Cognizant mandates WFH in Bengaluru after rains batter city; other IT firms yet to declare

US-based information technology (IT) services firm Cognizant Technology Solutions has mandated work from home on May 20 due to the heavy downpour battering Bengaluru for the past two days, sources told Moneycontrol.

The Teaneck, New Jersey-headquartered firm employs approximately 40,000 employees in India’s IT hub.

A night of relentless rain from Sunday into the early hours of Monday left large swathes of Bengaluru’s tech corridors under water, crippling daily commutes and throwing normal life into chaos across major IT hubs.

Hundreds of tech professionals were left scrambling with no formal work-from-home advisory from most companies.

Bengaluru recorded about 240 mm of rainfall in two days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Karnataka government. On Sunday, May 18, the city recorded 104 mm of rainfall, severely flooding several residential areas.

More than 20 lakes neared overflow limits, underpasses were shut, flyovers were waterlogged, and public transport was severely hit. The city’s bus service was partially suspended due to flooded roads.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru traffic police on May 20 closed a section of Hosur Road, between Silk Board and Rupena Agrahara, from 9 AM to 11 AM due to flooding

The 9.9 km-long elevated expressway from Central Silk Board Junction to Electronics City on Hosur Road, which opened in 2010, was designed to reduce travel time to Electronics City, home to major companies such as Infosys and Biocon.

Infosys, India’s second-largest IT services exporter, already follows a three-day work-from-office policy, suggesting that employees likely opted not to commute.

Employees of mid-tier IT company L&T Technology Services have not received any mandate from the senior management for work from home, according to sources. “L&T Tech Services is very flexible with employees coming to the office, and they could work from home depending upon their understanding with their respective teams,” the source quoted above said.

Moneycontrol has reached out to Cognizant, Infosys, and L&T Technology Services for comments. This article will be updated as and when they respond.

Key neighbourhoods such as Koramangala, HSR Layout, BTM Layout, and Marathahalli bore the brunt of the downpour, with arterial roads and underpasses submerged.

The Silk Board Junction became virtually impenetrable. Stormwater gushed through service roads, choking underpasses and blocking movement for interstate buses from Kerala and Tamil Nadu that had queued at the junction.

At Manyata Tech Park, scores of employees arrived only to find entry points submerged in knee-deep water, forcing several to turn back. Photos and videos circulating on X (formerly Twitter) showed marooned commuters and waterlogged office entrances.

One tweet read: “Greedy Politicians and BBMP's Buried lakes in #Bangalore incarnate! Just like Christ’s return to life on Easter day!”

Nevertheless, Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan on May 19 urged companies to declare two days of work from home in view of the ongoing rains. “All companies in Bengaluru, including Infosys, must declare two days of work from home due to rains,” the MP from the Bharatiya Janata Party wrote on X.

Reacting to the crumbling infrastructure of the city, Karnataka deputy chief minister and Bengaluru development minister DK Shivakumar said his government is working to solve them, not with temporary fixes, but with long-term, sustainable solutions. "Let us be clear: the issues we face today are not new. They have been ignored for years across governments and administrations.”