3 top bosses reveal how to strike work-life balance while WFH with their spouses

Since the lockdown, people across the country are sharing a new office, their home, with a new coworker, their significant other. ETPanache spoke to three business heads to understand what it’s like working from home with their spouses, who are professionals too — and how they juggle work and family under one roof.
Rohan Bhargava
Co-founder, CashKaro
“Swati and I manage different parts of the business. While working, we are in our own zones managing our individual responsibilities. At the same time, because we are next to each other, strategic decisions are happening a lot faster. At the office, we would not even get time to speak at times. The current situation brings back amazing memories of when Swati and I started this business in a small apartment in London years ago. ”


Pro-tip: “Swati and I are family people and strive to spend sufficient quality time with our loved ones. I feel it helps you gain perspective, because as an entrepreneur, you slog day in and day out — a little family time acts as a breath of fresh air.”

K Ganesh
Founder, GrowthStory.in
“When I am stuck with a big problem, I consult Meena to get her perspective. The fact that our skills and expertise are different also helps in getting diverse viewpoints. Given that we are rarely in the same conference or call, it is easy to schedule our respective engagements. It helps that we do not have any distractions or young children. The only thing we need to worry about is that our dog Curie does not need our attention at that point in time.”


Pro-tip: “Keep family and private time separate and specifically allocated. And ensure that you build in joint fun activities or hobbies into your daily schedule.”

Samrath Bedi
Executive director,
Forest Essentials India
“Karishma and I have worked on certain projects earlier as well, but not for such an extended period. We try and keep work out of our personal lives and have respect for the hours that each of us need to dedicate to the task at hand. As soon as we went into lockdown, we planned a broad itinerary for the day and were able to carve out space in the house for different tasks. It allows for a better understanding of when one is busy and when we can actually enjoy this time with the family.”

Pro-tip: “Working at home comes with its own challenges. Constant proximity leads to more distractions and in a house with young children, lots of noise. We try and split up our roles to give each other a break. This is a great lesson in patience too.”