Manisha Saboo is the first woman president of the Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association and also the first to be elected to the post in three decades of the influential body of IT firms. The campus head of Infosys Hyderabad SEZ, she has been associated with HYSEA for a few years now and led its COVID-19 relief work. Ms.Saboo speaks in a measured tone, yet outright on raging issues in the IT industry and is clear about the roadmap ahead for HYSEA. Edited excerpts from an exclusive interaction:
You were elected as HYSEA president for 2022-24 in May this year. How has it been spearheading the association of IT firms of Hyderabad?
As a team elected for the first time in 30 years of HYSEA, we have the advantage of having new people, fresh blood and new ideas. There then is the advantage of having past presidents in our management committee to provide direction and keep us grounded. It has been a very fulfilling journey thus far to work towards changing the future, fate line of people and even landscape of IT industry in Hyderabad over the next decade or two. We are moving in the right direction, one step at a time, to make Hyderabad the innovation capital of India. That’s the vision.
What are the key elements of your plan?
We identified the most important building blocks towards achieving this vision. The three strategic aspects are talent transformation since talent is the base for IT industry, second is knowledge exchange or to facilitate knowledge sharing, especially serving as a platform connecting startups and industry veterans, and the third is ESG.
Will HYSEA be doing this all by itself?
The emphasis is on collaboration with TASK, T-Hub, TIE, almost all the ecosystem partners. Like the government, we are very eager to see more startups come to Hyderabad. Already, the cost structure in terms of setup, infrastructure is low for startups in Hyderabad. If we create the magnetic force to attract startups, it will really change the way Hyderabad will look 10-15 years from now.
Could you provide an update on the return-to-office plans of IT firms in Hyderabad?
Return to office will evolve over time. The vision organisations have on this is also very different. Some of our member companies asked their employees if they want permanent work from home, work from office or hybrid work. The companies apparently were okay with any option. They have also offered that whenever employees who have opted for permanent WFH need to come to office for meetings, they will be reimbursed the airfare and hotel charges. In spite of this, only 15% people opted for WFH. Many people chose hybrid and permanent work from office. There are also organisations that have told employees to come back to office. Hence, it is all depending on the vision of the particular organisation and how the leadership is communicating what they want employees to do.
In the past, HYSEA had conducted surveys to get a pulse on return to office. Is it planning one anytime soon?
I think we should do one because we are getting questions around the topic. But from our discussions with stakeholders, the understanding is around 30% of total IT employees are back in office. The number varies between companies and depends on the work. Return to office is also dependent on what clients of the firms are saying. If client wants us to bring talent back in office, we have to do it. But not all clients are insisting.
Irrespective of their business?
I wouldn’t say that... banking clients have less flexibility, they want to be little more careful for obvious reasons.
How long will these work options remain in place?
We will see more people coming back by middle of 2023... but it is not going to be 100%. Hybrid is here to stay. If you are expecting 100% of people will be in office like pre-COVID times, that’s not going to happen.
Another issue in the industry are the layoffs by several global technology firms. In what way will this have a bearing on IT companies here?
Layoffs results from economic slowdown, a cyclic process. Some companies lay off every year; bottom of the pie clean-up happens every year. Usually it is between 2-10%. When the economy is growing fast, we need more employees. But when the economy slows down, obviously the layoff percentage inflates. What we are seeing now is some companies reducing bottom of the pie... letting go of people based on the type of their business, based on skill set or some units or products not doing well. This is routine, but when it happens on a larger scale... especially after hiring big in the last two years because of growth... [it is] unthinkable. In Hyderabad, we are not seeing much impact, because when recession happens or economy is slowing in other countries, the work increases here because of the cost arbitrage that we provide. However, if large companies like Microsoft or Amazon are laying off people, even in India, they will lay off people. That is inbuilt in their work culture.
Will there be a ripple effect on the hiring plans, particularly of small and medium sized IT firms?
It might happen, depending on the scale. Experienced people are always needed. The problem will be for freshers. They will not get jobs; if already hired, not get projects. There will be stagnation. Freshers, campus recruits will have tough time for the next 1-2 years. Painting everybody with the same brush is not a wise thing to do. The strategy may differ for companies. But the hiring will not go to zero level.
What will be your advice to youngsters aspiring for IT jobs?
There are couple of options. First option is to continue education... if you are getting into PG go for specialised courses. If that is not possible, get into some job, where they may not pay or pay little, which will help you have experience on your profile. Another option are websites where they rent coders. People have to think differently and make most of whatever is available. Earning money is not the most important thing right now, survival is. You will get enough opportunities [in future].
The spotlight also has been on moonlighting with some citing it as a factor behind IT firms calling employees back to office. Is it true?
I don’t think moonlighting has triggered return to office, but it was one of the factors that you have to consider. The return to office was more for business reasons... people have to learn, learn from each other. Some organisations are also okay with moonlighting. But moonlighting appears short-sighted... you can’t do justice to two jobs. Moreover, IT field requires you to apply mind, 200%. But future workforce, workplace, work is not what we see today, [they] will be different. The process has begun.
Is there more to WFH?
All of us have benefited from people working around us. We learn from them, looking at people, how you walk, talk, everything we learn by seeing. That is the value of working from office. At the same time, can we say work from office is the best mechanism? I learnt by looking at people, may be today’s generation will learn by watching YouTube. WFH is good for the environment, for families, to help build stronger families and is good for diversity. Just because we believe what worked in past... you have to give [employees] ability to come to Hyderabad whenever needed. You can reach anywhere in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in 10 hours. TSRTC has already started bus services that come to Hyderabad at 6 a.m. and in the return direction, start around 6 p.m.
What are the steps HYSEA is taking to increase the number of women in IT industry?
When it comes to entry level [jobs], we have good numbers. Only when we go up, it becomes lesser. Our efforts are how to avoid women dropout and evolve an ecosystem in such a way that if they take a break, they can come back. From HYSEA, we reach out to thousands of young women in college to ignite a spark in them to take career more seriously and not consider job as a parking ground till they get married. We also engage with women at the managerial level through our Aspire More programme.
Does HYSEA have a wish list for the government?
Compared to some other State governments that do nothing, Telangana government is doing a lot for the IT industry. Our approach is to do our bit and the government do should their bit instead of saying government should do these things and since it did not do, we will also not do. We work with the government and find solutions. In Hyderabad, government has played a major role in the growth of IT industry. Although governments have changed, the focus on growth of IT has remained.
