Evolution through 7 holis

I remember our 1st holi in office at OfBusiness. It was a riot. We decided to play in the office itself: with colors, with water. The whole office came to a standstill around noon. 5 hours of non-stop fun, followed by snacks and an early off. The office remained painted/tainted and “in festive mood” for a few days after too. Till a week after, we all decided to clean it up collectively so that our office looked spic and span again.

The 6th last week could not have been more different. There was no real celebration per se. Everyone worked till way beyond normal office hours, for the next day was holi and a day off. There weren’t many people taking offs either: March is our biggest month by a distance. There were neat celebratory packs by HR, which OFBians enjoyed in their own team gatherings. There was no color. Nobody bothered to take a snap. But each team, given the potential long weekend, planned for the next 3 days so that business does not take a back seat in the coming days.

Culture, for us, has evolved with scale and vintage. As the company has scaled, OFBians have moved on from being united in fun to being united at work. Camaraderie, that was enforced through festive gatherings earlier, is now hygiene. The organization is now reaping the rewards of camaraderie sown early. Today, an OFBian does not look at the organization for help, but he/ she looks ahead to contribute more meaningfully to OfBusiness.

And in my mind, two things have helped us get there (in addition to countless other small ones): the undying passion with which each old-timer has felt for OfBusiness and the blind belief with which each newcomer has followed the old-timer. All I can say is privileged.

Read more from CEO speaks Column:-
– In love with March
– An Idol Lost