The following two interviewees were selected and interviewed via zoom after considering their technical backgrounds in Information Technology, current occupations in the IT sector, and since both their offices are situated in Bangalore in India, the region of interest for the thesis proposal.
​
Arindaam Roy – Manager of Technology at Autoninja, a recently acquired technology startup based in Bangalore. He is an IT graduate from Delhi Technological University and holds a passion for learning and sharing. His primary interests include developing and maintaining meaningful software applications.
What does your typical workday look like? Working in a startup space makes every day different. There is no typical day as new and novel challenges are faced by us on a daily basis. As a firm, Autoninja is a swiftly expanding venture-funded startup that builds mobile CRM tools. We primarily cater to the Auto retail market in India. I, myself, work on several aspects of app development for retail clients.
Have the employees at your organization ever faced a challenge that you feel can be tackled through interior design? Yes. Since our firm is just recently got acquired, we still rent a space at CoWrks Ecoworld, a coworking space in Bellandur alongside other startups. Although the community at CoWrks includes fascinating people of varied interests, the furniture at the space slightly lacks certain ergonomic features that would improve physical comfort for the employees.
Can you mention one specific challenge in office ergonomics that was raised by most workers at your workplace? One very common concern that was raised by several software engineers was the lack of standing desks in the workplace. Few employees had reported neck and back pain from long hours of uninterrupted sitting sessions.
Interviews
Where there any other concerns raised by employees that resulted in any other form of musculoskeletal pain? Another concern was the type of keyboards supplied for typing at the desktop stations. Some workers had reported very minor symptoms of the carpal tunnel syndrome such as an ache in the arms or fingers.
What do you think would be a solution to the lack of standing desks and the use of conventional keyboards in the workplace?
I really believe a motorized standing desk would certainly help alleviate most of the pain. However, given budget constraints for a place built for startup workers, I think a station in each floor dedicated to standing desk would be a more feasible solution compared to having all desks replaced with standing desks. Also, maybe the use of alternate keyboards could reduce the physical stress endured during typing.
How would you categorize the level of mental stress endured at an IT firm such as yours? Several hours of coding, data analysis and management certainly do induce quite a load of mental stress. Although it isn’t on a daily basis, it is enough to keep us pinned on work.
What changes do you think can be made to an IT workplace to alleviate some of the mental stress employees are subjected to? I certainly feel that an appealing interior in the workplace can significantly contribute to reducing the overall work pressure in the atmosphere. This could involve choice of colors that soothe the mind, placing greenery such as plants wherever appropriate, and also keeping a separate space free from work where employees can come together and interact at ease.
What’s an organization that you aspire your firm to be like and why?
Off the top of my head, Google’s different workspaces in California, especially the offices inside the Googleplex campus, are definitely some of the dream IT hubs out there. Aside from the workplace having all necessary ergonomic features to improve workplace comfort, it is also inviting of an innovative and calm headspace.
What future plans does the firm have in place to help overcome some of the current challenges?
Ever since our startup has been acquired, the firm has been working on moving to a larger workspace. Given the abundance of interior designers in the Bangalore region, hopefully, we can utilize their help in addressing some of the core ergonomic concerns currently faced in the workplace.
How has your journey been thus far at your firm from when you started until now? Given that the firm is still transitioning out of its startup phase, things haven’t changed much for me from a workload perspective since I’ve started. However, as I tackle new challenges on a daily basis, I constantly grow as an engineer and hope to continue to add value to my firm.
Prathyakshun Rajashankar – Software Engineer at LinkedIn, Bangalore office. He is a Computer Science graduate from the Indian Institute of Information Technology in Hyderabad, India, and is highly passionate about the design and analysis of software systems.
How would you review your experience so far as a software engineer at LinkedIn?
LinkedIn takes care of its employees to the very best of their abilities. The company tries to ensure a work-life that is that lives up to the vision and culture of the company. I am extremely blessed to be part of such a community.
What is the general opinion of the office space at the LinkedIn office in Bangalore? LinkedIn tries its best to maintain a work environment that is both comforting physically and mentally. The office interiors are designed in an aesthetically pleasing manner and employees always look forward to going to the office to work.
What are some of the interesting interior design features at a typical workspace in the LinkedIn office? The LinkedIn office in Bangalore is a three-story building with several amenities and design features. A typical workspace consists of four rectangular shaped tables arranged close to the edges of the room to form a square. These are individual workstations. A round table is placed in the center of the room for group discussions. This way of balancing interaction and focus has proved to be effective.
What does the workspace provide for mental stress relief? Every floor in the LinkedIn office has a break room that is specifically designed to invite employees to hang out, interact and stay free from thoughts that induce work pressure. I myself fancy a visit to the breakroom once or twice a day.
Have any of the employees expressed concerns with musculoskeletal pain due to long hours of sitting?
Some workspaces dedicated to high-ranking personnel have better design features such as standing desks to help with preventing physical strain from continuously sitting at their desks. However, an entry-level employee is provided with ordinary desks. That is probably why a few entry-level employees have expressed concerns with long hours of remaining seated.
Are there any interesting ergonomic features at individual desk stations at your office? Almost everyone at my workplace is content with the office chairs they are provided with as they are extremely comfortable to sit in. I am not sure about its precise ergonomic features but I’ve heard from other employees that the design is indeed one that considers posture and form.
How would you categorize the level of mental stress endured at a multinational firm such as yours? Mental stress varies from time to time depending on the project that I am involved in and the people who are involved in each project. That being said, on an avg, I experience a moderate to a slightly higher level of mental stress. But it's not enough to stop me from continuing.
How is the overall lighting in the workplace? Most rooms have windows that let in tons of natural light into the workspace, others have well-lit designs that create an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere.
What future plans does LinkedIn have for the office workers to help overcome some of the current challenges?
LinkedIn tries its best to address most of the current challenges at the office space as soon as they are raised. Any challenge that involves political pressure usually takes time given the political climate in the state of Karnataka. So, alleviating some of the pressure from the state government is probably what the firm has in mind to ease operations ahead.
If you were given the opportunity to transfer to another office with the exact same pay structure and job responsibility but a different office design, would you take it?
As of now, I am extremely satisfied with my work environment, colleagues, and the community as a whole here in Bangalore. However, if an opportunity to move places is presented, I will weigh out the options from all aspects, including the design of the office space before I make a decision.