WORK FROM TREE????
On a fine afternoon, Gulliver was resting on the beach in Lilliput.
The Lilliputians had befriended him quite well. They would place a ladder, sit on his chest, and listen to a word or two from the wise man they believed he was.
Alice was very curious about the place, so she decided to go on a weekend getaway to explore this tiny world. She quickly booked tickets online and stuffed her bag with a few ironed tees and beachwear. A half-used kohl pencil, the pricey Christian Dior lipstick, and a facewash were tucked into her sling bag.
She paused for a moment and gulped the “drink me” potion to become “one of them.”
She sprinkled a few drops on her clothes and bags too. Although she could have carried her old Barbie doll’s clothes, tradition dictates that we ideate only upon reaching the airport. She now boarded the flight for an unexplored isle isolated at the south of Lakshadweep Islands.
Upon arrival, she saw tiny Lego-like houses, trees the size of her forearm, and miniature plants all around.
A few youngsters, wired in and weary faced, were perched on the tallest treehouse near the beach.
She assumed they were staycationing and asked one of the girls rushing toward the tree trunk with her laptop,
“It’s work-from-tree today for us,” the girl replied.
Alice was surprised — it was a Saturday.
A huge man stood up, and well-informed Alice immediately recognized him as Gulliver.
As he rose, all desks perked up, ears alert and greeted him with weak smiles.
He took a few steps forward, turned, and walked again. The girls and boys kept guessing his mood.
“Maybe he read Atomic Habits and is about to give us a ‘Clear Lecture,’” one witty boy winked.
“Oh no, I overheard him talking to a client about ‘strategy’ — again.” I am done with that “over-used” word. Hate it!!
“He’s under investor pressure, you dumbheads,” remarked the cunning and confident Mad Hatter. Not to mention , he was from the pre-sales team.
Gulliver began, “Can I have your attention?”
“Guys, we all know why we’re here. The deadline is nearing, and we must complete the tasks. The client is a big shipping company, and if we don’t make this software ready for their use, we may lose them.”
“I’m traveling again to the USA next month. It’s a far-off land across the scary ocean beyond the horizon — the one I make you dream about every day but will never let you go.”
He spoke of his early days, traveling desk to desk as a mail boy, until he accidentally invaded Lilliput and became the CEO of the logistics tech company Go-Lily.
The boys and girls felt a pit in their stomachs imagining the struggle at sea.
He noticed and said, “We’ve all seen Michael Phelps, right?”
A few boys nodded. Others looked puzzled. Their homes were too small, and so were their smartphones — they had only seen his nose, eyes, or maybe feet on screen.
He continued, speaking of grit and hard work, citing famous men in sports and corporate life.
The girls rolled their eyes again. These names stirred nothing in them — they couldn’t be their icons. They needed someone whom they could emulate.
But how would Gulliver even know that women need someone they can idolize?
Men have led across domains, leaving fewer chairs for women.
After all, they’ve given women reservations in buses and a few awards for entrepreneurship, arts and sports.
Alice had climbed to the treetop and was listening to this “TED Talk” clearly.
After his monologue, everyone was now nose-deep in work. Gulliver returned to his platter of granular lobsters.
He ordered 2mm pizzas for his team.
Alice walked up to him, reached for her pockets and munched the “eat me” cake. She grew bigger in no time, and Gulliver looked at her in shock.
She introduced herself as “Alice,” a software professional from Bangalore.
He smiled and said how happy he was to finally see someone of his kind.
He offered her a coffee cup — filled with 200 tiny cups from his town.
Alice told him she had overheard his address to the team and, if he allowed, would like to discuss the girls on his team as a fellow woman professional. He agreed.
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She said, “The whole design of a workplace revolves around men, doesn’t it?
You give examples of a male swimmer, a male billionaire, a male cricketer, a male CEO.
You design time and attendance policies around men and their psyche.
Yes, your Women’s Day messages include women as ‘sister, mother, daughter, wife’ — same age-old moulded quotes.”
Gulliver replied, “But girls are everywhere now. Back in America, I see them performing heart surgeries, working in Silicon Valley, at NASA.”
“How about them being ignored in the corporate space?” Alice questioned.
Gulliver replied without thinking, “Oh, I give them paid maternity breaks, flexible hours, and permit remote work too.”
“How about them missing your in-person guidance — the kind you give Mad Hatter?
How about the natural friendliness you share with Tweedle Dee during after-office drinks?
When I was living in wonderland, I saw Mrs. Rabbit always in rush ignoring her health and almost becoming funambulist. She had home , kids and a demanding boss. People often glorified her as a “super woman”, even praised as a deity, but never shared her load or asked her why she was not taking a break.
Girls miss out on opportunities early in their careers due to our biases, Gulliver.
My ex-colleague once said he didn’t want females on his team because they’d quit after marriage.
One of my teammates always had issues reporting to his lead — because social conditioning made it hard for him to accept a woman’s authority.
It’s 2025, and families still tell women to choose ‘suitable’ careers so they can balance home and work.
Why balance, though?
Oh yes, Gulliver added, I often see women being asked about personal life and goals during the interview. I too have done that; he lowered his eyes.
Yeah, Alice sighed. We still picture a male silhouette when someone says ‘mechanic,’ ‘technician,’ ‘neurosurgeon,’ ‘scientist.’
In my childhood, my neighbor addressed her husband as ‘Doctor Sahab’ even at home — to preserve his ego and identity.
Women are equally excited after earning a good degree, but every step becomes a long jump.
Some fall for convenience, opt for less pay, and forget their dream careers as a ten-year-old.
And a few, for the wrong reasons, indulge in bad habits — setting examples that discourage parents from letting their daughters dream big.
Gulliver was eating lobsters slowly, thinking about Alice’s views.
“A redesign of ‘how we work’ is needed now,” she said. A complete 720 degrees change in the system that was designed three centuries ago.
“Also, your address at the all-hands meet should include Grace Hopper and Laura Wolvaardt as naturally as Phelps next time.”
He nodded in a well-received “yes”.
She thanked Gulliver for the coffee.
Alice smiled and said, “Now show me Lilliput and its beauty.”
