Badge Tracking: A human capital management software will track employee badge swipes, assigning color-coded ratings based on office presence. Blue signifies consistent on-site work, green indicates regular presence, yellow shows limited on-site time, and red flags employees with minimal physical presence.

VPN Monitoring: Dell will reportedly track VPN connections to determine if employees are working remotely. This adds another layer of oversight, potentially raising privacy concerns for some employees.

Reports suggest that many Dell managers are uncomfortable with the system, fearing it could negatively impact the career growth prospects of remote workers, even leading to potential layoffs.

Dell, however, maintains that in-person collaboration is crucial. In a statement, the company emphasised the importance of “in-person connections paired with a flexible approach” for fostering innovation and competitive advantage.

This policy reflects the ongoing debate within the corporate world regarding post-pandemic work models. While some companies embrace flexible work arrangements, others, like Dell, prioritize physical office presence. The effectiveness of Dell’s tracking system in achieving its goals and its impact on employee morale remain to be seen.

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The company will designate specific weeks throughout each quarter as ‘In-Person Collab Weeks’. During these designated periods, Infosys encourages employees involved in ENG-IoT projects to be physically present at their respective office campuses. This initiative aims to foster closer collaboration, improve communication, and potentially boost innovation within these project teams.

Infosys acknowledges mixed employee responses to the existing 10-day work-from-office rule. However, the company emphasises the importance of in-person interaction for specific project phases. They believe that physical presence during these ‘Collab Weeks’ will enable more effective brainstorming, problem-solving, and knowledge sharing.

While a specific number of participating employees is yet to be confirmed, Infosys plans to roll out a minimum of six ‘In-Person Collab Weeks’ per quarter, starting from April 2024. The company offers flexibility during these weeks, allowing employees to choose the specific days they work from the office. This caters to individual preferences and project requirements.

This initiative aligns with Infosys’ broader strategy of leveraging a hybrid work model to optimise productivity and teamwork. It comes at a time when the global IT industry, including Infosys, is experiencing a slowdown due to macroeconomic concerns impacting customer spending. By fostering closer collaboration through ‘In-Person Collab Weeks’, Infosys aims to drive innovation and maintain its competitive edge.

Infosys’ recent restructuring under Vikas Gupta incorporated generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) into its delivery and consulting functions. The company actively invests in Gen AI, with over 90 ongoing programs and a focus on employee training in this domain. This focus on AI, coupled with the ‘In-Person Collab Weeks’ initiative, highlights Infosys’ commitment to staying at the forefront of the evolving technological landscape.

Overall, Infosys’ ‘In-Person Collab Weeks’ represent a strategic effort to merge the benefits of physical and digital work environments. By promoting in-person interaction during crucial project phases, Infosys seeks to strengthen collaboration, innovation, and ultimately, its business growth.

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Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s office formally announced the decision, acknowledging the domestic responsibilities and challenges faced by women in government service. This initiative builds on Odisha’s legacy of progressive gender policies, having been the first state in India to introduce a 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs during the 1990s.

This announcement comes alongside recent measures to improve leave allowances for other employee groups. The state government previously extended 15 days of casual leave to employees in non-government-aided educational institutions. Additionally, women block grant employees were granted 180 days of paid maternity leave for up to two live births.

These policy changes demonstrate the Odisha government’s commitment to supporting its workforce and fostering a more inclusive work environment, particularly for women juggling professional and personal commitments.

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One of the key demands of the unions during negotiations was a five-day work week, mirroring the current schedule of government offices, the Reserve Bank of India, and the Life Insurance Corporation of India. Following approval by IBA and unions in November, the proposal was sent to the Finance Ministry for consideration.

According to reports, the government, while supportive of the idea, was waiting for the ‘opportune time’ to announce the change. The current context appears to be that opportune time, with the model code of conduct for upcoming Lok Sabha elections looming.

