Many IT companies in Karnataka continue to function with employees working from offices, increasing the potential risk of employees getting exposed to coronavirus, which was declared a pandemic last week.
While companies are taking precautions with respect to hygiene, events and travel advisory for those returning from abroad, they are yet to implement work from home on a full scale.
This, even as global tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Twitter have asked employees across geographies to work remotely.
Companies such as Xiaomi offered two-day work from home on a trial basis to its 200-300 employees at Embassy Tech Village. Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Jain did not respond to TNM's email query.
Other companies such as Danish pharmaceutical major Novo Nordisk made work from home an option, but has encouraged people to come to office, “For better IT connection and collaborating with colleagues, so many of the employees ended up in office,” said an employee on the condition of anonymity. Novo Nordisk India's MD Vikrant Shrotriya did not respond to an email query.
There are a few other companies which are operating with employees coming to office and did not respond to an email seeking responses.
“While I understand that certain roles require people coming to office, a big chunk of them can be managed from home by conference calls. Yes, the output may be a little less, but that can be made up when we get to work after things are normal,” said an employee of US-based Healthcare technology solutions provider Emids, who did not wish to be named.
Jawaid Akhtar, the principal secretary to the Health Minister was not immediately available for comment. But another officer in the health commissioner’s office said, “We have asked the ITBT department to work on this.”
EV Ramanareddy, secretary of ITBT department of government of Karnataka did not respond to an email seeking details on what the government intends to do in case the IT companies don’t implement work from home. But a manager in his office said, “We can only issue guidelines. But we cannot force the companies to offer work from home.”
While India has managed to contain the outbreak well so far, social distancing and isolation is critical in the next few weeks to ensure the crisis doesn't compound, like it has in countries such as Italy, Spain and France.