My life at my company

Once upon a time, not very long ago, the company I work in was a very small company – "very small" in terms of number of employees. Everyone knew everyone else. If I walk along MG Road or Brigade Road (there was no "Forum" or "Garuda" malls then) and if a fellow employee passes by, I would most likely recognize him / her and give a smile and get one in return. Most often I will bump into at least one person from my company. One Friday evening, I was shopping at FoodWorld and as I was taking a bottle containing a considerable amount of alcohol content, someone patted on my back and asked in a sweet voice "Hi Santosh, how is life at work?" It was the HR lady who instantly recognized me. "Where is my wonderful privacy?" - I wondered. Those were the days when we drank coffee in proper coffee cups. Those were the days when the number of shuttles was in single digit. You never had to ask someone which route went where, because you always knew which route went where.

The number of employees has jumped really high now. We have batch after batch joining us. We have spread wings to locations outside Bangalore. Now it is hard to recognize people even within office. Every time I go to our other building, I hear someone saying "Has a new batch joined? This guy seems to be new". Even if you are working in this company for seven long years, still you will hear this. No one knows anyone. It is humanly impossible to remember so many faces. No smiles during my walks at MG Road or Brigade Road. No one pats on my back during my supermarket visits. And definitely no smiles at Forum or Garuda Mall (it's too crowded even to recognize the people I know well). The proper coffee cups have disappeared from the coffee corner. They have been replaced by dull boring paper cups (so fragile that everyone uses two at a time). I don't know the number of shuttles which are running. Hardly anyone knows. Even the transport guy has to refer his Excel. If you want to go somewhere other than your home, finding the right shuttle will test all the skills you have - analytical, communication and respiratory.

Does all this mean that my company is not a great company to be in? I don't think so. Growth is something which my company has become synonymous with. And growth has taken place in all aspects - including number of employees. A lot has changed because of this. But a lot has also not changed because of this. We still party just as before. We still enjoy ourselves during our team outings and outbounds - just as before. We still enjoy our coffee with biscuits at the coffee corner – just as before. We still have fun and do some bird watching during lunch time - just as before. We still have Online Groups and we actively participate in them - just as before. We still actively contribute to social welfare - just as before. The numbers might have changed, but the spirit hasn't. It's still a great place to work.