FIKA Friday At the Office

Ram Puranam

Welcome to FIKA Friday At the Office. I'm your host, Ram Puranam, and I'm thrilled to host this Season2 for you. Every fortnight, I'll be catching up Workplace Leaders & Thought Leaders on the Future of Work from around the globe and share stories, insights, and perspectives aimed at enhancing our work lives. From fostering collaboration to boosting employee engagement, we'll cover all the intricacies of workplace experience. But here's the twist, we're not just diving into the nitty-gritty of corporate jargon. Instead, we escape the daily grind and appreciate a small break called FIKA. Because, let's face it, the best conversations at office happen over coffee. ramtherocket.substack.com

  1. Friction by Design & Why Socializing Is Work

    May 28

    Friction by Design & Why Socializing Is Work

    Hello friends, If you’ve ever wondered who actually thinks deeply about why offices feel the way they do, Corinne J. Murray is one of those people. Corinne is a work futurist and workplace strategist based in Long Island, New York, with a career spanning WeWork, American Express, Gensler, CBRE and RXR. She is also co-author of ‘‘Work Then Place: Navigating Modern Work & Where it Happens’’, a newly released book she wrote alongside Sara Escobar that offers a practical framework for navigating workplace transformation. I caught up with Corinne around the time of the book launch, and the conversation that followed covered everything from the right amount of elevator friction to what a hybrid workforce actually means when AI agents are in the mix. What stood out Socializing deserves a seat at the table alongside the serious stuff : Corinne laid out a four-part framework for knowledge work: individual focus, synchronous collaboration, asynchronous collaboration, and socializing. Most organizations invest in the first three. The fourth tends to get dismissed as a nice-to-have. “That socializing piece is the connective tissue that makes sure we are all moving in lock step with one another. Otherwise, you might have the same initiative running in four different parts of your organization because no one talked to one another.” Good friction versus bad friction : One of the sharpest ideas in this episode. Corinne described a scenario where a slightly slow elevator meant two colleagues ended up in the lobby at the same time and went to lunch together. Design that elevator to arrive in five seconds every time and that conversation never happens. The real design challenge is knowing which friction to keep and which to strip out. Offices are staying — their function is what evolves : Corinne was clear - offices are not going away. We are communal beings. But the case for coming in cannot rest on heads-down work that people do perfectly well from home. The office earns its place as the environment for connection, collaboration and the kind of serendipitous interaction that does not survive a calendar invite. What Corinne actually learned at WeWork: She was quick to separate her experience there from the broader narrative. Her team used the headquarters as genuine lab space, testing how far people would go from their home base to access an amenity, what noise levels made open-plan one-on-ones feel safe, and how much density was too much. She called it a Goldilocks experimentation process. That framing stuck. On AI and the workplace of 2028: Corinne and Sarah made a deliberate choice in the book: acknowledge AI as the instigator of transformation without trying to predict exactly where it lands. The bigger conversation, she said, is about the blended workforce of humans and AI agents, and the socioeconomic shifts around labor, compensation and social safety nets that nobody inside a single organization can control. Worth being aware of. Not something any one company can solve. One thing I’ll keep thinking about Corinne’s advice at the close of the episode was simple: think of change as a snowball. Start smaller than feels comfortable, stick with it, and build gradually. In a moment where most organizations are trying to do too much with too little, the instinct to transform overnight is exactly the wrong move. One percent at a time. Exactly! Enjoyed this episode? Pick up a copy of ‘Work Then Place: Navigating Modern Work & Where it Happens’ by Sara Escobar and Corinne Murray, subscribe to ‘Fika Friday at the Office’, and share it with someone who thinks socializing at work is a waste of time. Connect with us here on LinkedIn * Corinne Murray : https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinnejmurray/ * Ram Puranam : https://www.linkedin.com/in/puranamram/ Cheers This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ramtherocket.substack.com