Currently, public and private sector banks operate on a six-day schedule, with the first and third Saturdays designated as working days. If the proposal is approved, all Saturdays will be considered official holidays under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.

This change will affect roughly 1.54 million employees across various categories, including public and private sector banks, payment banks, and small finance banks. Additionally, it will impact approximately 95,000 employees working in Regional Rural Banks.

The potential implementation of a 5-day work week marks a significant shift for the banking sector and represents a successful negotiation between unions and the government. This move not only improves work-life balance for employees but could also potentially enhance efficiency and productivity within the banking system.

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The announcement echoes wider industry trends. TCS has granted employees a deadline of March end to return to office, citing concerns about cyber security and upholding company culture. Wipro has also adopted a hybrid model, pushing for increased office presence despite employee resistance.

Employees in the tech space express concerns about the abruptness of the mandate of work from office, lack of flexibility, and potential impact on personal lives. They argue that remote work has proven productive and question the justifications for mandatory office attendance. Some also raised concerns about increased commute times and associated costs.

While the long-term implications of these mandates remain unclear, they ignite crucial discussions about the future of work and the balance between employee preferences, organisational needs, and industry trends. HCLTech, TCS, and Wipro’s decisions will be closely watched, potentially influencing the broader IT landscape in the coming months.

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TCS emphasises that adherence to the return-to-office policy will be a crucial factor in determining employee performance and eligibility for promotions and pay raises. This applies not only to seasoned employees but also to freshers who have completed assigned courses and are eligible for higher salaries beyond their standard Rs 3 lakh annual compensation. Unit heads have been instructed to base performance evaluations and subsequent grading, crucial for promotions, on an employee’s track record of physical office presence.

The company’s stance aligns with a growing trend in the Indian IT sector, with Infosys and Wipro also implementing mandatory hybrid work models requiring employees to be physically present in the office for a minimum of three days per week. While some employees are willing to forego city allowances for increased flexibility, others remain apprehensive about the shift away from remote work arrangements.

TCS maintains that the return-to-office policy is essential for fostering collaboration, innovation, and team spirit. However, the move has sparked concerns about employee well-being, work-life balance, and the potential for increased commuting costs.

It remains to be seen how this policy shift will impact employee morale, productivity, and retention in the long run. While TCS emphasises the benefits of in-person collaboration, balancing these with employee preferences and concerns will be crucial in navigating this evolving work landscape.

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The score behind this trial starts with a discordant note: employee stress and burnout. Studies from international pilot programs whisper promises of reduced stress and resignations, potentially leading to a harmonious reduction in sick leave costs (a staggering €26 billion in 2023) and a potential crescendo of increased output. But can a shorter workweek truly be the key to unlocking this hidden potential?

Another compelling movement in the composition is work-life balance. By offering employees more time off the stage, Germany hopes to attract untapped talent and strike a more harmonious chord with those seeking a better balance between work and personal pursuits. This, in turn, could address the current labour shortage, enticing individuals who might shy away from a traditional five-day workweek.

The melody, however, isn’t without its own off-key notes. Measuring the true impact of a shorter week on productivity remains a challenge, as other factors can influence output. Additionally, spreading work over four days could increase costs for companies if the productivity gains don’t hit the right notes. Furthermore, not all industries are created equal; healthcare and transportation, for example, face inherent challenges in implementing a 4-day model due to their fixed service requirements. Finally, some economists warn that a rigid implementation across all industries could stifle economic growth, potentially throwing the entire performance off kilter.

Despite these discordant notes, the 4-day workweek trial serves as a valuable opportunity to gather data and experiment with a potentially transformative melody. The results could rewrite the score for future policies and pave the way for a more sustainable and harmonious work culture in Germany. Whether this experiment becomes a permanent fixture in the symphony of German work life remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Germany is ready to listen to a new tune, and the world will be watching with bated breath to see if it strikes the right balance between economic prosperity and employee well-being.

