Office sucks. If yours doesn't, then you are probably demented, or the boss (which is essentially the same thing). But even though your job is underpaid, you are over - timing everyday and the boss thinks you are under - utilised, paychecks don't come on time, it is ensured that you are made to work on weekends, you get work mail at odd hours.. umm... where was I before I went on my ranting spree? Yes, even though offices sucks, if you are even remotely the kind of person it takes to have fun, office spaces become playgrounds which offer oodles of masti (there is no word in the language of firangs which does justice to the cool sentiments of this desi word). How you may ask? Even if you don't, I'm gonna spill the beans anyway because you would have figured out by now what the blog post is about.
This is my second job so far and at each place I have had and am still having a wonderful wonderful time! And being the reserved person that I can be if I choose to be, that is saying something. And trust me, you don't even have to be cool like me to have fun at your office. Are you questioning where's the fun there? Well, then, it is right here:
1. Gossip: It just had to be the number 1 fun activity. And if you are a woman, then it steals the top 10 spots. The 'subject of discussion' can range from shoes to shoulder bags, from clutchers to clothes, from attitude to behaviour to style of speaking to not speaking to you name it! Where there is a will, there is an issue to gossip about! Every organisation has characters which deserve dedicated gossip sessions. And if there are more than one, then the lunch hour is bound to be a long one.
2. Lunch: While we are on the subject of lunch hour, I'll like to confess that my working hours are neatly divided into 3 slots: Before lunch, lunch and after lunch. And no prizes for guessing which of them is the most awaited and loved. If cultivated affectionately and with dedication, lunch hour can spice up, quite literally, your time at the office. Ooh, the fight over the kadhai paneer, and drooling over kadhi rice, and the amazing chana masala with tiffin full of halwa and poori in navaratra's and keeping an eye on that rare sweet in someone's lunch box's hidden corner... I'm salivating already! If you have a lunch group, then its a plus! Then there are days when you go out to eat. Fighting over where to go, yelling at people to wrap up their work, deciding what to eat and all of this in just the lunch hour! And I haven't even started talking of eating yet! Oh, its 1 PM! Sorry, time for my lunch break. Punctuality is a must! :P
3. Lookin' good!: Just imagine for once that you do not have any office to go to. What would your day be like? You obviously can't go shopping everyday (remember, no office = no salary = no extra cash to splurge), you can't meet your friends (they'll be at work) and there is nothing besides household work to do. I'm sure no one will be a big fan of that. So you just stay home and don't even bother to get out of your pyjamas.On the other hand, you pick a random outfit to wear at the office, and because you woke up earlier than usual, you match your accessories with it. And when you reach office, unexpectedly, your colleagues compliment you. If even a couple of compliments on a regular day can lift up your spirits, then just imagine that if you put a little bit of effort to look smarter, how good it will make you feel. And not just because of the compliments. Because dressing well is known to make moods better. There are studies on the net to prove it. Office gives you an opportunity to wear all those clothes and stuff you shopped for! Otherwise, who'll bother if you are all decked up at home with your kids (who'll end up dirtying you anyway) or in - laws/ parents (for whom you won't bother to dress up anyway).
4. B*tching: I could have clubbed it with 'Gossip' but I did not because it deserves its own space. Wherever there is a group of more than 2 people at a workplace, there is bound to be some bitching. But if done moderately, it is not a bad thing. It, I have discovered, can act as a stress reliever. When stuck in a project, just discuss how XYZ girl was acting all 'girly' in from of ABC guy to get his attention, and voila! You feel rejuvenated! And, its benefits are not just limited to that. It also helps people bond which is a great team building exercise! Especially when you together 'talk' about the boss. Letting go of all that pent up frustration is blissful! I just hope my boss doesn't read it. :P Well, the point is, that bitching at work about work, colleagues, boss, even the office boys, canteen operator or the courier guy is fun. And I bet you knew that anyway.
5. Friends: If you are lucky like I have been, and you make wonderful wonderful friends at work, then your workplace can be a playground if you want! I have shared not just work ideas but clothes; not just suggestions on projects, but life and love, not just brainstormed aggressively on new pitches but also on the next party plan. There are bound to be times when you feel low or frustrated or plain bored. And having friends at work is blissful at this time. They help you vent. And motivate you and when they realise that you don't need motivation and just need to b*tch, they'll totally pitch in too.
