Work from zone: Startups push to get office crowd back for tough year

In 2020, like millions of employees across India and around the world, Tanvi began working from her home in Mumbai as the Covid-19 pandemic erupted. Apart from the change in premises, however, it was business as usual for Tanvi, whose job as an online beauty adviser at Nykaa involves interacting with customers in search of recommendations for skincare and beauty products. 

But with the company deciding to resume customer-facing operations on-site in April, Tanvi is back at its Lower Parel office, working the phones.

It has been a month, and so far, the 27-year-old is happy about logging in from the office for her 10-7 shift. She is enjoying the daily commute on Mumbai’s local trains, encountering familiar faces, and interacting with colleagues over lunch and joining water-cooler conversations. “It’s so good to see everyone’s faces, better than sitting at home. We now also have our own cafe at the office,” she says.

Like Tanvi, thousands of startup employees across India have stopped WFH, heading back to their offices. Some are doing it full-time, while many come in for a few days every week. A select few are still working from home, but that will change shortly with many startups gearing up for a full return to office.