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Under the new policy, employees will receive three types of leaves: earned leaves, sick and wellness leaves, and casual leaves.

While earned leaves and sick leaves were present in the previous leave policy, casual leaves have been introduced now.

In the new policy, the number of earned leaves has been reduced from 24 to 18. Previously, earned leaves were labelled as vacation hours. However, the number of casual leaves and sick leaves has been increased from 7 to 12.

Furthermore, employees will now be allowed to carry forward 45 days of earned leave. Previously, the maximum number of earned leave days that an employee could carry forward was only 30.

The leave year will start from September 1 and end on August 31.

To avail earned leaves, employees must seek prior approval through email or any other mode of communication. Earned leaves will accrue on a pro-rata basis every fortnight. This means that, for 18 earned leaves in a given year, an employee will accrue 0.75 days of leave every fortnight.

For sick and casual leaves, employees are required to inform their manager through email or any other form of communication as reasonably practicable.

Additionally, employees will be permitted to take a maximum of two consecutive days of casual leave within a fortnight. Those who wish to take more than two days of casual leave will need to inform and obtain approval from their manager in advance.

The new leave policy also stipulates that unauthorised and unnotified leaves will be considered misconduct and may result in disciplinary actions.

The company has also specified that sick and casual leaves can be availed in terms of hours rather than full days.

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The message, “Warning!!! Your shift time is over. The office system will shut down in 10 mins. Please go home,” appears on the screen as a reminder.

Tanvi Khandelwal, an HR professional at the company, shared this initiative on her LinkedIn page, hailing it as a “fantastic” move towards boosting employee well-being and happiness. Khandelwal suggests that such a culture eliminates the need for “Monday Motivation” or “Fun Friday” activities to promote positivity.

Many LinkedIn users have praised this approach and suggested that other organizations follow suit. However, some individuals hold the opposing view that the mandatory shutdown could be counterproductive to an employee’s productivity, especially if they are unable to complete their work during the shift hours. They also argue that strict work hours could cause undue stress to employees and potentially damage their self-esteem.

According to some, the responsibility to achieve a work-life balance should be left to each individual, and strict enforcement of work hours could have more drawbacks than benefits.

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Speaking on the new leave policy, Sneha Arora, CHRO, Simpl, said, “We curated this new leave policy keeping employee centricity at the core. We are cognisant of the varied needs of a diverse workforce to take time-off from work. Hence, we have tried to make our leave policy as inclusive and flexible as possible. It allows people to take time-off when needed for emergencies, family occasions, personal milestones, or to just relax and rejuvenate.”

With a focus on inclusion for a diverse workforce, and in line with its B2C partner companies, Simpl made the following key changes to its leave policy:

The addition of menstrual leave demonstrates the company’s commitment to promoting inclusion for all employees.

The Adoption Leave is available to LGBTQ+ couples, setting a new benchmark in the industry.

They have also added Family Care Leaves to support employees in family emergencies and needs. In the event of a miscarriage, spouses or partners are also granted time off to offer support and care.

Simpl has placed a strong emphasis on providing leave for important milestones in an employee’s life, such as a wedding. 

Additionally, the one-tap checkout network has also introduced Pet Adoption and Pet Care Leaves, allowing employees to take time off to help their new pet settle into their home during the initial days of adoption, when active attention is often needed. These leaves can also be taken for pet care.

Speaking of the benefits of the new policies, Arora adds, “We have introduced menstrual leave to empower our female employees with the choice to take an additional day off, if they need to. We have revised the maternal and paternal leaves of all employees, which includes adoption and surrogacy. We also have wedding leaves and flexible holidays where employees can choose special occasions like their birthdays and  anniversaries and take time-off to celebrate them with their loved ones.

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“Balance is now available on the App Store! Work-life balance is extremely important, so I’m excited to launch an app focused on that.” Alexander Sandberg, a product-minded iOS and macOS developer who developed the app, tweeted. Sandberg developed the app and shared the news of its launch on Twitter.

