Companies in India will likely encourage most of their employees to continue functioning from home for the next two-four months as they aren’t willing to let their guard down over Covid-19, even though lockdown curbs have been eased for offices. Most firms find the current system working well enough and don’t want to risk the health of their workers.
Amazon said staff can function work from home for another four months. “Employees who work in a role that can effectively be done from home are welcome to do so until at least October 2,” said Deepti Varma, director, human resources. “We are adhering to state and central government guidelines and are also working hard to keep those who choose to come to the office safe through physical distancing, deep cleaning, temperature checks, and the availability of face coverings and hand sanitiser.”
Consulting firm McKinsey India has most of its workforce working from home as of now and will take a decision based on how the situation evolves. “We are adopting a wait-and-watch mode,” said a spokesperson.
‘Preferred Mode of Operation’
ET had earlier reported that multinationals and information technology companies don’t want employees rushing back to work even though the Covid-19-Lockdown has eased in several parts of the country. Most global banks such as Citi, Bank of America and Deutsche Bank have also adopted a cautious approach.
Neglible Staff at Office
A Deloitte India official said there are no plans to get back to office immediately. Though the company has reopened offices in six cities, as per government guidelines, a “negligible” number of people are going to work. “It is our strong recommendation to employees to continue working from home,” said the official.
Others such as Myntra, which has restarted offices with less than 5% of its workforce, are advising the majority of staff to continue working from home. “We decided to allow a very limited number of employees, whose roles depend on office infrastructure, to return to work,” said a Myntra spokesperson. “Most of our employees will continue working remotely until further notice.”