    30 min
  2. Finance,Leadership & the Office as a Magnet

    Apr 24

    Finance,Leadership & the Office as a Magnet

    Hello friends, Finance professionals don't usually show up on podcasts talking about Culture, Leadership and the soul of an office. But, Soundar Raj too is not your typical finance professional. Soundar is CFO at NXP Semiconductors India, a Chartered Accountant by training who has spent the better part of two decades navigating the explosive growth of global tech giants — from building Qualcomm's India operations from 25 people to 5,000, to steering finance through 14 years of acquisitions, expansions and transformations at NXP. I sat down with him at NXP's campus in Bangalore's Manyata Tech Park for a conversation that covered semiconductors, GCCs, Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), and — in one of the most quietly powerful stories on this show — why Soundar chose to stay in the older, less fashionable office building. The story of the older building. This was the moment of the episode. When NXP’s management team moved to the newer, better-designed office building, Soundar was about to follow. A casual coffee break conversation stopped him. A colleague mentioned, quietly, that people in the older building were worried that if all the senior leaders moved, service levels would drop. Soundar heard something different in that message. “What the human beings inside that space think about that space and environment makes a more critical thing than just the space itself.” He stayed. Three months later, colleagues told him how glad they were. A visitor from Hong Kong, hearing the story, said she had enormous respect for the decision. All of it started at a coffee machine. What stood out! Finance is no longer the rearview mirror. Soundar mapped out the transformation of the finance function with striking clarity. It used to report on what happened. Then it started predicting. Now the expectation is that finance tells the business where to go and how to get there. “Finance has moved from being a rearview mirror to being the GPS of the business. Now they have to be partnering with the business, navigating where the industry is going.” The office as magnet, not mandate. Soundar’s take on hybrid and the return to office was one of the sharper ones heard on this show. Remote work during Covid was, in his words, a laboratory experiment — a controlled environment where staying home was the only option anyway. Once the control was removed, the experiment changed. “Office has to be a real magnet and not a mandate.” GCCs, semiconductors and why your card tap works. For the less technically initiated: every time you tap your bank card, there is a very good chance an NXP chip is making that happen. NXP holds 70 to 80 percent of the global NFC market. Soundar also gave one of the clearest explanations of the GCC boom in India — from outsourcing to captives, from cost arbitrage to value arbitrage, and why IP protection is now the real driver behind companies bringing work in-house. AI takes the car, humans set the destination. On AI’s impact on work, Soundar landed on a useful frame: AI handles the routine, the mundane, the mechanical. Decision-making and direction remain with people. For now, he added. Worth watching.One thing I’ll keep thinking about : Soundar said something near the end that deserves more than a quick nod. The companies currently in the top 50 of India’s stock exchange? According to a NASSCOM survey, most of them will not be there in five years. Full churn. The pace of transformation has compressed from decades to years to, in some cases, months. In that context, the finance leader who only watches the numbers is already behind.Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Fika Friday at the Office and share it with someone who still thinks finance is just about the spreadsheet. Cheers, Ram This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ramtherocket.substack.com

    32 min
  3. Culture, Togetherness and the IKEA Way

    Apr 2

    Culture, Togetherness and the IKEA Way

    Hej Friends, A very first for Fika Friday…This episode, I didn’t have one guest. I had two amazing leaders from INGKA Group, whose core business is the eponymous IKEA Retail. Jette Jørgensen is Managing Director at Managing Director for Ingka Group Multifunctional Hubs responsible for their global offices across 32 countries. Thomas Olofsson who works in Jette’s team is Multi-Functional Hub Manager based out of Bangalore, India — and, as it turns out, a man who only discovered coffee after 55, courtesy of a guy named Kiran who runs a garage coffee operation. There is no better coffee story! I met them both during Jette’s visit to Bangalore towards the end of 2025, and the conversation that followed was one of the most grounded, warmhearted episodes yet. Thirty-eight years at the same company. A forklift driver who turned into a global HR leader. A chance wrong turn on an Australian highway that launched an entire career. This one had it all!What stood outJette’s story is wilder than you think. Jette didn’t plan to join IKEA. She took a wrong exit on a highway in Australia in 1987, drove into a construction site, and was asked on the spot if she was there for the interview. She wasn’t. She went back that afternoon anyway. Thirty-eight years later, she’s still going strong! “Someone gave me the chance once when I was in Australia. They gave me the opportunity to do what I can do, with a hand on my back saying: yes, you can do it. We believe in you. That’s what it’s all about.” Togetherness isn’t a value on a poster. Both Jette and Thomas came back to this again and again. At IKEA, the cultural glue is real and it’s enforced. Three days minimum in the office, and Thomas was blunt about it. “I do definitely see us, for IKEA, it will never be less than three days. Because then I will quit for sure. Because then I don’t think it’s fun, and I don’t believe in it.” Activity-based working, done properly. Thomas walked through how IKEA’s global offices have moved away from assigned desks toward neighborhoods and activity zones: focus areas, collaboration spaces, soundproofed rooms for sensitive conversations. The logic is simple. When you move around the office, you bump into people you wouldn’t otherwise meet. That’s where things happen. Speed dating for managers. One of the more unexpectedly brilliant ideas in recent Fika Friday memory: Thomas gathered 30 managers for a structured speed dating session. No agenda, just people meeting colleagues they’d never properly spoken to. Personal friendships formed. Business problems got solved on the side. Danish versus Swedish, settled once and for all. Jette (Danish) and Thomas (Swedish) gave the most entertaining breakdown of Scandinavian cultural differences heard on this show. The Danes are direct, move fast, make the call. The Swedes want one more round of consensus. Neither is wrong. Together, apparently, they’re quite good. “The Danish are a bit more straightforward. Coming to the point. And in Sweden, sometimes we take one more turn. That is not always bad. That can actually be for the good.” One thing I’ll keep thinking aboutJette described how IKEA started inviting coworkers and their families into the office for family days. The kids played together, people met colleagues they’d never crossed paths with, and when it was time to go home, nobody wanted to leave.A workplace policy can mandate three days in the office. It takes something deeper to make families stay past closing time.Enjoyed this one? Subscribe, share it with a friend, and go grab a cinnamon bun. You’ve earned it. Have a fabulous fika! Connect with us here: * https://www.linkedin.com/in/jette-j%C3%B8rgensen-488b5a140/ * https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-olofsson-1b111815/ * https://www.linkedin.com/in/puranamram/ Cheers, Ram This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ramtherocket.substack.com

