Which IT Employees Will Be Asked To Return To Office? This Is How Infosys, Tech M, Other IT Firms Are Deciding

The IT sector has partially started operating from their offices after 3 months of lockdown imposed by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19.

As the people are learning to come back to normalcy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian IT companies like Infosys and Tech Mahindra are relying on data related to employee metrics and client demand to sail through the post COVID-19 world.

Read on to find out more…

Indian IT Sector Relying on Employee and Client Data To Manage 4 Million Employees!

Currently, most of the companies in the sector are expected to return 15% operation from offices, which will include employees who are needed for essential roles and others who have infrastructure-related issues like server, internet, device problems when working remotely.

In the $200 billion industry with 4 million employees, managing people’s movement is a hurdle amidst this pandemic. 

Infosys and Tech Mahindra are depending upon data to look into which employees will return to office.

Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer and head of growth at Tech Mahindra, told Quartz during a roundtable organised by IT industry body Nasscom, “We are going to be very focused on data. It will tell us very clearly what the movement of people is.”

How is Infosys Dealing With This?

“We have carefully selected people from projects where clients were very reluctant about working from home. We are not in a hurry to get people back. And when people have come back, they’re sharing their experiences and it’s been positive. They talk about our safety measures.” said UB Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer of Infosys and Chairman of Nasscom.

The company claims to have used data, looked at clients who, once things become better, want people to work in office. And rather than doing it in one shot, Infosys wants to start bringing the employees to work from the office and acclimatise them over time.

How is Tech Mahindra Dealing With This?

Jagdish Mitra said, “We’ve made a list of projects that we will start calling people out on. Project managers have made their teams and rosters and all the prep work is ready. But we’ll not call everyone on day one just because the government has allowed it. We will take a gradual approach.”

Mitra added, “We are going to be very focused on data. It will tell us very clearly what the movement of people is.” The company claims to have things like the Arogya Setu app and the transport mechanisms available for people to make sure they’re safe and social distancing is available.

Furthermore he said, “We, as leaders, have to make sure we’re coming to work, demonstrating that our work environment is safe and therefore allowing our associates to come. Some of us leaders are already going to work. I’ve been going for last three to four weeks to make sure we follow social norms. CP (Gurnani, CEO) has also been doing it, just to make sure the message goes out that it is safe to come to come in to work, if you’re needed.”

In conclusion he said, “Coronavirus is not going away in a jiffy. From our side, we need to take the fear away and bring the caution in. If it is unprecedented fear, it’s going to impact us unnecessarily. But if it’s careless abandon, it’s going to impact us even worse.”

How is Cyient Dealing With This?

Founder and Executive chairman, Cyient, BVR Mohan Reddy said, “We’re using tremendous amount of data right now in terms of what’s the productivity level of people, and what are the outcomes.” 

The company has selected 2-3% workforce based on the output and productivity levels to work from offices

Furthermore he said, Where we’ve not seen the right type of output, we’re asking them to come to work. It has to be a planned approach, processes have been put in place but and you can’t put a timeline because there is uncertainty.