The Obvious HQ

The information below is relevant for folks looking to work in the office, once the pandemic is under control. Until December 2021, we will stay entirely remote working. People located in Bangalore choose to occasionally work from office either owing to connectivity issues or to meet some other need. They need to get an okay from their manager to do so. While in the office, they will maintain social distancing norms when interacting with housekeeping staff and anyone else who might be there.

Reach us via the Richmond Circle bus stop, walk down from Brigade Road, or get off at the Cubbon Park Metro Station to cut through Cubbon Park to get to our office.

If you must drive in, we have eight parking slots (4 on the surface, 2 in Basement 1 and 2 in Basement 2). We encourage the use of public transport, or bicycling to work (helmets and safety gear compulsory).

Everyone will get a unique PIN code to enter the office. Do not share this code with anyone, as it would give them access to our office.

The last person leaving the office must ensure that:

However, don’t turn off anyone’s computer—they’re called personal computers for a reason!

If you’re the only person in the office, or if the area near the main door is unoccupied, please keep the main door locked.

We work from Monday to Friday. We encourage you to take weekends off from work. If you do use the office over the weekend, please note that you should be extra careful about keeping the premises secure and the space clean.

If you are based in Bangalore and want to go into the office space, keep your manager informed so that the number of people congregated is kept in check for everyone's safety. Ensure that you follow the Entry and Exit protocol.

We have multiple printers across the office.

Mac OS X: Go to System Preferences → Printers and Scanners. Click on the ‘Add Printer’ button and an entry titled ‘HP Color LaserJet MFP’ should show up. Click ‘Add’, and you’re all done! Drivers: The HP website has a comprehensive support section. Please do go through it before asking for help.

For the purpose of these House Rules, “Supplies” shall mean any object, article, item, artefact, goods, commodity, doodah, doobry, gubbins, that is consumed, destroyed, depleted, demolished, wiped out, ingested, swallowed, gobbled during the normal course of a work day and requires regular replenishment to maintain a sustainable working environment including, without limitation, all toiletries, all stationery, all packaged food and beverages.

We stock basic office stationery, in one of the various cupboards. A list of what we usually have available is below. For more stationery, ask Jaya to purchase it.

Things to remember when there isn't a pandemic underway:

Feel free to use the coffee machine and the basic utensils and cutlery available; if you need anything else, let us know.

Food stock

Everything about supplies apply to the food stock as well. Apart from those, all milk products, cold cuts and perishables go in the fridge. Before opening any fresh pack, do ensure that there isn’t already an open pack lying around. Use the containers on kitchen shelf to store the contents — preferably pour the contents into the container rather than shoving in the packet itself.

If you leave food in the fridge for the next day, please cover it with cling wrap and ensure that it doesn’t stay in the fridge for long.

During the summer, ensure that we always have cold water and ice in the fridge. If you take out a bottle, please replace it with a filled one, or if you notice that the ice trays are empty, do refill them.

A maid comes in every day to clean the office. We do our own dishes. Leaving behind utensils in the sink is discouraged—do it only if you must.

If you use utensils to prepare food, please drop them in the sink while you enjoy the food, and wash them soon. Utensils used repeatedly through the day should not be left behind in an unclean state because someone else might want to use it right after you.

Food and other types of wet waste should go in the mini-compost bin located near the sink. If the box is full, empty it into the large compost bin outside the office.

Paper, plastic, metal and glass should all be sorted into the Sorting Hat Station next to the kitchen. When in doubt, ask for help.

You can occasionally bring in your guests to work from the office for a day or two. Just ensure that seats are available on the day, and drop in a message on Slack that someone will be tagging along with you. The house rules apply equally to guests, so if you’re inviting them, please brief them.

Note: Guests will not have access to Slack, lockers and the main door keys. It is expected that you’ll be around with your guest.

There are a variety of hotels very close to our office. Here's a small selection within a ten-minute walking radius:

In principle, we believe in “Minimum house rules, maximum common sense”.

For further help, clarifications or anything else, tap your neighbour on their shoulder and ask for help.