“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!”

That’s exactly what we believe at GreyB. We know how working-from-home feels, and I promise, you will be able to relate to everything in this article. But before we get to that, let me give you a little background. 

It was the first quarter anniversary of our ‘work from home’ setup. While we were all wondering when we’ll be back at the office, Shikhar came up with the most interesting idea to celebrate working from home. So he sent a company-wide email. Though we are all at our homes away from each other, one thing is for sure, the email brought a smile to many faces at once!

So, what was the idea?

A short film making competition!

Away from the office and the various weekly activities, this was the best way to boost up our energy and make us feel at the office (never thought I’d say this). 

And what is a competition without some rules, right? 

So this one had some too:

• The very obvious – film theme should be around “Work from home”.
• The deadline (cos what’s the fun without some adrenaline rush?)- Film submission time was 1 day.
• Distance doesn’t matter when you have your team by your side. Following the thought, we had to participate in our respective teams like PDT, Landscape, Infringement, Solutions, HR+Admin, Sales. Though, we were allowed to make our flatmates participate in the film too even if they belong to another team. But such an entry was going to be considered in one team and other teams needed to submit a separate film.

And last but not least, 

• We were to select a director in our team and they had to share the film name by the end of the day itself.

Sounds fun?

Oh, you’ll witness it yourself. (*winks*)

Psst… We’ve also embedded the winning team’s video for you at the end!

As soon as the rules were received, every team jumped right into the task at hand. A continuous exchange of messages and long-drawn-out meetings. This was just the beginning. With the fun task in hand and months of being at home, this was an opportunity for the teams to have fun and show their routine to others too.

We got to get our family members involved too. Showcasing the daily life scenarios of not only the women but men doing the necessary household chores too. Some with their wives motivating them (I am just being polite :p). On the whole, it was fun to watch. And the competition turned out to be exactly what everyone needed, the right break and a perfect way to enjoy this time of lockdown. 

Curious? 

Okay… Okay… I won’t play around anymore!

Let’s Begin!

Diving right into the competition, the first entry was from Krishna’s team – The IP Conquerors. 

Depicting the life before and after lockdown. We can clearly see that when it comes to the fun Friday nights and joy of getting ready to go out versus the no-track-of-day scenario of our current life. The former is dearly missed! 

While the end to their unlimited parties and fun can be easily seen on their moping(though at home) faces, a doting father and a Manager at GreyB, Krishna, is seen trying to solve the dispute between his daughter and his laptop. Well, I hope his laptop recovers soon. 

In the meantime, can you think of that one thing that we can all agree that almost everyone has improved during this lockdown? 

Hint: A delicious skill!

Giving your thoughts a word – Cooking.

And that’s what the IP Conquerors presented to us in their video – Their impressively improved cooking skills. From learning how to boil an egg to cooking various different dishes, I bet we have some new chefs in the house now.

But cooking ain’t the only thing that caught GreyBian’s eyes. The infringement team, with their Infringing Workouts video, focused on their home workout routine. Can you see the dedication in the picture below?

I bet you can! XD

While they made their workout a weekly objective. If you think they really did it, then you are dreaming. 

But look at how they came up with their very own cheat sheet. 

For example, Hritik taught us that… well open the step tracker on your phone and let’s get practical… Now, try shaking your phone and Abra-ca-dabra! 

See the difference?

The number of steps increases without you even moving an inch!

Interesting, huh?

Now that you’ve tried it, there’s no going back. Trust me, I’ve given up. 🙂 

On the other hand, Anoop decided to hand over the phone to his baby and let his steps help him achieve the objective. After all, a child is a true support to his father.

Wanna hear more?

Just wait till you read about team PDT and their work-life at home in the video named – Atmanirbhar. To sum up their video, they showed exactly what we are, a family, maybe away for now, but a family in the end. 

Where the meetings contain the daily yoga sessions, hair drying sessions, the chai sessions, and also the “I-am-cleaning-my-house” sessions.

To top it all up, they organized a meeting for weekly workout routines too.

And contrary to our beliefs, they did workout!

Mind-blowing? Well, it was quite fun to watch them pushing each other to complete their goals. As I said earlier, a family indeed. 

