Zerodha's Nithin Kamath Says Work From Home ''Detrimental'' For Tech, Business Teams

Working from home became an absolute necessity during the pandemic. However, now that Covid-19 is over, more and more employers want their staff to return to the office. Recently, Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath stepped into the work-from-home debate, saying the remote office concept did not work for some of his employees and proved challenging for those in tech, business, and decision-making positions due to communication barriers. He also noted that ever since some of his staff started returning to office on a hybrid basis, the results have been ''dramatically positive.''

''All of us at @zerodhaonline  went fully remote during the pandemic lockdown in 2020. While it's been great for some, it hasn't been for others,'' Mr Kamath wrote on X.

''Work from home works well for support roles given the structured nature of the work. But for tech, business, and decision-making teams, it has been detrimental, primarily due to the big gaps in remote communication,'' he added. 

See the post here:

All of us at @zerodhaonline went fully remote during the pandemic lockdown in 2020. While it's been great for some, it hasn't been for others. In this post, K explains why it didn't work for everybody at Zerodha.

Work from home works well for support roles given the structured…

— Nithin Kamath (@Nithin0dha) April 1, 2024

In his post, he also shared a blog written by Zerodha CTO Kailash Nadh, who said remote work needed ''specific'' skill sets. The blog titled ''The remoteness of remote work'', talks of remote work and challenges that the employees faced, including overtime, isolation, communication breakdowns, and burnout. 

''The hard lesson we learnt is that effective, long-term remote work requires specific skill sets and DNA to pull off,” Mr Nadh said. 

He also advocated for a hybrid module saying how Zerodha implemented the same, with 10% of its core team, mainly in creative and decision-making roles, returning to the office part-time. 

''And so, we came back, some 10% or about 100 of us in the org—technical, creative, business, and critical decision-making teams—on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Two days at home to zone out, avoid commuting, and to do focused work, and three days specifically for conversations and collaboration across teams,'' the blog post reads. 

According to him, this shift has led to improved communication, more efficient decision-making, and a resurgence of the innovation-friendly environment that Zerodha values.

The post drew mixed reactions. One user said, ''Although people save commute time and fuel by doing WFH, but they miss a lot in terms of personal networking.'' Another added, ''There are people who works like a beast in WFH. It's mostly dependent on person. There is no clear winner between wfh and wfo.'' 

A third said, ''What's the moral of the story? Well, it's a reminder that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to remote work. Sometimes, you gotta mix things up, find that sweet spot between the virtual world and the real one.''

A fourth added, ''The solution is to open offices in other cities instead of a densely populated and polluted city, improving your health as well your employees.'' Yet another said, ''Decision making is a quality some have and some don't!!! Remote working has nothing to do with it. Another argument for learning is also ridiculous. I have learned more after graduating through online platforms.''