COVID-19 impact: More staff in services sector cos to work from home in future as well

When the COVID-19 pandemic came ashore and moves like lockdowns were being deliberated upon, the USD 180-billion IT sector faced a huge challenge for business continuity. More than a month into it, industry executives feel it has been a blessing in disguise and will lead to a larger number of people to work from home in the post coronavirus world.

They attribute the emerging scenario to cost and productivity gains out of WFH (Work From Home) and it is not just the IT sector which is reaping the benefits. Companies across the services sectors, including banks, are set to have fewer people work from the offices in the future. India was put under a three-week lockdown from March 25, which was extended by 19 more days till May 3, to arrest the spread of coronavirus infections. As the promised date nears, there is an increasing possibility that the lockdown will be extended in many pockets, which have turned into hotspots. At present, many employees travel long distances to workplaces in cities plagued with traffic issues and high air pollution.

Largest software exporter TCS’s Chief Executive and Managing Director Rajesh Gopinathan explained that over the decades, IT companies’ model was based on employees trooping-in to cubicles often in specially erected or hired campuses for work, but the lockdown resulted in a quick shift to the WFH model.

Keshav Murugesh, Chief Executive of business process management player WNS and former Chairman of IT industry lobby grouping Nasscom, said the association responded to the challenge by helping its members transport over 25 lakh desktops from offices to associates’ residences within a fortnight, which ensured work can continue.