Part-time PGs, weekly hometown travels: Hybrid office work ties GenZ up in knots

Many major companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, KPMG and Ericsson, among others, have adopted a hybrid working with employees mandated to report for 2-4 days a week in the office.

When Abhay Gautam, an IT engineer, started his career during the pandemic in July 2020, he got all that he ever wanted, thanks to remote work. The comfort of home, nearly zero expenses, and ample opportunities to resist his company's back-to-office plans for the next two years – a smooth ride all along to save up for his dream car.

However, the recent ‘back to office’ plans of various companies and the slowdown in bulk hiring, especially IT, shook Gautam out of his cosy life. Since January, every employee at his company must report to the office in person for at least three days a week with the flexibility of choosing which days they want to.

Gautam then rented a flat for Rs 10,000 per month in Central Noida but soon realised he can still save up: He decided to save the cost of food, maid and electricity by travelling to his hometown in Agra, UP, for the remaining four days.

“It seemed to be working for a while in March, especially during Holi when there was a long weekend. But soon the fatigue of travelling every week in addition to rising ticket prices are creating hindrance,” he said, revealing that he pays around Rs 2,000 bus fare per month. Gautam is not alone.

Many GenZ employees (people born between 1996 and 2010) who work from the office for 2-3 days a week are travelling back to their hometowns for the rest of the days to save costs but are ending up losing more – financially and mentally. As several researchers have shown, GenZ is troubled by two major issues: Finding purpose at work and the challenge of saving up.

Highlighting the prevalence of the arrangement, experts warn the impact of the recent trend will not be limited to employees. They say such employees will always be looking out for another job, sometimes sacrificing the perks of living in Tier 1 cities. Besides, till they find a new plan to work, such employees’ productivity in the office is also questionable.

Saving or losing?

Many major companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, KPMG and Ericsson, among others, have adopted a hybrid working with employees mandated to report for 2-4 days a week in the office.

There are several other GenZ professionals following Gautam’s footsteps with their unique approach. Meerut-based Ankit Shah (25) and Vipul Tiwari are living in a PG or paying guest accommodation and paying less than the required money as they both stay in the same bed for three separate days a week.

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“It was hard to convince the PG manager for such an arrangement but we somehow managed to find it,” Shah said, adding that he occupies the bed for the first three days followed by Tiwari who uses it from Thursday to Saturday.

Both don’t have lunch or dinner at the accommodation to further save up and instead go for dhabas as it's “just a matter of three days a week”.

While Shah plans to continue the arrangement, Tiwari has doubts. “It's too much to handle. Convincing the PG manager every month for this arrangement; managing in this shabby accommodation despite earning a substantial salary and travelling back and forth to my hometown this summer,” he said.

Different challenges

Where others have to resort to part-time PGs, Rohtak-based Aasha got lucky with her distant Delhi-based family members. Working in a multinational consulting firm, she is staying with them for two days a week without shelling out a single penny except for commuting to the office.

However, the idea was opposed by her parents who are against intensive travel and “office exposure” that Aasha was missing but she somehow convinced them – only to face challenges of her own.

“The sense of freedom is gone as one has to follow the rules of the home where they are staying,” Aasha said, adding that she has to ask for her parent’s permission, which is then cross-verified by her distant relatives, even if she has to go for a while after office work hours.

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Besides, fear of missing out, or Fomo, seeps in when Asha sometimes realises she is missing out on the cultural assimilation in the company when her team hangs out together during weekends and posts pictures in WhatsApp groups.

“You can’t get everything,” Aasha concedes as she searches for companies with complete remote work options.

Can this be addressed?

It's not just employees that are on the losing side. Noting that this has been going on for a while now, human resource experts say remote work has enabled individuals to focus on other areas of life and thus has become a preferred mode of work.

“A challenge that companies may anticipate is losing these employees to organisations that have gone fully remote. Additionally, due to the tiresome travels, productivity might suffer at the employees’ end too,” said Sachin Alug, CEO of staffing firm NLB Services.

As a possible recourse, he added that companies must take stock of their GenZ employees’ drives, motivations and choice of a working model. In a nutshell, Alug feels customised plans may then emerge to manage the talent and meet them halfway.

A senior HR executive of a Delhi-based IT consulting firm, who spoke to Moneycontrol on the condition of anonymity, said he and his team are working on a 6-month work mode plan where certain employees would be informed of the specific period they are required to work from the office.

For instance, a software engineer would be required to work for five days a week for a month and subsequently be allowed to work from home for the next five months.

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“The deliberation is still in its nascent stage but has received positive feedback from top executives as they are eager to retain high performers. Besides, we are still exploring how to categorise employees under the plan as this may also result in a high churn among those who are not given the equal opportunity to work remotely,” he said.

Though Mayur Taday, Chief Business Officer at staffing firmTeamLease Services, feels it may not be fair to attribute the situation to a larger picture of the generation not embracing work from the office, he asserted that companies that do not provide flexible work arrangements may find it difficult to attract and retain Gen Z employees.

Till companies announce a full-fledged policy, he suggests employees discuss their situation with their employers and find out a practically possible flexible work arrangement and avoid keeping their employers in the dark.