A re-look at RELOCATION

Change is the only constant in life is what I had often heard. Having worked for more than two decades in Britannia, I had witnessed several changes of various kinds. Yet, I, like many others, was not ready to accept the fact that we were going to relocate soon to a newer swankier office in a remote part of the city.

We did many things to cherish the memory of having worked in Britannia Gardens, including a couple of potluck lunches, a photograph of seniors who had worked there from as early as 1989 (when Britannia set up office in Bangalore), and individual photo sessions at various spots which we liked. A Look and See visit to the new office, not only helped us to get familiar with the new location but set us thinking of options to reach the new destination. I had always envied those who commuted to office in AC Volvo buses and now that that would be my only recourse, I started looking forward to going to office sitting by a huge window inside an air-conditioned bus, listening to the latest songs played on the local FM radio by the bus driver. A few others confirmed the trains that would bring them to the new location. All this warmed us to the idea of relocation, to a large extent.

Before we knew it, on 9^th February, we started working from our new office. All of a sudden, the Outer Ring Road that my buses took to and from office daily, earlier the proverbial ‘road less travelled’ now became my regular route.

Fast forward to the current time. Five months after relocation, I believe the relocation has transformed me and others around me. Firstly, a quick walk to the nearest bus stop has become an unavoidable daily morning ritual for me, while a couple of my team members have taken to cycling to office. The long commute allows me to catch up on pending phone calls, jot down thoughts for my articles and poems, list To-Do’s for home and office, and even catch up on sleep. Having only seen high-rise buildings earlier, working on 17^th floor is something that still excites me, and at times, looking far into the horizons through the large glass windows around the break-out areas, relieves me of any workplace stress. The open office structure with most of us seated in cubicles, now allows employees to know each other by face rather than only by an email name or a Sametime Contact. Earlier colleagues have turned friends.

In short, all is well. All that was required of me was to RE-LOOK-AT my circumstances – or RELOCATE my thoughts.

Published in BYTES June 2015 and in LinkedIn on 13th August 2015