There are tens of other things which make office suck a lot less. But I'll leave you to find them out by yourself. And when you do, you'll maybe feel a tad bit better about the place where you spend most of your waking hours. Happy working! :)
This is my second job so far and at each place I have had and am still having a wonderful wonderful time! And being the reserved person that I can be if I choose to be, that is saying something. And trust me, you don't even have to be cool like me to have fun at your office. Are you questioning where's the fun there? Well, then, it is right here:
1. Gossip: It just had to be the number 1 fun activity. And if you are a woman, then it steals the top 10 spots. The 'subject of discussion' can range from shoes to shoulder bags, from clutchers to clothes, from attitude to behaviour to style of speaking to not speaking to you name it! Where there is a will, there is an issue to gossip about! Every organisation has characters which deserve dedicated gossip sessions. And if there are more than one, then the lunch hour is bound to be a long one.
2. Lunch: While we are on the subject of lunch hour, I'll like to confess that my working hours are neatly divided into 3 slots: Before lunch, lunch and after lunch. And no prizes for guessing which of them is the most awaited and loved. If cultivated affectionately and with dedication, lunch hour can spice up, quite literally, your time at the office. Ooh, the fight over the kadhai paneer, and drooling over kadhi rice, and the amazing chana masala with tiffin full of halwa and poori in navaratra's and keeping an eye on that rare sweet in someone's lunch box's hidden corner... I'm salivating already! If you have a lunch group, then its a plus! Then there are days when you go out to eat. Fighting over where to go, yelling at people to wrap up their work, deciding what to eat and all of this in just the lunch hour! And I haven't even started talking of eating yet! Oh, its 1 PM! Sorry, time for my lunch break. Punctuality is a must! :P
3. Lookin' good!: Just imagine for once that you do not have any office to go to. What would your day be like? You obviously can't go shopping everyday (remember, no office = no salary = no extra cash to splurge), you can't meet your friends (they'll be at work) and there is nothing besides household work to do. I'm sure no one will be a big fan of that. So you just stay home and don't even bother to get out of your pyjamas.On the other hand, you pick a random outfit to wear at the office, and because you woke up earlier than usual, you match your accessories with it. And when you reach office, unexpectedly, your colleagues compliment you. If even a couple of compliments on a regular day can lift up your spirits, then just imagine that if you put a little bit of effort to look smarter, how good it will make you feel. And not just because of the compliments. Because dressing well is known to make moods better. There are studies on the net to prove it. Office gives you an opportunity to wear all those clothes and stuff you shopped for! Otherwise, who'll bother if you are all decked up at home with your kids (who'll end up dirtying you anyway) or in - laws/ parents (for whom you won't bother to dress up anyway).
4. B*tching: I could have clubbed it with 'Gossip' but I did not because it deserves its own space. Wherever there is a group of more than 2 people at a workplace, there is bound to be some bitching. But if done moderately, it is not a bad thing. It, I have discovered, can act as a stress reliever. When stuck in a project, just discuss how XYZ girl was acting all 'girly' in from of ABC guy to get his attention, and voila! You feel rejuvenated! And, its benefits are not just limited to that. It also helps people bond which is a great team building exercise! Especially when you together 'talk' about the boss. Letting go of all that pent up frustration is blissful! I just hope my boss doesn't read it. :P Well, the point is, that bitching at work about work, colleagues, boss, even the office boys, canteen operator or the courier guy is fun. And I bet you knew that anyway.
5. Friends: If you are lucky like I have been, and you make wonderful wonderful friends at work, then your workplace can be a playground if you want! I have shared not just work ideas but clothes; not just suggestions on projects, but life and love, not just brainstormed aggressively on new pitches but also on the next party plan. There are bound to be times when you feel low or frustrated or plain bored. And having friends at work is blissful at this time. They help you vent. And motivate you and when they realise that you don't need motivation and just need to b*tch, they'll totally pitch in too.
There are tens of other things which make office suck a lot less. But I'll leave you to find them out by yourself. And when you do, you'll maybe feel a tad bit better about the place where you spend most of your waking hours. Happy working! :)