    28 min
  4. AI is the new oxygen

    Mar 12

    AI is the new oxygen

    Hello friends, Yes, you read that right. This week, your host Ram (I) sat down with another Ram.Ram Viswanathan is Global Head of Digital Employee Experience at Philips — and if you want to understand what it actually takes to keep a global workforce productive in the hybrid era, this is your episode. Over coffee at the Philips Innovation Campus in Bangalore, we covered AI adoption, the generational office divide, Dutch decision-making, and why AI is basically oxygen now. What stood out The generational office split is real — and it’s backwards. Here’s a counterintuitive one: at Philips, it’s the younger generations who are less enthusiastic about coming to the office, not the older ones. Ram V’s take? People who started their careers during Covid proved to themselves they could work remotely. So now they’re asking the obvious question: why change what worked? “They’re questioning — I did this pretty well for two or three years. Why should I come to the office?” Culture is invisible until you’re in the room. Ram joined Philips in June 2020 — peak pandemic — and didn’t meet a colleague in person for seven months. His reflection on that period was one of the most honest things said on this show in a while. “Virtually it was very difficult to understand the culture. When you come into the office, the body language, the energy — that gives you a sense of the culture. That was missing.” Dutch vs. American decision-making. Having worked at GE and Cisco before Philips, Ram had a front-row seat to the contrast. US companies move fast and align later. Dutch companies deliberate (sometimes painfully), but once a decision is made, everyone’s on board and execution is clean. Neither is wrong. Both will frustrate you at some point. AI is oxygen. Ram has been using AI for about two years now and put it plainly: he can’t work without it anymore. But he also flagged a personal downside worth thinking about — he’s delegating less, because he knows he can just do things faster himself. A leadership trap hiding inside a productivity tool. “I don’t think I’ve seen any change like what I’m seeing with AI. This is as big as the internet was twenty-five years ago. Actually, it’s way bigger than that.” The next frontier: AI that reads your email and books your flights. Ram mapped out where this is all heading — agentic AI that senses a travel need from your inbox and asks if it should book the ticket. Convenient? Absolutely. A little creepy? Also yes. His word, not mine.One thing I’ll keep thinking about : Ram pointed out that in the next few years, it’s going to be genuinely difficult to tell what’s real and what’s AI-generated. Not as a distant warning — as a near-term reality. We’re already seeing the edges of it. That’s the one place, he said, we really have to watch out for.Hard to disagree.Enjoyed this one? Subscribe, share it with someone who works in tech, and maybe go book your own flights — while you still can. Cheers, Ram Thanks for reading FIKA Friday At the Office! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ramtherocket.substack.com

