Yesterday, it was my pleasure to attend the eChai Ventures event on Building Team & Company Culture. Here are some of my key learnings and takeaways:

Jatin Dudhat, I really appreciate your effort in initiating free lunch for all employees. Throughout my career, I thought I would always have to eat cold food, but it's inspiring to see someone like you living the core values of your company. Keep up the great work, and I encourage every IT company to consider this—it's worth it!

Shruti Sheth, it was wonderful to hear about how you eliminated the sir/ma'am culture in your company and how you support employees emotionally. Your approach is commendable.

Mukul Goyal is a no-nonsense guy with a straightforward thinking and approach. I am truly impressed and inspired by his perspective:

- We can measure the effectiveness of company internal event initiatives by employee retention and internal referrals for new hires.
- Do not start something for employees that you can't sustain long-term. For example, if you start giving every Saturday off but later need to change it due to business impact, it can create a negative impression among employees.
- For startup companies, the founder's thoughts and vision initially shape the culture. To improve company culture, start with transforming the founder's mindset.
- Do not over-please employees. Support them and be with them, but maintain a professional arm's distance.
- Companies can organize events where employees share stories about how they have lived the company's core values in the past.

Thank you, Manoj Adwani and eChai Ventures Surat, for making this happen. It was a great learning experience from the experts, and I look forward to the next event.