The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said that Information Technology (IT) and IT Enabled Services (ITeS) companies can resume operations from their offices with up to 50% workforce coming into work from April 20. However, most of the IT companies are unlikely to call their employees to work; most of have extended work from home for their employees either May 3, or until further notice.
One of the biggest reasons for this would be transportation constraints. In most cities, only limited public transport is operational.
The government extended the nationwide lockdown in India until May 3 but has announced certain relaxations starting April 20.
The guidelines from the MHA state that all personnel travelling to place of work and back in exempted categories as per the instructions of the State/UT local authority.
However, buses for public transport, passenger movement by trains, taxis (including auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws), Ola, Uber, etc. remain prohibited. This will make it difficult for most employees to commute to work unless they own a vehicle. Companies may also need to issue passes to allow them to travel, increasing the burden on them.
TNM has learnt that several large IT majors have extended work from home till May 3, or until further notice. These include Tata Consultancy Services, Accenture, Wipro, Infosys, Deloitte, Cisco Hexaware, AGS Health, among others. Some other companies too, such as Robert Bosch India, Nielsen, Barclays, Norton, Trimble, etc have extended work from home for their employees.
“I work in semiconductors division of Wipro Ltd. Our WFH has been extended till May 3 as of now. This is applicable to all employees in project if client approves, and to all unbilled employees,” an employee told TNM.
Some companies such as Infosys, Robert Bosch, Barclays, among others have also arranged laptops for those who need it at home.
This also comes as the number of COVID-19 cases in India continues to rise. Calling people to work could also increase the risk of infection. Companies will also have to put in place safety measures to ensure social distancing at the workplace.
In fact, IT industry body Nasscom has also suggested that IT companies go slow in calling their employees back to work, starting with 10-15% workforce in the first phase, and then increasing up to 50% strength in 2-3 months. It also suggested that social distancing be practiced not just at the workspace, but also while commuting and in cafeterias.
Rishad Premji, Chairman of Wipro too, urged people to continue working from home unless absolutely essential.
Despite the partial relaxation of the lockdown from April 20, please do so only if absolutely absolutely essential. I plan to continue working from home because I can and want to make way for those that truly need to be out.
— Rishad Premji (@RishadPremji) April 18, 2020