The app includes a manual clocking system that helps workers mentally check in and out of work, regular break reminders, a focus timer for those who like the Pomodoro Technique, a time management method, and other features.

Sandberg said that the app is free to use, but there are some optional Pro features for those who get value from the app and want more.

He also stated that for the time being, the only Pro feature is a log that allows users to track and evaluate their sessions over time. He further mentions that he has plans to include more features like app/website blocking, goals, time categorisation, improved history, and much more; some of these will be available with Balance Pro.

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The Company believes that this move will not only help it attract more talent from all over the country, but also ensure that existing employees do not have to compromise on their work-life balance.

The main office in Hyderabad will remain open for the employees and will be the central point for the Company to execute its engagement strategies. Those who choose to work from the office have the option of working from this main office in Hyderabad and participate in engagement activities organised there.

“We have learned over the past 2.5 years that employees’ attitude towards work-life balance and work environments has shifted. They expect to emerge from the pandemic with options. Our New Way of Working, which centres around flexibility and choice, provides these options — such as the ability to permanently work from home — and shows that we have listened. We have no doubt that this move will support our employees, strengthen the trust in our culture, and benefit our entire business,” shares Angie Allen, SVP-HR, Asia.

Synchrony plans to open engagement hubs outside Hyderabad too, where people, who are working from home can participate in engagement activities and catch up with their fellow employees.

Additionally, the Company has also introduced various initiatives to support employees during the pandemic.

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That is not all, the Company has also increased the ‘all-purpose leave’.

These measures are a part of Adda247’s efforts to create a positive work environment that promotes employee welfare.

Admitting that employees are expected to be highly productive and agile in the edtech space, which is growing at a fast pace, Anil Nagar, founder & CEO, Adda247 said, “At Adda247, it is our constant endeavour to create an environment where our employees feel valued, supported and cared for. We are committed to building a healthy and inclusive culture for all employees, and the roll-out of the updated leave policy is a step in that direction”.

Neeti Kumar, vice president – HR, Adda247, hopes that these steps will “foster an employee- friendly culture where employees work towards a larger cause and derive work satisfaction”.

Kumar also mentioned how the Company has “renamed the HR function as ‘people enablers’ as that better justifies our objective.

Adda247 delivers online education in 10 vernacular languages, and has played a significant role in the learning journeys of over 50 million students beyond the Indian metros.

In 2021, the Company — founded by Anil Nagar and Saurabh Bansal— managed to raise about $20 million in a Series B funding round led by WestBridge Capital. It also acquired edtech platform, StudyIQ Education recently, to add strategic value to its offering in the UPSC and State PSC segment

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Chesky has explained to his employees that “the world is becoming more flexible about where people can work” and “we wouldn’t have recovered so quickly from the pandemic had it not been for millions of people working from Airbnbs”.

He admits that Airbnb does not want to “limit our talent pool to a commuting radius around our offices” because after all, “the best people live everywhere, not concentrated in one area”. Airbnb clearly intends to recruit “from a diverse set of communities” to become “a more diverse company”.

He goes on to say that he has complete trust in his employees and “flexibility only works when you trust the people on your team”. Since the employees have “shown how much you can accomplish remotely,” in the past two years, “it’s clear that flexibility works for Airbnb”.

However, he admits that in-person collaboration is also missed, and that connections cannot be maintained well virtually alone. Therefore, the Company has come up with a new way of working.

The majority of the employees will have the flexibility to work from anywhere, office or home, wherever they feel they are most productive. Only a few will be required to be physically present to discharge their core functions.

Chesky informed the employees that with effect from June, Airbnb will have “single pay tiers by country for both salary and equity”. That means, those whose salaries were set basis a lower location-based pay tier, may even get a hike! All the employees will need to do is “talk to your managers about performance and time zone expectations, as well as your availability for team gatherings”. Chesky clarified that “permanent international moves are much more complex, so we won’t be able to support those this year”.

