India Inc sticks to hybrid work policy as Covid fears return

India has stepped up vigilance as Covid cases rise in China and are detected among foreign arrivals from several countries. (Image Credit: Pixabay)

India Inc is moving cautiously when it comes to protecting their employees after the Union health ministry said that the next 40 days are going to be crucial as the country may see a surge in Covid cases this month.

However, after surviving multiple pandemic waves, corporate India is much more confident of handling the situation, and with most employees now fully vaccinated, a majority of companies are not making any changes to their return-to-work plans and their existing work-from-home or hybrid arrangements, industry experts said.

“India Inc is preparing to deal with any potential escalation of the Covid situation. Most businesses already have a tried-and-tested strategy in place to deal with an increase in Covid cases,” said Aditya Narayan Mishra, MD and CEO of staffing firm CIEL HR Services.

However, he added that companies are likely to keep a watch on the situation for a month and continue to work in a hybrid environment while following the necessary protocols and maintaining the essential healthcare infrastructure in offices for emergencies.

“Precautions will be taken for employees going on frequent business trips, companies may ask them to do home isolation for a few days and get a Covid test done before reporting back to the office after the trip,” Mishra said.

India has stepped up vigilance as Covid cases rise in China and are detected among foreign arrivals from several countries.

Cyient providing flexibility to staff

Multinational tech firm Cyient continues to follow a mix of work from home and office, and is providing flexibility to employees.

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“Thankfully we have seen a limited number of cases reported. However, we continue to support our associates and their family members with a Covid insurance policy which is apart from our regular medical insurance cover,” said Dr PNSV Narasimham, CHRO at Cyient.

In light of recent news around Covid, the firm does not expect any drastic changes to its flexible approach and its planning for facilities, workspaces and budgets going forward is being done keeping this in mind.

Hybrid work stays at Tata Technologies

Similarly, Tata Technologies plans to keep the hybrid environment going. The engineering and design firm provided guidelines to all employees to try to be in the office 2-3 days a week but in consultation with their managers.

It has a different mechanism for people with special needs such as mothers with small children.

“In SEZs, we have seen 60 percent of employees coming to the offices without much noise. On average, we are having footfall up about 35 percent,” said Pawan Bhageria, President – Global HR, IT, Admin and Education at Tata Technologies.

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Telecom major Ericsson is expecting to see more than 50 percent of its workforce available in the office this month.

About 30-40 percent of KPMG employees in India are already working from their offices.

Unox India implementing safety measures 

Oven manufacturer Unox India is implementing safety measures and ensuring that its office is set up to meet necessary safety guidelines, such as social distancing and increased cleaning and disinfection.

“We are maintaining a standard of providing hand sanitisers throughout the workplace for employees and visitors to use. This is to maintain the utmost level of hygiene standards in our office and demo kitchen,” said Vikram Goel, MD at Unox India.

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The company is also asking employees to stay home if they are feeling ill or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid.

“Implementing physical distancing measures, such as spacing out workstations or staggering shifts, to reduce the number of people in the workplace at any given time, and regularly cleaning and disinfecting high touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, keyboards and phones,” Goel added.