Even as coronavirus cases are again rising in the country, companies are now adopting a wait-and-watch approach on ending the work from home and calling employees to the office. The companies were encouraging the staff to join the office physically of late; but now when the Covid-19 cases are increasing, the firms are watching the situation closely and waiting for government directives.
Most companies are now informing their staff about the possible mandatory work from home for the next few weeks due to the evolving Covid-19 situation. According to an ET report, “Airtel is monitoring the situation and continues to have in place stringent Covid-19 safety protocols across all its facilities,” a spokesperson said.
Already, companies across sectors are resorting to the hybrid model of work.
In an e-mail sent to its employees on April 19, Zomato co-founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said the current spike could be due to “a new variant altogether”. He added, “Depending on how the next few days go, there might be a mandatory work from home for a few weeks again; please prepare your home workstations for this event”.
FMCG major Nestle is planning to continue with the hybrid model of work and is asking employees to attend the office physically only if it’s essential.
Apollo Tyres, as per the ET report, said while its employees are working from office currently, it is monitoring the situation closely and “will take measures as and when the situation demands”.
The IT sector has already decided to work in the hybrid form in the long run. Infosys Chief Financial Officer Nilanjan Roy said, “In the long term, we are looking a the hybrid model on work, depending upon the clients, regulatory environment and a number of other considerations. This will be a phased approach and we are reviewing it every quarter. Currently, 95 per cent of the workforce is at home, while only 5 per cent of senior executives are coming to offices.”
TCS said it remains committed to adopting the ’25X25′ model and introducing hot desks. This model will require not more than 25 per cent of the company’s associates to work from an office at any given point in time, and they need not spend more than 25 per cent of their time in the office.
Another IT major HCL Tech said, “One of our top priorities is the safety and well-being of our employees and their families. We also remain deeply committed to maintaining our business normalcy, thereby ensuring uninterrupted services to our clients. Currently, we are monitoring the situation and continue to operate in a hybrid model.”
The country reported 2,451 new coronavirus cases and 54 deaths in the 24 hours till 8 am Friday, according to the latest data from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Active cases increased to 14,241 while the recovery rate remained unchanged at 98.75 per cent.
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