Come September, and employees of Airbnb “can live and work in over 170 countries for up to 90 days a year in each location”. They will only need a permanent address for tax and payroll purposes.

Airbnb will prioritise “meaningful in-person gatherings that will happen throughout the year”. The Ground Control team “is planning some special social events so you’ll still have opportunities to spend time together”, possibly every quarter, says Chesky in his mail.

“The backbone of how we operate will continue to be our single company calendar with our multi-year roadmap,” clarifies Chesky, which will be centred around and aligned with “two major product releases each year” one in May and one in November. Coordination will be ensured “by primarily operating on Pacific Standard Time in the US”. Employees outside of the US will continue to follow their current schedule.

Interestingly, last year, 20 per cent of Airbnb’s nights were booked for long stays of over a month, while 50 per cent bookings were for stays that were more than a week long.

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With around 55,000 employees in its US at the moment, this decision will benefit a considerable chunk of its team.

According to Yolanda Seals-Coffield, deputy people leader, PwC, the firm is the first in the industry to implement full-time virtual work for client services employees. The HR at PwC’s and legal operations team already had the liberty to opt for full-time virtual work.

In a memo to its employees, PwC states that new policy is aimed to attract and retain talent, even while promoting diversity.

However, the announcement does have an asterisk to it. The employees who opt for virtual or remote working from a lower- cost location will have to take home decreased pay. Such remote workers will also be required to report to office three times a month for in-person client appointments, team meetings and virtual sessions. The Company intends to use its office spaces differently and in more collaborative ways. Further, in teams where people choose to be in office regularly, complete remote operation will not be accepted.

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Amit Prakash, CHRO, Marico, says that the hybrid model has been introduced with an aim “to appeal to the sensibilities and preferences of the new-age professionals while delivering on the business needs. With this development, we will be equipped to not only attract talent from across geographies but also mitigate attrition by retaining members who choose to leave due to locational constraints.”

The objective is to offer a work model that will provide the benefits of work from home as well as office to better manage work and family needs, even while delivering on business commitments. The move falls in line with its commitment to deliver a superlative talent value proposition (TVP), by ensuring higher satisfaction, engagement, and productivity for its employees through enhanced workplace flexibility.

The new policy will see employees being moved to a Work from Office on Roster (WFOR) system under which they can come to the office on a pre-decided frequency.

Over the next 12-18 months, all employees or members across grades, based on individual needs and roles, will be allowed to work from a location outside their ‘base location’.

This will not be a role-forward policy, but a member-forward request based on personal circumstances. Members can avail this option if their partner’s work location is based out of Marico’s base location and if an immediate family member is in need of immediate medical attention for an extended duration. On the basis of the life stage of the member, other circumstances of special situations may also be discussed with the managers and approval sought from the respective CXO and CHRO on a case-to-case basis.

Changes will be made to the office infrastructure, to ensure optimal space utilisation and seamless work. A ‘hot desking’ area will also be set aside for members coming out of turn. Such members can book the space in advance through the Company’s proprietary Hot Desking app. Laptops have already been provided to all members. The Company has enforced stronger cybersecurity measures, implemented an organisation data classification framework, launched new internet policy, and also introduced an MS Productivity tool to facilitate members’ work routines.

Marico will conduct periodic Glint Engagement Surveys to take feedback from staff regarding the hybrid experience. It will also hold discussions with smaller groups to identify opportunities for improving engagement and productivity.

Marico, which is known for its Saffola and Parachute brands, is amongst India’s leading consumer products companies, in the global beauty and wellness space.

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“It’s all about keeping standards of execution high, while still putting the team’s health and well-being first. Being a young company with young people, we can experiment with anything possible to ensure the team members’ work-life balance. We recognise that it’s important for our leaders to set an example for the rest of their team by walking the talk,” says Trishneet Arora, chief executive officer & founder, TAC Security.

