Kiruba's Amazing Information

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about joining a client kick-off call from my car while driving to my home town on a Friday evening, losing the signal at the moment my team had to ask questions, and stopping by the road to continue. I have rewritten it into advice on taking work calls while travelling.

On a Friday evening I was assigned two bids. One needed estimates from the delivery team; the other had a very short turnaround, and on the first call I had to share our questions with the client. I was planning to drive to my home town that evening. The call was first set for early evening and then moved later at the last minute. I joined from the car, and the introductions went fine. When my team's turn came to raise questions, the reception failed, and I pulled over to the side of the road. The delivery expert, who had joined, raised the questions, and I added a couple to show I was present.

Should you take a work call while driving?

It is safer not to. Even hands-free calls divide attention, and a client call needs your full concentration. Using a hand-held phone while driving is also an offence under Indian traffic law. If a call cannot move, stop somewhere safe before it starts.

How do you prepare when you must travel during a call?

• Send your questions in writing first: so someone else can raise them if you drop.
• Brief a colleague: ask them to cover your part if you lose signal.
• Check coverage on the route: plan to stop in a town with good signal.
• Dial in by phone: a voice call is more stable than a video link on the road.

What if the call is moved at the last minute?

Say that you are travelling and ask whether it can move to Monday, or whether a colleague can lead it. Most clients prefer a clear arrangement to a poor connection.

What did I learn from it?

That a written list of questions saved the call, not my presence. Preparation is portable; a signal on a highway is not.

Keep reading

• Unannounced Early Calls: Why Joining Late Backfires
• Joining a Work Call From Leave on Your Own Terms
• Assigned Overnight With a Call in 30 Minutes: What to Do

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about a bid deck that leadership questioned heavily in review, with many changes requested before it could be submitted. I have rewritten it into advice on handling a tough leadership review.

After making the small changes the delivery expert suggested, I shared the deck with leadership as she recommended. She had been reluctant to spend even a few minutes on the bid. The review call was the next day and I expected it to go smoothly. Instead, leadership questioned the solution from every angle. The delivery expert tried to manage the discussion, and a long list of changes was requested. Leadership finally gave approval to share the deck with the account team, and after making the changes and confirming them with the expert, I submitted it.

Why do leaders ask so many questions?

Because they carry the risk if the deal is won at the wrong price or with the wrong solution. Tough questions are part of their job, and a heavy review often means they care about the deal.

How do you handle a review that goes badly?

• Listen and write down every point: do not argue each one on the call.
• Answer what you know: and take the rest as actions with a date.
• Let the owner answer: solution questions go to the delivery expert, commercial ones to the account team.
• Send a summary after the call: changes, owners and the new date.

What prevents a rough review?

A short pre-review with one senior person, a clear summary slide, and an expert who has actually engaged with the solution. A reluctant reviewer is a warning sign worth raising before leadership sees the deck.

Should you re-review after changes?

Yes. Many changes interact: a new team structure can change the price, and a new assumption can change the risk section. A quick check with the expert avoids new errors.

Is approval after many changes a good outcome?

It is a normal one. What matters is that the final deck is better than the first, and that you learn the questions to answer earlier next time.

Keep reading

• Getting Through a Line-by-Line Deck Review
• Handling Daily Iterative Changes on a Deck Alone
• Assigned Overnight With a Call in 30 Minutes: What to Do

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I continued my account of the first day of the 2015 Chennai floods, when I was alone at home, streaming videos from one laptop while another ran, until the power went off. I have rewritten it into advice on living alone through a flood or long outage.

With no work on the first day of the heavy rain, I opened my MacBook Pro and cast YouTube videos to the TV. The maid came late, cleaned, washed the dishes, cooked rice and left around 10:30am. We talked about how bad the rain was and hoped it would stop by the next morning. I asked her to be careful, as it was getting heavier by the hour. My parents were in our home town and I was alone in Chennai. The power went off around 11:30am, and I had been running two laptops all morning.

What is different about facing an outage alone?

There is no one to share tasks or check on you. Your phone becomes your lifeline, so its battery matters more than anything else you own.

What should you save battery for?

• Your phone first: for calls, messages and news.
• One laptop at most: kept charged for work or as a power source for the phone via USB.
• Power banks: fully charged before the rain starts.
• A torch, not the phone's light: the phone torch drains battery quickly.

Who should know you are alone?

Family, a neighbour and your manager. Agree a time to check in each day, and tell them where you are in the building. In a flood, neighbours on higher floors are often the fastest help.

What about household help and neighbours?

Let them go home early and safely. In 2015 many people were stranded because they waited too long to leave. Share food and water with neighbours if the outage lasts; it makes the days easier for everyone.

What would I do differently?

Charge everything the evening before, keep entertainment for later in the day, and treat the first hours of power as the time to prepare rather than to relax.

Keep reading

• Handling Daily Iterative Changes on a Deck Alone
• Assigned Overnight With a Call in 30 Minutes: What to Do
• Why Toxic IT Management Destroys Good Teams

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about finally receiving my salary revision letter after a long wait, after noticing a social media post from a colleague saying letters were out. I have rewritten it into a guide to reading and checking a revision letter.