    32 min

  5. Feb 19

    Culture, Coffee & Keeping it Lagom

    Hej friends, It’s been a few weeks since the last episode went on air. Some conversations just flow. This was one of them. I recorded this towards end of last year! For this episode, I sat down with Rupa Thakrar Bagoon, Market Manager Bangalore at Business Sweden — and honestly, I could have kept the recorder running for hours. Born and raised in Sweden with Indian roots via Uganda - Africa, Rupa brings a perspective on culture that is as layered as it gets. We talked Swedish Fika, Lagom, Påtår, multigenerational workforces, and why culture will always eat strategy for breakfast. Oh, and I got some specialty coffee from a brand new spot. Great start to the day! What stood out Culture is not a soft topic. Rupa put it plainly: people massively underestimate how much culture shapes the way business actually works. She shared the story of helping a Swedish pharmaceutical company run cultural workshops — one for their India team at the Swedish Ambassador’s residence in Delhi, and another for their European counterparts. The result? Teams that actually understood each other. “Not to say that any culture is right or wrong — but understanding, respecting, and being open to each other’s cultures. That is the key.” Fika is connecting with people on a deeper level. As someone who named a podcast after the concept, I loved hearing Rupa’s take as a Swede. She described Fika as the moment when titles disappear and real conversation happens. You can learn more about a person during a ten-minute Fika than you would over five formal meetings in a conference room.” At Business Sweden, she made it official — every Thursday, the whole team gathers, and whoever’s turn it is brings the surprise. They’ve worked through cinnamon buns, cardamom, pistachio, and saffron. Princess cake is apparently still pending. Rupa, we’re watching. Lagom is a life philosophy. Not too much, not too little. Rupa described how she never really noticed how lagom she was until she married someone who absolutely was not. Her words, not mine — but it made for one of the best explanations of the concept I’ve heard on this show. The office isn’t going anywhere — but neither is hybrid. Coming from someone who genuinely loves being in the office (”I like the vibe, catching up with colleagues”), Rupa was clear that hybrid is here to stay, and for good reason. Especially in a city like Bangalore where commute times can swallow your day whole. “For some of the new generation, no hybrid is a deal breaker. We are not signing. And I think that makes sense.” Her take? More tech-enabled workplaces, yes — but with a stronger pull toward human connection on the days people are in. People over places. One thing I’ll keep thinking about Rupa mentioned that when she takes Swedish companies to meet Indian conglomerates, the message she hears back is simple: be open to learning from us. Don’t walk into emerging markets assuming you’re ahead. In many ways, you’re not. That’s the kind of thing that’s easy to nod along to and hard to actually practice. Worth sitting with. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, share it with a friend, and if you haven’t already — go get yourself a proper Påtår. Tack Thanks for reading FIKA Friday At the Office! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ramtherocket.substack.com

    29 min
  6. Data reveals patterns. People give them meaning!

    Jan 9

    Data reveals patterns. People give them meaning!

    Hello friends, In this episode of Fika Friday at the Office, my guest Katja Larsen traces a geography of work across cultures and decades: what makes Scandinavian “hygge” feel at home in India, why coffee corners beat conference rooms for building trust, how data and behavioral signals are quietly reshaping offices, and where AI belongs when the brief is still profoundly human. If you build workplaces, lead expansion, or translate global standards into local truth, Katja’s map is a practical one. “Don’t transplant culture. Translate it. Ten kilometers can change the answer in India.” The playbook for crossing cultures * Don’t flatten difference. India is not “one” market, any more than Europe is. Ten kilometers can change the answer. * Translate, then design. Importing equality frameworks or office rituals wholesale rarely works. Start with local truth and build up. * Make wellness tangible. Air, materials, acoustics, light. People notice what they breathe and hear long before they read a policy. * Protect the informal. Coffee corners, festival briefings, and yes, bathroom sari pins. Culture scales in the small places. The last word From a dataset in Brussels to a coffee corner in Hyderabad, Katja’s arc argues for a simple posture: be rigorous with information and generous with people. The future of work will have better sensors and smarter models. The best offices will still feel like someone lit the candles before you arrived. Do take a listen 🎧 & show your appreciation and love by clicking subscribe button, like, comment. Ask your friends also to listen to this freshly brewed season of FIKA Friday At the Office. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn: * Katja Larsen : https://www.linkedin.com/in/katja-larsen-founder/ * Ram Puranam : https://www.linkedin.com/in/puranamram/ Cheers, Ram Thanks for reading FIKA Friday At the Office! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ramtherocket.substack.com

    31 min
  7. Why Focus Spaces beat Flashy Perks!

