These are some of the things I reminisce about. My everyday drive to work in bumper-to-bumper traffic, during which I would constantly switch the radio channels to find a song to kick-start my day. I remember the times when I would come into the office in a bad mood and there wasn’t a better fix than a quick cup of coffee over a chat with my favorite colleague. The hustle I would feel in the office space, along with the energies around me, would help me propel my pace of work and motivate me to push my boundaries. I noticed that most people try to shut out the world outside of them, from 9 to 5, to collate their most wonderful ideas to make things happen!

Although the fast-rising use of video conferencing calls is a means most teams use to coordinate their efforts, the in-house synergy is something that I yearn for. It could be as simple as bouncing idea’s off one another quickly before entering a meeting room or standing by the water cooler discussing our thoughts for the next ground-breaking app.

Finally (and most importantly), I feel nostalgic about all the times, when the clock struck 1, I would ask my friends, “What’s for lunch?” From walking into the cafeteria with different fragrant smells or being obviously more interested in what’s in the next person’s lunch box, I miss those moments of sharing, laughter and joy. It’s not just the food being shared, there’s so much more. It’s the warmth of companionship and the liberty to speak to your peers about anything that is on your mind. While working from home surely has its perks, I look forward to a time when all these things can happen again.

How will the bonding that took place so naturally before, be matched with this new style of working? Would the wave of uncertainty be easier to deal with, if we’re all back in the cafeteria discussing it, after we’ve figured out what’s for lunch?