Indian IT and global technology services companies advised employees to work from home (WFH) on May 9 and restricted domestic and international work travels in the near-term as India-Pakistan conflict intensified, sources told Moneycontrol.
The WFH advisory memos were mainly for employees in the Delhi-NCR and northern regions of the country which have been put on high alert in the ongoing attacks.
Accounting and tech consulting major Deloitte India has asked employees to postpone all non-essential domestic and international travel. An all-India command centre hotline too has been set up to support employees, a source in the know said.
“Professionals who are on assignment in border states that are affected have been advised to return to base location as soon as possible…Colleagues have also been asked to follow government guidelines on personal safety and staying alert,” the source said.
The country’s third largest IT services major and Noida-headquartered HCLTech declared WFH for Friday, May 9, across all its offices in Chandigarh, Gurugram, and Noida, an employee seeking anonymity said.
For Tech Mahindra, the process started much earlier when the company had sent out a note to the employees on May 7, wherein they were initially asked to stay calm and follow the guidance of the corporate services team while participating in the mock drill.
As a precautionary measure, the company also recommended, “All non-essential travel (domestic and international) to be deferred for the next 2 weeks...Your safety is our top priority, and we assure you that we are closely monitoring the situation and taking all necessary steps to ensure your well-being.”
Tech Mahindra even told its employees to not comment on the “current situation on social media” or “in customer interactions.” Moneycontrol had accessed and seen a copy of this note, though it didn’t mention anything on WFH.
India’s second-largest information technology major, Infosys, has a practise of following work from office at least 10 days a month, or three days a week. Therefore, employee may choose not to work out of office. Moreover, lights are switched off after 7 PM across locations, sources said.
Emailed queries sent to Deloitte, Infosys, HCLTech, and Tech Mahindra remain unanswered at the time of publishing. Any comments from these companies will be updated to reflect in the article later.
Meanwhile, KPMG in India, has advised all its staff in Gurgaon, Delhi, Noida, and Jaipur to exercise caution and they may choose to work from the office, home, or client location, in consultation with their respective business managers. “Our offices will however remain open to support critical business needs,” a spokesperson of the consulting and advisory firm told Moneycontrol.
Earlier, another Big 4 accounting firm EY India advised employees to WFH in Delhi NCR, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Ahmedabad offices, while making it optional for employees at other locations, for May 9.
“The situation continues to be monitored closely, and further updates will be shared over the weekend,” EY said in an internal memo seen by Moneycontrol.
In latest developments on the conflict, loud explosions were once again heard in Jammu, triggering emergency sirens throughout the region. In response, a complete blackout was enforced across the city as a precautionary step.
Security forces have intensified vigilance, and the situation is being closely monitored by the authorities.
Amidst the thwarted attempts from Pakistan to strike military sites with drones and missiles including in Jammu and Pathankot on Thursday night, many states announced the closure of schools, blackouts in border districts, and cancellation of leave of police personnel and administration officials.
The stringent measures were taken by Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal and Bihar in wake of Pakistan's failed attempts to attacks cities in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan.
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