Next is the LSD team. Missing office life and struggling with household chores. Writing emails while cooking food has become their new normal.

Their video? Oh, the Nukad-Natak, had us at the name.

Now, how did they bring the fun time back? They came up with an amazing idea – Scribble! Oh, how much I wish to play with them too! 

Not only that, but they also did not let the lockdown get in the way of birthday celebrations(*wow*). Supporting each other during the best times, the LSD team helped us feel a little nostalgic too. *sobs*

Wiping away our tears, let’s ride towards ‘Zindagi Nau do Gyarah’ by Nikhil’s team.

But first… tell me something-

Did you too start working out in the first week, with the whole motivation of – “I’ll work out, I’ll have enough time! After all, I am home all day man”. But just after a week, you realize you don’t have enough time now and the only thing running is your motivation to workout and that too far far away from you? *giggles*

Well, guess what? This team suffered the same fate. While the first week got them excited and motivated, by the end of the first week… well, let me just show you.

I bet when Harman started, he did not expect the outcome would be this. And, that is not even the end, tell me, do you also get called by your mom while you are working or in a meeting, asking you to clean the house? Well, mine does and so does Harshita’s mom. I won’t be surprised if she’d be giving a presentation with a broom in her hand. 

Another new normal, I guess.

Now, what if I tell you the Infringement team submitted another video?

Their thought- Why settle at one when you can have two?

Well, one did not cover their content or their blues of being at home. I guess it’s the latter one. 

Their “Kahani work-from-home Ki” made us realize how tough it can get to manage work and household chores. Not only that but how tough it can be to cook too, right Ayushi? 

I hope she got her food cooked by the end of the video. But you know how the video ended? With a satisfied client. Proving that though we face unbalanced routine and distinct challenges, our work doesn’t suffer. Never has, never will. 

Talking about suffering, the analytics team represented their suffering in one single meeting from home. While some of them were half-dressed, with the combination of a shirt, tie, and shorts, some wore just out of bed attire. Well, let’s just say Paris Fashion Week is going to be inspired.

And even in a serious meeting, they never forget to pull each other’s leg. Making it more fun to watch. If somehow the team forgot to do it, Komal got time to time leg-pulling or scolding, whichever sounds better, sessions from her mom. But the best part is Rajesh trying to handle the three new joiners and finally deciding to give up till the time Shitij or as Rajesh calls him- his ray of sunshine, came in, half-dressed. and here we go again!

However, in Sushant’s words, “Work-life harmony” is being maintained, apparently, with the Coconut water to the rescue.

Work-life harmony is maintained by the Marketing team too. At least after they find the right sitting spot for themselves and Kanika remembers to unmute her mic before speaking. From there it’s a smooth ride. Just the way it was for Deepak. Or maybe not. Hope he had his Aarogya Setu app installed.

Another thing that the marketing team taught us- how to cook food (probably Maggi) and attend the meeting at the same time. Well, Shabaz is mastering this skill for sure. Odds are he’ll add this in his resume- A Senior Marketing Analyst who can cook while handling projects. Attaboy!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Sadly, we have come to an end. Time to announce the winner of this very close competition. So without further ado let’s welcome…

*drumrolls* 

“Bhasad-Macha-Denge” by Concept hacking team.

Showing their everyday routine in a single video. From waking up early to be done with their household work and then attending the daily morning meetings. Also handling the normal internet problem and family meetings too. Staying at home, and not having at least one member coming up to you every five minutes. Hard to imagine. 

Sounds similar? Everything like you just read? 

Well, they were different and optimistic. This team found the good in this work-from-home situation. They depicted how they learned to become Independent. Not relying on Shelza or any other member and finding a way out of their situations themselves. But that was not all, they told us how to manage time and balance our lives in this situation.

While working hard, they did not stop having their tea-breaks or even gossip sessions. Playing games or singing songs together on a call, was knitting them together more tightly than ever. 

Just watch their video and be the judge. You’ll certainly imagine them holding a trophy at the end!

With that, we completed our first quarter working at home. With Nostalgia and hope to see each other soon, cheers, to all of us working from home.

*Clink Clink*

Authored by: Gayatri Sharma, Market Research