As the mounting burnouts from ‘Work from Home’ have forced several tech workers to strike out on their own for secure workspaces, an educational institution in Kottayam has rolled out a project to support its alumni and the local community.
Amaljyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirappally has decided to open workplace desks for its former graduates, who are employed with the software development companies but are currently working from home.
The workplace, set up at the Start Ups Valley Technology Business Incubator that functions inside the college campus here, offers sanitized, remote working spaces for 150 persons at a given point of time.
According to the college authorities, the decision to open the space followed a realization that the blurring lines between work and private life coupled with connectivity issues have cast a shadow on the career prospects of several of its alumnus.
“The problem has been particularly severe in the rural areas and it is in this backdrop, we have decided to extend the facility to the local community as well,” said Sherin Sam Jose, Chief Executive Officer of the Startups Valley and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Automobile.
Alongside the office space with unlimited internet, power supply and a full-fledged canteen, the facilities on offer also include the technology development labs meeting rooms and accommodation units, which have been established as part of the business incubator unit. Individuals or groups availing the facility will have to pay a facilitation charge of ₹150 per head for 24 hours while weekly and monthly packages too will be made available at much discounted rates.
To mitigate the risk of data misuse, those availing the facility will have to register in a prescribed format and furnish proof of their employee contracts with the respective companies.
The initiative, meanwhile, has drawn praise from several industry stakeholders, who expect the strategy of mixing remote work with home will help cover the challenges of office space downsizing .
“Working from home is productive only with fewer interruptions and this remains a challenge even with the rise of secure digital technology that allows for everything from virtual video meetings to remote, real-time communications,” noted Robin Tomy, Head, Rapid Labs, TCS.
The project, according to him, will help address the privacy issues and multiple disruptions, while also providing the all-important meeting space for brain-storming sessions.
Commenting on the initiative, a top official with the Kerala Technological University, said the varsity too has embarked on a plan to emulate the project in the various engineering colleges affiliated to it.
