Priority for IT and ITes Companies is to Safeguard Employees and Stakeholders

The lockdown 3.0 is now in pIace, and IT and ITes companies are gradually resuming work from office for only critical missions. The predominant idea that has come to the fore during this period is that while serving clients and business continuity is certainly important, employee wellbeing and protecting them from getting infected is a priority for companies.

Industry leaders conveyed to DataQuest earlier this week that wherein they were certainly appreciative of the government allowing companies to operate with minimal workforce, they were giving paramount importance to ensure employees are safe. Some of the measures included ensuring that SOPs of social distancing are strictly followed and even re-engineering office spaces.

IT and ITes companies have also encouraged a maximum number of employees to work from home. Kalavathi GV, head, Philips Innovation Campus said: “The year 2020 has thrown an unprecedented challenge for all and redefined our way of working. Our employees at Philips are adapting to the changing circumstances remarkably. Every day, as we are navigating through the challenges of working remotely, the health and safety of our employees remain the top priority for us at Philips Innovation Campus (PIC). Hence PIC has created various programs to engage not only their employees but also their family members to stay strong through these testing times.”

The company says that they were also giving tips on ergonomics and Work-from-Home productivity, as well as exclusive virtual learning sessions with external experts on time and self-management, are also being organized to make remote working a pleasant experience for all the employees.

On the government allowing the reopening of IT and ITes companies even in the Red Zones, Nitin Mishra, senior executive vice president and chief product officer, global data centers and cloud infrastructure (India) of NTT Ltd said: “The Indian government’s decision is a positive step towards resuming full operations in the IT and ITeS sector. IT and ITeS organisations have to some extent managed to run operations with Work-From-Home option for its employees. However, some projects have been impacted that require physical access to systems and work area. Restarting of operations, even with minimal workforce will ensure almost normal operations for the sector. We are committed to preventing the spread of Covid-19 and industry players have been taking all recommended steps to safeguard their employees and stakeholders.”

While the companies that come under the essential purview were maintaining operations even under the lockdown through remote working, the provision to allow minimum employees to resume work from the office will be helpful to serve clients. “With up to 50% workforce allowed to operate, there will be the resumption of crucial processes and support systems which will be instrumental in helping other industries to function. Since the lockdown restriction remains in certain areas, there will be concerns related to curfew passes and movement from one district to another. However, we are hopeful that these issues would be overcome and normalcy will return to the industry in the next few months,” added Nitin Mishra.

However, even while resuming operations, the industry aims at taking strict measures to protect employees. “The key is to ensure that the employees who resume work do not face any hazards or risk of infection. We have implemented social distancing protocols in our premises and made arrangements for company transport which is sanitized after every trip. Further, monitoring of the health condition of those attending work is a continuous process. Overall, we are already serving our clients in the best possible manner and we will take care of all the precautions and government recommendations while resuming our normal operations in a phased manner,” he added.