After waiting a long time and watching groups for any hint, the revision finally came. I was on an early call and, after my updates, was browsing social sites while others discussed technical matters. Someone posted that their revision letter was on the portal. I logged in, found mine, and my fingers shook as I opened the PDF. The long-pending hike was real.

What should you check in a revision letter?

• Effective date: whether the new salary is backdated, and whether arrears will be paid.
• Fixed versus variable pay: a hike may move money into variable pay that depends on targets.
• The percentage on fixed pay: compare fixed with fixed, not the headline total.
• Grade or role changes: any change in designation or band.
• Benefits: changes to allowances, insurance or retirement contributions.

How do you work out the real hike?

Compare last year's fixed monthly pay with the new fixed monthly pay, and work out the percentage. Then check your take-home pay after tax on the first new payslip, as a higher salary can move you into a higher tax slab under the old regime or change what the new regime saves you.

Should you share your hike on social media?

It is wiser not to. Many employers treat pay as confidential, and comparing numbers publicly rarely helps. Discuss concerns with your manager instead.

What if the letter has an error?

Raise it with HR in writing, with the specific figures. Errors in effective dates and allowances are more common than people expect, and they are usually fixed quickly when reported.

What should you do after a good hike?

Review your savings and investments while the change is fresh, and increase contributions before the extra money disappears into spending.

Keep reading

• Right to Repair India: What You're Owed
• Airtel's Automated Support: Trapped in a Telecom Loop
• Resort Fees Ban: What You Still Pay

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I wrote about being assigned a complex bid without the delivery expert I trusted, and instead working with the most difficult expert I had met at the company. I have rewritten it into advice on working with a rude or arrogant subject expert.

For complex bids I was usually paired with a delivery expert I had a good rapport with, and we had completed hard bids with little friction. When I contacted him about a new complex bid, I learned he could not support it and I would work with another expert. I assumed it would go fine. It turned out he was the most difficult person I had worked with there, rude and arrogant with the other people we needed on the bid.

Why are some experts difficult to work with?

Heavy workloads, pressure from their own managers, or a belief that presales work is less important than delivery. Some are simply brusque. Understanding the reason does not excuse rudeness, but it helps you choose how to respond.

How do you work with a rude expert?

• Keep requests precise: exact questions, exact dates.
• Use writing: mail keeps the tone civil and creates a record.
• Protect other teams: step in if the expert is rude to colleagues whose help you need.
• Acknowledge their expertise: it costs nothing and often softens the tone.

When should you raise it?

When behaviour affects the bid or other people. Talk to your manager with specific examples. If the rudeness is abusive, the organisation's workplace conduct policy applies, and HR should be told.

How do you protect a good working relationship?

Stay in touch with the expert you usually work with, even when you are not on a bid together. Good pairings are worth keeping, and managers tend to repeat pairings that have worked.

What does a hard bid teach you?

How to manage without relying on goodwill. That skill makes you useful on any team, including the difficult ones.

Keep reading

• Joining a Work Call From Leave on Your Own Terms
• Your Manager Promised to Protect Your Time but Didn't
• Assigned Overnight With a Call in 30 Minutes: What to Do

Updated September 2026: in 2018 I described a morning when I woke late for an office call, burnt my coffee while sending a meeting number, and then sat through a long call where my scope came up while I was reading mail. I have rewritten it into advice on handling long calls working from home.

I woke late, just in time for an office call. I rushed to make coffee, and while the milk was boiling a delivery contact messaged asking for the meeting number. I logged in on my phone, copied it and sent it, and by then the milk had boiled over and I was five minutes late. The coffee was the worst I had tasted. The call went on for a long time with topics that did not involve me, so I was checking my mail. Suddenly someone started discussing my scope, and I had no idea what had been said.

Why do long calls lose people?

Because most of the discussion is not relevant to each person on it. Attention drifts to mail, and the one moment that matters is missed.

How do you stay ready on a long call?

• Ask for the agenda: and note when your part is expected.
• Keep a notes window open: jot the topic every few minutes, so you can catch up.
• Turn off mail notifications: for the length of the call.
• Ask for a recap if you miss something: "Could you repeat the scope question for me?" is better than guessing.

How do you start a work-from-home morning well?

Join five minutes early, with meeting links already in your calendar invite so no one needs to ask for them. Make breakfast before the first call, not during it.

Should you suggest shorter calls?

Yes, politely. Proposing that each team joins only for its part, or that the call has a clear agenda, saves everyone time. Organisers often welcome it.

What did the burnt coffee teach me?

That the day goes better when the first call is prepared the evening before. A calm start makes it easier to stay alert when your topic finally comes up.

Keep reading

• Assigned Overnight With a Call in 30 Minutes: What to Do
• Unannounced Early Calls: Why Joining Late Backfires
• Joining a Work Call From Leave on Your Own Terms