Although the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is almost over given the falling rate of coronavirus cases, the information technology (IT) companies are treading the cautious path when it comes to calling employees back to the office. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and HCL Technologies are going with the hybrid model of working for now.
TCS in a statement to News18.com said, “As the situation with respect to Covid-19 improves across the globe and now that the majority of our associates and their families are vaccinated, we are transitioning into a hybrid mode of working, with our associates choosing to spend time at both, office premises and working remotely.””We will be getting our employees back to offices in the coming months,” the company stated.
It said that the company is already encouraging its associates to return to their respective offices. Senior management level executives have started working from offices regularly.
Sharing the specific details on the hybrid mode, TCS said it is adopting a ’25×25 model’. “This model will require not more than 25 per cent of our associates to work from an office at any given point in time, and they need not spend more than 25 per cent of their time in the office.
“But, an important part of the journey to the 25×25 model is to first bring people back to physical offices and gradually transition into the hybrid work model,” the Tata group company said.
It said the company has also set up occasional operating zones (OOZ) and hot desks. “These OOZs allow our associates to plug in their system in any office around the country and get connected to the global workforce instantly.”
Another tech major HCL Technologies is also continuing with the hybrid mode for now. An HCL spokesperson said that one of the company’s top priorities is the safety and well-being of its employees and their families.
“We also remain deeply committed to maintaining our business normalcy, thereby ensuring uninterrupted services to our clients. At present, we are monitoring the situation and continue to operate in a hybrid model,” the spokesperson said.
IT firm Infosys has earlier said it is planning a “phased return to office”, motivating its employees to just attend office in person for a day or two per week.
“In a steady-state, subject to Covid-19 scenarios, we expect a hybrid model in which approximately 40-50 per cent of employees are likely to work from office post subsequent phases of return to office,” Richard Lobo, executive vice-president and head (HR) at Infosys, said earlier.
Another tech company Cognizant has also said earlier that it aims to return to the office in a phased manner starting April 2022 as it monitors the Covid-19 situation.
According to the latest data from the health ministry, active Covid-19 cases in India have declined to 22,427. Single-day rise of 1,938 coronavirus infections and 67 fatalities have pushed India’s tally of cases to 4,30,14,687 and death toll to 5,16,672.
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