Check Out My Workspace: The elevated WFH experience

Since COVID-19 has shut down so many offices, we’ve decided to kick off the “Check Out My Workspace” series with an unconventional home office that represents the inventive spirit of our PepsiCo associates.

Name: Aditi Gulati

Role: Associate Director, Executive Hiring

Where do you work?

I’m in an AMESA [Africa, Middle East and South Asia] location-free role and work out of India BU Headquarters in Gurgaon.

Before the pandemic shutdown, what were the offices like overall?

The offices at PepsiCo are very, very vibrant. There’s a lot of PepsiCo merchandise and a lot of branding all around us. It’s more of a dynamic communal place for people to collaborate.

What was your favorite spot?

We have these big breakout areas on each floor, which are just there to ensure that there is a place for people to informally catch up, chat, socialize, collaborate. Between every meeting, I walk there and say hello to whoever is around and chat for five minutes while I get my coffee.

What’s your favorite time of day at the office?

On most days lunch ends up being a big affair. Having everyone at the table sharing food and swapping work stories before we get back to the grind is a good bonding activity, especially for new teams.

What do you miss about your desk back at the PepsiCo offices?

I have a poster with a very motivating slogan, which has carried me and is my personal motto. It’s bright purple and sits right on my desk. It says, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.”

Tell us about your current home office.

I knew I needed some energy for the space that I’d be working in that would remind me of the PepsiCo offices. First, I needed to have a proper table and a chair. Everything was completely shut down in India at that point, and going out and buying furniture was not even an option. Thankfully the office offered to get our office chairs delivered to the house, and, of course, I said yes.

There are so many vibrant backdrops — how did you get them?

I’m someone who loves color, which is why there’s just a lot of color in my house. All the walls you see in the video, they already exist in my house. I just throw in some knickknacks — notebooks, pen holder, a coaster for my favorite beverage, a plant — and I am ready.

How often do you move it now?

I love putting in the time to create a new workspace. It is also very important to choose a conducive work environment — no disturbance, no noise, great lighting, great ventilation. Initially I used to move to a new corner every week, but now I have identified my top three favorites, and I keep juggling them every two to three weeks.

What has kept you engaged and excited about your career while you’ve been working at home?

As the talent acquisition lead, I’m in the business of getting talent. PepsiCo has been a cradle of talent in India — the people practices, the focus on the career progressions and the differentiated assignments were a big pull — and that’s something which has not changed.

In fact, I know more now about the effort that PepsiCo takes to constantly raise the bar on talent and diversity. Here’s a company that thinks exactly like I do about talent. For me, it’s just a match made in heaven.