The Company will work on having a completely automated process to ensure maximum productivity in the stipulated time. This will also ensure that the employees do not reach out to colleagues outside of work hours, letting everyone have time to detox completely.

To fit the ‘future of work’, TAC will also be reimagining its global work days’ policy. Various added benefits extending beyond the office will be introduced. These include offering global relocation benefit, offsites and experts in every field to help employees ease their load to name a few.

Confident that this system will work, the HR manager, TAC Security, says, “We’re all creatures of habit and have got accustomed to the five-day work week pattern of working. Therefore, I recognise that the challenge is that it’ll take some time for us to get this new and innovative way of working just right.”

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Alternatively, the Company has also offered to provide a one-time home office setup allowance, in case the employees opt to work from home. The employees can also choose a standard device to work on, for which the Company will pay.

In addition, ImageKit is also offering its employees mental health breaks and company meet-ups. The staff also enjoy no fixed working hours and no-questions asked paid leave.

ImageKit realises that with a workforce comprises people from diverse backgrounds, carrying diverse ideas and working styles, it would not be fair to expect the same model to work for everyone. “With more people preferring to work from remote locations, we decided that it would be ideal to adopt a remote-friendly, flexible policy, and set up our internal processes around that,” says Rahul Nanwani, co-founder and CEO, ImageKit.

Besides, the Company is aware that change is always good, and employees do yearn to get out of their homes to work. That is why, they are allowed to choose their work model and enjoy maximum flexibility.

The five-year old startup co-founded by Manu Chaudhary, Rahul Nanwani and Somesh Khatkar, now caters to over 500 companies and 35,000 developers and businesses with the help of its 17-strong team.

The Company implements image optimisation and real-time resizing for aesthetic, experiential, frictionless delivery of images on the Web, for an enhanced experience. Amongst its well known clients are Nykaa, BigBAsket, BookMyShow, Noo, TravelOka and Weltbild.

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Sharing his perspective, Vinay Kumar Pyaraka, president of Hyderabad’s IT Employees Association, tells HRKatha, that even though the pandemic looks to have subsided at the moment, the threat of a third wave of infections still looms large.

According to him, “personal losses due to the pandemic have taken a heavy toll on people in the industry. Therefore, a significant portion of the employees are naturally concerned about the safety of their families, as reopening offices means risking exposure to infection.”

Issues with relocating back to the city and resuming operations are not restricted to employees alone. Owners of small-scale IT businesses in the city are not pleased with the idea of bringing back their employees to the city either. At this stage, if a decision to recall employees to the city is implemented, it may lead to the greater challenge of attrition, which could adversely affect business.

Sandeep, a core member of the Association, who owns a small-scale IT business in Hyderabad points out that the level of productivity has only gone up in the IT sector. The recent boom in hiring is only an indication of the same. The sector, even though operationally hit during the onset of the pandemic, made a quick recovery and stabilised within six months.

The biggest challenge being faced by the IT companies at the moment is attrition. Therefore, if the state government actually insists on ending work from home and recalling employees to Hyderabad, these companies will be in trouble. “Given the present condition of the job market, many who do not want to rejoin office will simply switch jobs,” he adds.

Neel, another core member, who also runs a business, pointed out that companies have invested a lot of time and effort in establishing a solid operational infrastructure for work from home, and therefore, a shift back will be rather inconvenient for them in many ways.

The State government’s perspective on the issue has been clear. In 2020, Hyderabad, which is one of India’s biggest tech hubs, housed around 6,00,000 IT employees working across 1,500 IT companies.

As the pandemic hit, a large part of the workforce, which was not native to the city, moved back to their hometowns as work-from-home became the new norm. This movement of the IT employees hit the informal sector of the city, which is, to a great extent, dependent on IT campuses for livelihood. Now, with the vaccination drive having picked up and the pandemic appearing to be under control, the State government is requesting the IT firms to recall their workforces to the city.

