as the work gets done and well within schedule. Needless to say, there will be times when one is required to be in office and that’s absolutely fine.
To be fair and it’s important to add that at present I am in a very privileged position where my workplace is a 12 mins walk and if I decide to ride down, its probably 5–7 mins away. So when I talk about work from anywhere it’s not only to avoid traffic but also there are days when I want to be in absolute solitude and the modern workplace is just not designed for it.
Even if one cannot work from home, why not let the whole team work from a WeWork or a cafe nearby?
I want to work in a place where I can do deep-work in solitude. It’s impossible to find a signal in a noisy problem when there is noise all around you.
I want to work in a place which appreciates me being in isolation and yet welcomes me when I don’t want to be in isolation.
Perks
How can a utopian workplace be without perks, right?
As much as I envy and am infatuated by all the perks which companies like Google and many new-age startups seem to be providing, I have a different view of perks.
I want perks which help me keep my A-game in times when I am down or feeling down. Perks should help me to never go down in my game or bounce back quickly. From that thought, I wish my utopian workplace provides for the following —
- Wellness benefits —
Subscription to a meditation app
Allow me access and reimburse medical expenses towards therapy
Subscription to Yoga/Gym/Personal trainer
Subscription to spa
Forced 2–3 weeks of vacation time
2. Subscription to a library or reimbursements towards books
3. If work from anywhere is not an option, provide me with free credits to public workspaces like WeWork.
4. Reimbursements to X number of conferences related to my field of work and/or personality development/self-growth seminars like Tony Robbins’s “Date with Destiny”
5. Unlimited sick-leaves either for self or for immediate family members
6. An equal number of leaves for both women and men who have become parents recently
7. No strings attached Medical Insurance for self and family
8. Access to a coach or a mentor
9. Flexi work timings
Now I understand the above can be misused, but there are ways to have some kind of control. Let's say if I have a subscription to a gym, if I do not go for a fixed number of days in a month, it will be revoked.
The above is so important to help people when they need the most.
When times are good, perks hardly matter. Hence my idea of perks when times are tough.
I truly believe each one of us can do miracles and flourish if only we have the right environment and nourished properly.
I am curious to hear what is your idea of a utopian workplace?
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