    12/12/2025

    Why Focus Spaces beat Flashy Perks!

    G’day mates, When Eve Wilkinson-Bell describes her office, she does not start with headcount or floor plans ! She starts with coffee & the hum around the coffee machines in Amsterdam. I caught up with Eve on a quiet Friday in her Eindhoven office when the occupancy was just about okay and people deliberately chose the office for focus work. Eve is the Workplace Regional Manager for Western Europe and the Nordics at HERE Technologies, responsible for a portfolio that just secured Leesman+ certification in four locations, including Amsterdam office that ranks in the Top3 out of more than 10,000 workplaces surveyed worldwide. She trained as an architect at the University of Liverpool, managed high-end residential projects in Notting Hill, led fire safety projects at London’s Natural History Museum, and then shifted into corporate real estate. In this episode of Fika Friday at the Office, Eve talks about coffee culture, focus spaces, Leesman data, and why the future of workplace design depends on both sensors and human judgment. “I think AI will play a role in analyzing data and working out the trends and the occupancy and all these different things that will then help us make decisions around our real estate.” Listening to Eve, a few themes repeat. * Focus is non‑negotiable. Collaboration matters, but most people still spend a majority of their time in focused work or calls. Offices that ignore this reality will struggle, no matter how Instagrammable their social spaces are. * Communal hubs need intention. The Nexus in Amsterdam works because it was designed as a true center of gravity, not an afterthought. One good space beats several half‑used corners. * Leadership space must earn its keep. Private offices that sit empty are not just a cost problem; they undermine fairness and flexibility. Models like “offices for a day” retain privacy without locking in unused square meters. * Tech should be felt as ease, not surveillance. Sensors, booking systems, and AI only create value when employees can see and use the outputs in ways that make their day smoother. L𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 🎧𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 and show your love by clicking the subscribe button, like, comment & ask your friends also to listen to this freshly brewed season of ‘’FIKA Friday At the Office’’. You can connect with us on LinkedIn: * Eve Wilkinson-Bell : https://www.linkedin.com/in/eve-wbell/ * Ram Puranam : https://www.linkedin.com/in/puranamram/ Cheers, Ram Thanks for reading FIKA Friday At the Office! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Thanks for reading FIKA Friday At the Office! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ramtherocket.substack.com

    32 min

  8. 11/21/2025

    Finance, Strategy, and the Power of Compounding Curiosity

    Hello friends, When I listened to Anshul Agarwal talk about his morning routine, I expected discipline. What I didn’t expect was how seamlessly he’d connect tennis footwork, coffee conversations, and CFO strategy into a single coherent philosophy. Anshul is Chief Financial Officer and Board member of Akkodis in India, a global digital engineering company and part of Adecco Group, Switzerland. He’s a chartered accountant by training, but his versatility runs deeper than credentials. Over thirteen years in Bangalore, he’s evolved from tracking balance sheets to architecting business strategy, proving that modern finance is much more about foresight, not hindsight. “The CFO’s role has moved from running the scoreboard to running the playbook. We are no longer sitting on the sidelines. We are in the huddle deciding plays.” We recorded this episode in Bangalore, where Anshul has traded his hometown lemon tea for a strong South Indian filter coffee. What emerged was a masterclass in how curiosity, consistency, and strategic thinking compound over time. Do take a listen 🎧 & show your love by clicking subscribe button, like, comment & ask your friends also to listen to this freshly brewed season of FIKA Friday At the Office. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn: * Anshul Agarwal : https://www.linkedin.com/in/anshulagarwal26/ * Ram Puranam : https://www.linkedin.com/in/puranamram/ Cheers, Ram Thanks for reading FIKA Friday At the Office! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ramtherocket.substack.com

    27 min
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About

Welcome to FIKA Friday At the Office. I'm your host, Ram Puranam, and I'm thrilled to host this Season2 for you. Every fortnight, I'll be catching up Workplace Leaders & Thought Leaders on the Future of Work from around the globe and share stories, insights, and perspectives aimed at enhancing our work lives. From fostering collaboration to boosting employee engagement, we'll cover all the intricacies of workplace experience. But here's the twist, we're not just diving into the nitty-gritty of corporate jargon. Instead, we escape the daily grind and appreciate a small break called FIKA. Because, let's face it, the best conversations at office happen over coffee. ramtherocket.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Ram Puranam
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ram Puranam
  • Show Website
    FIKA Friday At the Office