Since the post-covid virus hit the world, more and more people are working remotely. It was already challenging and challenging to adjust to the WFH setting, but now the working populace seems to have taken to it well.
Today, companies are calling back their employees to resume work from the office and work life is returning to the pre-covid era.
Companies are leading the way to the Great Return by overcoming the challenges posed by the Great Resignation and the Great Retirement. Leading the pack in the industry, is IT.
Many companies, including RPG Group, TCS, and Mahindra Group, are encouraging their employees to ditch the pajamas and wear formals. Let’s peep into what each of them are planning:
RPG group
Harsh Goenka, Chairman of RPG Group asked his employees to work from office for at least some days of the week.
Speaking of WFH as not a viable option, he spoke about fostering the spirit and mission of the organization. Water cooler conversations, culture, creativity, and camaraderie are just some of the topics he discussed.
Approximately half of the employees of the company work from home at the moment.
Many startups, including Meesho and Swiggy, have given their employees the option to work from anywhere.
Speaking of IT Services, the industry is of the opinion that they have accepted hybrid as the new normal. In their opinion, the demand for working from home depends on the client. However, for them the priority is to return to the office and to the work sites.
TCS
Twenty percent of TCS’s employees are currently back at work. Rajesh Gopinathan, CEO & MD of TCS said that “On an immediate basis, we will continue to drive the return-to-office model because the 25/25 plan needs to be executed in a more controlled manner”.
After returning to a normal working environment, the path to a permanent hybrid environment can be followed. He said that currently 20% are already working from office and the same number should increase with time.
Saurabh Govil, president and chief human resource officer (CHRO) said that “We have slowly witnessed a trend where clients are insisting employees be at work. We feel it is important to stay connected, as well as provide flexibility to employees”. However the firm is not forcing anyone to come to the office.
Zensar Technologies
Employees of RPG Group’s IT services arm have been asked to return to work for a few days a week. As of today, around 20% employees are working from office locations.
Vivek Ranjan, senior vice-president and CHRO, Zensar Technologies said that to ensure they are able to connect with their managers, peers, and colleagues, the company is encouraging the associates to work from the office. In addition to this, the company is also providing a flexible option of two/three days a week at the moment.
He added that the company is currently focusing on the hybrid model and said that “This will evolve as we slowly get ready to welcome an increasing number of people back to the office. Our hybrid policy will be based on feedback from our employees, customer requirements, regulatory environment, and other factors”.
Tata Motors
Tata Motors employs two kinds : one working at factories, other from their systems. Now those who are at the factories are coming daily. But 45 per cent of those who are working from their systems are being called back to the office twice a week.
The Tata group flagship firm had transitioned to a hybrid work model towards the end of the first wave of the pandemic and is now satisfied with the results it has yielded thus far.
Ravindra G P, CHRO said that the overall performance as a company gives the firm the confidence that the hybrid model is working well for them. The primary focus is on delivery and not the number of person hours clocked in a cubicle.
He said that the company chose hybrid over other models as said that “it is important to remain connected. We are a growing company. Since remote working was not a solution for everybody, we went with hybrid. That has helped”.
This adoption of hybrid has not only resulted in less attrition, but also it has helped the company to attract a younger workforce. He said that “There are prospective candidates asking if they can work from cities they are domiciled in. Only specialised roles like analytics and embedded software allow that ‘luxury’. We have lost candidates due to this”.
Mahindra Group
As per the internal circular issued on July 31, Anand Mahindra-led Mahindra Group has made it a point that the employees are to return to office on all working days of the week starting this month.