IT and ITES favour extending WFH till May 31

Business priorities and the dependency of a particular process on office infrastructure would be the criteria while choosing who should function from office, said a senior banking IT professional on condition of anonymity.Many staff are not comfortable working from home either because of their circumstances or poor connectivity. “This could play a part in the decision-making,” the globe-trotting executive, heading a key portfolio in Chennai, told DT Next.

Sanjay Tyagi, director, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Chennai, said key resources or those who are ‘hands-on’ people can be allowed to come to office to ensure that the industry does not suffer. STPI has been conducting webinars to boost the morale of employees across the sector. Two such sessions have been held, including one anchored by IT veteran Subrato Bagchi, which had more than 600 participants, he said.

“Our aim is to have three webinars every week and we have invited Arun Jain, who founded Polaris, to conduct a design workshop,” he said.

Special Economic Zones (SEZs), he said, had made arrangements for shorter and safer commutes. “Company-owned buses will be allowed subject to passes and other compliance procedures being met. In SEZs, nearby stays have been organised,” he pointed out.

MS Bala, head of a US captive unit in Chennai, said CXOs largely want the work from home (WFH) option to continue till the normalcy is restored. Most of the IT and ITeS firms have been able to manage so far, he said, admitting that productivity loss was a reality. “Nobody is keen to flout the lockdown norms, as the industry believes in the safety and security of its workforce,” observed the immediate past Chairman of Nasscom, GCC (TN, Kerala).

But such decisions have major implications for large IT entities that employ over one lakh workers. Permitting even 10 per cent of the workforce to operate from office can cause havoc and scuttle the national efforts to minimise the impact of the pandemic.

A three-segment approach for BPOs, call centres and KPOs needs to be taken, Bala said, as the nature of services such as operations pertaining to fraud and risk management or supporting cloud customers round-the-clock has to be considered. Except for call centres and BPOs, which necessarily has to have an office environment to operate, IT companies can sustain business in the WFH mode.

“Globally, manufacturing has taken a colossal hit. So, the volume of transactions has almost halved. Therefore, it is not needed to have a full-fledged operation,” Bala said, adding a word of caution about the need for social distancing during commute and while at office.

“Staggered shifts and breaks, more cabs for staff instead of buses, limited staff count in cafeteria, will be an effective solution,” said the source quoted above. According to him, it was business as usual for the ITES sector as long as the internet and laptops worked. “So, for these specific services, these measures aren’t significantly impacting the business either positively or negatively,” said the source.

There were issues, which, however, could be overcome, said another source, citing an example where a banking BFSI unit in city had a support issue that could not be executed from its locations in west and north India. But a prompt call to action that got the local administration to intervene enabled the distribution of laptops to its resources. “The Chennai team was able to provide the support at a short notice, thanks to the availability of passes from the police, whereas in other locations, this facilitation is not easy,” the source said.

It is learnt that most IT companies in the city have managed an efficiency of 60 to 70 per cent deliverables.

The senior management of many captive units are in favour of the lockdown, as they believe it is not wise to take a ‘penny wise pound foolish’ approach under the current circumstances. The industry was hoping for 20 per cent of its workforce to be able to attend office, and the 50 per cent guideline has elicited varied responses. The CXO of a telecom firm has already issued its WFH directive to be enforced till May 31.

“The 50 per cent cap was brought in for other industries so that staff can be rotated and everyone would get at least half their salary for the month. But such a guideline is not applicable to this industry. Offices will be air-conditioned and a second spread of the virus is possible,” opined an industry veteran.

However, Tyagi has a differing viewpoint. “The effect of high or low temperature on the virus has not been scientifically established. Also, unlike other countries, only 15 per cent of our population is in the 65 years age group. Also, the hotspots in TN are considerably less compared to other cities,” he said, bullish on the State’s prospects in IT and ITeS business.

“We have come out of the denial phase and now ready to accept the problem at hand. There are emerging areas where the industry has to strengthen itself as it prepares for the post-COVID-19 world. Domain areas are changing and efforts are under way to align to the opportunities that are coming up. Though we have been pitted against Bengaluru, it must be noted that our neighbour has grown beyond its capacity and resources. Tamil Nadu, especially in the sphere of electronics manufacturing, has a huge advantage compared to Karnataka, Andhra and Kerala,” Tyagi said.

“The lockdown is necessary for social distancing. There’s no middle path here; it is either a lock down or not. Going by the many reports of people still flouting the distancing rules, this is the right way to go. And the PM’s message on phased easing of lockdown for places which aren’t hot spots, is a welcome one,” added the banking IT professional, sounding ready up for the post COVID-19 world.