Our coffee sucks. The people at magicpin hate it so much they don’t want to come back. That’s the truth and that’s why we’ve adopted a Remote-First work policy.

We don’t want to sound posh by saying we’re “decentralising” the workforce (our teams have been distributed and driven since 2015), or that productivity has increased in the remote working trial period (the pandemic was supposed to destroy hyperlocal retail, yet here we are, with a $60M Series D secured last November), or that we’re embracing new digital tools for the future of work (Slack, Google Workspace, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and the like were not invented last year, you know).

We’re remote-first because our superb people like it that way. They’re closer to things they care about: time with family and pets, time for thinking and time with good coffee. You don’t have to make your way through traffic, come to the office, start your work and face traffic all over again. You can work from wherever you are, at a comfortable time – preferably with coffee beans that you like. If there’s one thing less you have to worry about, we gladly make that happen. We want our people to be happy doing what they do. So we deliver the best for our people so that they can deliver the best for our customers. Simple, really.

So, some questions.

Q. How do you conduct sales and field ops without going to the office?

Our custom-built software has allowed us to onboard several new businesses while working remotely and, if necessary, we go meet clients in person. magicpin’s home delivery service was built in the peak of the pandemic, with multiple teams working remotely, working as one.

Q. How do you make new hires without in-person interviews?

This is not a dictatorship of bureaucracy. The founders personally call you on your phone and talk with you. FYI, since the lockdown of 2020, we’ve hired 158 employees and promoted 138 people across teams.

Q. How do you boost morale if there’s no physical space?

We encourage people who can to come to the office in the first week of the month. With the workforce distributed across India, our Talent team has also been building touchpoints with employees - both formal and casual - to make them more comfortable and connected, wherever they are. These include online events as well as physical get-togethers, not to forget, the infamous magicpin parties.

At the end of it, there’s still an office. You can send us a postcard from wherever you are working (or coffee hate mail, if you like). Feel free to drop in to sample the abomination that passes for a brew at magicpin. But you’ve been warned.

@Anshoo Sharma and @Brij Bhushan

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