Evolution of Chrome DM: Creating an environment where people like their job & enjoy life

Authored by Pankaj Krishna, Founder & CEO, Chrome DM

What is a good workplace culture?

It’s a question that plagues every organization irrespective of their years in endurance. Chrome DM has been in this industry for over 14 years and yet, we strive each year to create a space that lends a common sense of purpose – that purpose being a safe haven for diverse perspectives and cultural flexibilities that can be more challenging to achieve in a standard corporate setting.

However, for past four years, ever since I have personally taken the Natutarian path – we at Chrome DM have gone through a tidal wave that has morphed this once sacred place to a thriving space for holistic wellness and conscious living.

At first, we started small – Tiffins and Hot Cases: So, we all were handed glass / steel utensils to carry food from home and provided with conventional hot ovens in office (against Microwaves). We are all aware that home-cooked meals are preferable to processed foods. Microwaves are BAD – they pretty much kill all the good nutrients in the food and the team here is hugely dissuaded to use them and plastic containers. Additionally, plastic containers release harmful chemicals when heated in a microwave.

Fresh Fruits and Cold Press Juicing Machines:

Fresh fruits instead of packaged snacks, organic over processed, and much more. Coffee machines were replaced with cold pressed juicers and induction plates were introduced. As for Tea & Coffee, both prepared in-house using naturally sourced ingredients. As time went on, we slowly but surely got many of our employees to choose fresh juices, in-house masala chai, and coffee over flavoured sodas.

Drinking Water

NO - NO to the fake 20 litres so called mineral water packed in plastic for months! Given our absurd AQI and water turbidity, we had opted for an Alkaline-based water purifier that brings our PH to an optimum level of 7.5 along with a TDS of 150 required for daily consumption. The TDS in MOST leading brands of packaged water is around 50, which not only is dead water, it is terribly harmful for you bones and overall well-being, it sucks out the minerals of your body…

Cleaning Raw Fruits and Veggies

Freshly cut salad and organic pickles are on the house for all! We also invested in an ‘Ozonizer’ to disinfect our fruits and vegetables from toxic levels of pesticides and other harmful toxins. Half an hour of cleansing pretty much removes most toxins making the raw produce ready for consumption. What logic to have people carry salad from home which would go soggy by lunch…salad loaded with tonnes of fibre critical to go with each meal.

Seating Crossed legged on the floor while eating

“Alti Palti” is just so natural – but then Japanese style seat sounds cooler. Seating cross-legged on the floor while eating is not only natural but also has several health benefits. It helps in improving digestion, maintaining posture, and increasing blood circulation. Regardless of the seating style, it's essential to prioritize comfort and good posture during meals to avoid any discomfort or health issues in the long run. At Chrome DM we have a dedicated lunch room with floor seating – Shoes Out please!

This renewed compulsion to go natural and minimal has fared us radical results in past one year. The results, to no one’s surprise, were immeasurably positive! Besides having an engaging workforce with renewed efficacy, our employees have also seen concrete results yielding in even the most bruising circumstances. Because through all dire straits at our wit’s end, we have always attempted to work around the mantra that encourages a healthy work/life balance - where both work and life should yield equal importance by finding the right balance.

The progression came naturally, after enduring several physical check-ups and multiple health scares over the years. Maybe it was the sudden isolation from the fast-paced life from pre-Covid times that dealt a rough blow to our social psyche, but the urge to return to simpler, more natural way of living became all too consuming – all at once!