However, other than these requests, the State government has not given any clear directives to the companies on ending work from home and calling back their employees.

“We urge the managements of companies to start their offices in the IT corridor. We have ensured that over 90 per cent of the support staff and workers from the unorganised sector, who provide services to the IT sector in the city, were vaccinated,” is all that G Srinivasa Rao, director of public health (DPH), Telangana, said on September 13, according to Telangana Today.

Paneesh Rao, chief human resources officer, Mindtree, says that although the state government is not ‘demanding’ that companies bring employees back to office, he feels that a shift back to office culture would actually be beneficial.

“Having worked from home for almost two years, we have lost touch with the office routine and culture. The rhythm we once had is sort of gone,” he points out. Mindtree has left the decision of resuming work from office to its employees. While the Company is welcoming its employees to work from office, it is not ‘insisting’ that they should. “They have the choice to continue working from home,” he says. According to him, there has been no push from the government for companies to recall their employees immediately.

Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary, IT and Industries, Government of Telangana, has been campaigning for offices to reopen since July. He has been vocal in expressing his concerns over the frail economic condition that the informal sector has landed in, ever since the lockdown and migration of IT employees. As reported by New Indian Express, Ranjan expects all the companies to reopen by October, post Dussehra celebration.

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Presently, the employees are being allowed to work for four or four and a half days a week, to test how it improves their productivity and satisfaction levels.

The objective is to let employees strike a balance between work and life. Keeping the need for work-life balance in mind, Tulip’s ‘work-cation’ benefit allows employees to reduce their hours of work so that they can enjoy more vacation time.

Tulip, which has offices in Canada and Italy, took feedback from its employees regarding return to office too. The survey revealed that about 80 per cent of the workforce wished to continue with the work-from-home arrangement. However, almost the same number also expressed the desire to get together and interact with colleagues at least once a quarter. Therefore, the Company is sure that only a hybrid approach will work.

To make this happen, Tulip is working on the ‘hub cities’ concept, wherein it will try to open offices in areas where a significant number of its employees reside.

The Company is also open to helping employees who wish to shift to international locations, and is clear that it will not force any employee to come to office, irrespective of the location they are working from. It has already invested generously to facilitate remote working and ensure successful virtual team building.

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Vasanth Kamath, CEO and founder, smallcase, believes that “the type of company culture nurtured in the office plays an integral role in business success”. It takes several elements, in combination, to “create an intangible ecosystem where people can work to the best of their capabilities and creative skills”, says Kamath.

Realising that essential elements such as “value, ethics, expectations, goals, workflow, task management, collaboration, feedback, and time management have to come together to create a positive, productive ambience” where employees can perform their best, smallcase has taken this step to further its ‘employees first’ motto.

In August, smallcase — which is focused on building investment products and platforms that enable individual investors to participate in the capital markets — had announced a $40M Series C funding led by Faering Capital with participation from new investors, Amazon & Premji Invest, and existing investors including Sequoia Capital, Blume Ventures, Beenext, DSP Group, Arkam Ventures, WEH Ventures & HDFC Bank.

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This is not the first time that the Company has announced a day off on a Friday. In the past, during the second wave of COVID – 19, the Company took similar initiatives when it sensed the increasing stress levels amongst its employees. This is the third time that Godrej Housing Finance has declared a Friday off to allow a prolonged weekend to its workforce.

The pandemic has created turmoil in the lives of people, with many suffering personal loss. Therefore, the Company, recognising the mental and physical toll that the pandemic took on people, decided to allow its employees to stay away from work for three days, to relax and recharge before returning to work with renewed energy on Monday.

The overall purpose of these ‘switch-off’ days is solely to give employees a much-needed break from work, to unwind, especially since the boundary between personal and professional life has been blurred for most of late.

The HRBP team at GHF has a finger on the pulse of its employees and is in regular touch with them to take feedback on their health. It keeps a close watch on the stress levels of the employees, and whenever the onset of burnout is sensed, the Company announces a ‘switch-off day’ to allow the employees to pause.

