Back-to-work plans on hold

With Omicron variant, staff hesistant to return to office

January 12, 2022 12:33 am | Updated 12:33 am IST - HYDERABAD

With the recent spike in COVID – 19 cases, and with the concerns over the Omicron variant, in the State, IT companies have pushed back their plans to on a return of employees back-to-office.

A tech major which is into manufacturing, and support had back-to-work plans in the first week of January. However, plans are now on hold.

A mid-level employee from this company told The Hindu that third wave and the Omicron variant had put these plans on hold.

There has been hesitancy on account of the new variant among employees to return to work, he said.

“The management had made plans for a return to office in the beginning of this month. They had sent feelers and communications to staff maybe in October or November of a return to work plan. Initially, it was supposed to be a phased approach, with the number of people reporting to office increasing slowly.

In December, they said that there would be a return to work policy. But the management took cognisance of the third wave, and also of Omicron, and deferred plans. We are working from home now,” he said requesting anonymity. A clearer picture would emerge in a couple of months, he added.

For other large companies, including that of a banking conglomerate with a substantial operational presence in Hyderabad, there has been no change since the first wave.

“We are still working from home. There is no change. We are only getting advisories about how to stay safe. It appears that work from home will be the case for us, at least for the foreseeable future,” said a senior employee.

Syed Sulaiman (named changed), a techie with Tech Mahindra, too pointed out that the company was in no mood to take any chances, and work-from-home mode was on.

Speaking to The Hindu , Bharani Kumar Aroll, president, Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association, said that very large companies were working with a 5% headcount.

On the other hand, medium-sized companies were working with comparatively larger numbers.

“They are likely to decide on calling back staff by March or a little later. It is a wait and watch situation. With respect to the hybrid model of working, the frequency has reduced. This is in case of small and medium companies,” he said.

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