Several multi-national corporations and outsourcing companies in Gurgaon suffered losses in terms of productivity and employee attendance this week as a result of the heavy downpour and waterlogging.
For many multinational firms, brand credibility has been severely undermined.
“It is not just a productivity drop. International clients see Gurgaon as a safe place to do work and business,” said Harsh Vinayak, senior vice-president of NTT Data. “Things only get worse for us when these problems surface,” Mr. Vinayak added.
Flexible timings,
work-from-home option
The annual occurrence has now prompted many firms to adopt alternate methods to deal with below-average employee attendance.
“The higher management has been very cooperative and understanding of their (employees) problems,” said Megha Jha, an employee at software development and consultant giant Nagarro.
Ms. Jha said that the company’s flexible timings have made things easier, allowing staff to leave before 5 p.m. to avoid getting stuck in traffic.
A few firms have also allowed some employees, whose work does not require them to be in the office, to work from home.
“It’s been chaos everywhere, but since we have the option to work from home, it hasn’t really affected us,” said Pooja Chaudhary, an employee at American Express.
Although the efficacy of the Gurgaon Police to manage the crisis has been put into question, thousands took to Twitter to express their support for their efforts.
Meanwhile, the police have blamed the negligence and inactivity of the municipal administration for the chaos.
“This is a self-created disaster that happens every year. The Gurgaon administration has completely overlooked the problem,” said Sanjay Mehta, regional vice-president of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce.
“If they can’t gather funds, private companies would be happy to provide, because this problem affects them as well,” Mr Mehta said. In fact, firms like Nagarro have decided to take matters into their own hands to influence change and prevent further business losses.
Nagarro CEO and NASSCOM Regional Council chairperson Manas Fuloria said: “We will run a campaign in our companies to drive better and more sensibly. We are also considering a social media campaign to call out people who are driving on the wrong side of the road.”
(The writer is an intern with The Hindu)
Companies search for solutions to deal
with below-average employee attendance during rainy season
