Introduction
The term daftar—an Urdu word for “raya play”—carries more than spatial meaning. It denotes a culture, a system of accountability, and a locus for collaboration. In recent years the rise of remote work has prompted many to question the relevance of the daftar. I argue, firmly and pragmatically, that while its form must evolve, the daftar remains indispensable for organizational cohesion, deep collaboration, and professional development.
The modern daftar: not a place, but a function
Offices were historically designed for supervision and centralized production. Today’s daftar should be redesigned around functions that remote work struggles to replicate reliably: spontaneous idea exchange, apprenticeship, culture transmission, and high-trust collaboration. When treated as a functional hub rather than a mandatory cubicle farm, the daftar becomes a strategic asset.
Why the daftar still matters — an opinionated case
- Serendipitous collaboration is hard to replicate remotely.
Casual hallway conversations and impromptu whiteboard sessions often spark breakthroughs. Virtual communication tools are excellent for scheduled tasks but poor at fostering creative collisions. - Learning through proximity accelerates capability.
Junior employees benefit from observing decision-making, overhearing client calls, and getting informal coaching. That apprenticeship dynamic requires physical or high-fidelity synchronous proximity. - Cultural cohesion and identity are cultivated in shared spaces.
Organizational norms, rituals, and mutual trust form faster and deeper when people share environments, rituals, and face-to-face interactions. - Operational clarity and rapid coordination in crisis.
When speed and precision matter—for example, product launches or incident responses—being co-located shortens feedback loops and reduces miscommunication. - Not all employees or tasks suit remote work.
Roles that require secure equipment, specialized tools, or regular team-based problem solving benefit from a daftar environment.
Challenges the daftar must overcome
- Rigid presenteeism: Forcing physical presence without purpose wastes time and reduces morale.
- Poor space design: Cubicle mazes and closed offices kill collaboration. The modern daftar must be flexible and human-centered.
- Inequality of access: Commuting burdens and family responsibilities make full-time office attendance inequitable. Policy design must be mindful of fairness.
A practical, step-by-step roadmap to a productive modern daftar
- Define the daftar’s core functions.
Identify which activities truly require presence (e.g., onboarding, brainstorming sprints, client meetings, secure operations). - Adopt a hybrid attendance policy tied to outcomes.
Replace fixed-hour mandates with role-based, outcome-oriented expectations: “Team A: in-office Tuesdays and Thursdays for collaboration; remote for heads-down work.” - Redesign space for interaction and focus.
Create flexible zones—quiet areas for deep work, collaboration hubs with writable walls, and small meeting pods for confidential calls. - Embed learning and mentorship rituals.
Schedule regular in-office mentorship mornings, shadowing sessions, and peer review clinics to accelerate skill transfer. - Standardize high-fidelity remote tools.
For distributed participants, invest in camera setups, large shared displays, and hybrid meeting norms so remote members aren’t second-class participants. - Measure what matters.
Track productivity metrics tied to outputs (delivery time, quality, customer satisfaction) and employee experience indicators (engagement, retention), not presence hours. - Iterate and communicate.
Review policies quarterly, collect feedback, and transparently publish why specific in-office activities exist—this builds buy-in.
Recommendations for leaders (short and actionable)
- Lead by example: attend the in-office collaboration sessions you designate important.
- Remove low-value meetings from the calendar to free up space for creative work.
- Offer commuting and childcare support where possible to reduce barriers to attendance.
- Prioritize accessibility and psychological safety so the daftar becomes an inclusive environment.
Conclusion
The daftar is neither obsolete nor sacrosanct. My position is clear: reject binary thinking that pits office against remote work. Instead, design the daftar intentionally—centered on collaboration, learning, and culture—while preserving remote flexibility for focused tasks and life balance. Organizations that treat the daftar as a strategic function will outperform those that either cling to outdated presence rules or abandon shared space altogether. The future belongs to hybrid daftars that blend purpose, design, and measurable outcomes.