India Inc. is planning to roll out work-from-home(WFH) permanently for certain roles, which are being determined.
The ongoing pandemic had pushed companies into the corner and compelled them to keep most employees at home where meetings and other communications happened virtually, either over text chatting or video conferencing.
Resuming the model even as the pandemic slows are Wipro and Tech Mahindra which have adopted a hybrid workplace model. Hybrid means people can do both WFH and attend physical offices on certain scheduled days.
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Tata Steel
Tata HR head, Atrayee Sarkar, has already mandated “Absolute” WFH on a permanent basis, for certain undisclosed roles.
Before the virus made its presence known around the world, remote working norms were nearly undeveloped or only a single day where employees could telecommute.
The paradigm shift has affected nearly every organisation- the new reality is that a reversal to pre-Covid norms where every employee travelled to and from office will no longer remain .
Philips
Philips is adopting a 3:2 hybrid workspace model. Depending on their roles, employees will have to report to the office 3 days a week and 2 days can be done remotely.
Maruti
Rajesh Uppal, Maruti Suzuki executive board member, has also confirmed his firm’s plans to identify roles in which workers need not attend office.
Schenider
Its proprietary Global Flexibility at Work Policy also follows a hybrid remote-physical office attendance model.
Schneider HR officer Rachna Mukherjee reiterated that there will be no going back to the 100% office attendance requirement that pre-Covid times used to have. She added that the pandemic has given time to reflect, adapt and challenge preconceived notions about work life and workplace.
From the start of the year, only about one-third of the workforce reports to the physical office.
Infosys
Nearly ALL of its employees, 97%, are attending office virtually.
Richard Lobo, Infosys HR Head, predicted a change in work models where some will be rostered to commute to office and some will have the flexibility to either go for permanent remote working or only partially where they would report to office some days a week.
Philips and Maruti HR honchos have reassured their employees that those working from home will not see any salary cuts.
As private employees complete nearly a year of working from home, many are feeling “office-sick” as they miss out on social interactions and camaraderie. They also complain about familial distractions that come with remote working and boredom of monotony.
Only time will determine the efficacy of partial or complete WFH models that is set to be the new normal.
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