“At Godrej Housing Finance, we aim to create a culture where taking breaks is normal. Thus, we will continue to announce ‘switch-off’ days from time to time”

Ruhie Pande, CHRO, Godrej Housing Finance

The organisation encourages all employees to spend such extended weekends with their kids, partners and other family members and truly enjoy the day off, while following all COVID-19 protocols set by the state government. The idea is to allow employees the time to take care of their health, pursue their hobbies and spend quality time bonding with their family members.

During these breaks, GHF advises all employees not to engage in any work-related activities or schedule official calls or meetings. It asks them to refrain from responding to any official mails till Monday.

Pande shares that the Company has observed that after such extended breaks, employees return to work with a lot more energy, as they get adequate time to recharge and unwind. “Switch-off days, is a great way for employees to get a complete downtime from their professional responsibilities,” she points out. After all, these extended breaks help them reduce stress by unwinding and spending quality time with family and friends, or using the opportunity to pursue their passions. “With these periodic breaks, we have observed employees coming back to work relaxed, rejuvenated and recharged,” shares Pande. She feels such breaks have “become essential, especially during the pandemic, when work-from-home has become a normal culture and the boundaries between work and leisure have blurred.” Besides, with other forms of relaxation such as vacations and outings having become impossible, “this initiative has certainly had a positive impact across the organisation,” shares Pande with HRKatha.

“Such breaks help employees to be more motivated and productive at work,” points out Pande. She explains that “studies have shown that employees who take adequate breaks are better equipped to be innovative and engaged. And as the adage goes, an engaged employee is a productive one!”

The decision to declare Friday an off and allow an extended weekend to employees was a collective decision taken by the HR team at GHF.

Pande also assures that such day-offs and extended weekends will not remain a one-off activity, and that GHF will continue to announce such pauses periodically from time to time. “At Godrej Housing Finance, we aim to create a culture where taking breaks is normal. Thus, we will continue to announce ‘switch-off’ days from time to time,” reveals Pande.

The Company has also re-launched its Employee Assistance Programme or EAP, with some new offerings that cover the immediate dependents of employees as well. Additionally, GHF consistently encourages employees to make use of their privilege leaves.

As of now, GHF is working on a hybrid model with employees coming to the office on rotation and the field sales team working as per their regular routine.

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The CUSP programme will act as a guide to support and help new parents, managers, and HR colleagues for the journey ahead through policies, benefits and comprehensive handbooks. These handbooks will guide all managers and the HR team at Tata Consumer Products to demonstrate behaviours which are apt at different timelines of the parenthood stage.

Talking to HRKatha, Amit Chincholikar, global CHRO, Tata Consumer Products reveals that the ‘CUSP’ programme is something which is designed with updated feedbacks from the employees. He also mentions that ‘CUSP’ is the brainchild of Ruma Rao, vice president, employee engagement, DI and business excellence, Tata Consumer Products.

“CUSP has been designed from the heart of the HR team at Tata Consumer Products,” says Chincholikar.

“Now taking time off from work during parenthood phase of your life almost become like a mandate for all employees at Tata Consumer Products and their managers will also encourage them to do so”

Ruma Rao, Vice President, Employee Engagement, DI and Business Excellence, Tata Consumer Products

“Earlier, we had policies such as maternity leave, but based on inputs from employees, we have added new benefits as part of the CUSP programme — something like a handbook where timelines are created as guidelines for managers and the HR team; counselling sessions for better transition; or  keep-in-touch days for better connect,” shares Rao.

Under the CUSP programme, there are multiple offerings or benefits that new parents can enjoy at Tata Consumer Products. Day-care facilities are available for employees through the Company’s tie-ups with other day-care providers. Employees will also be reimbursed for any day-care services they opt for outside.

Under the special benefits for women employees, mothers are allowed to work from home or follow flexible and reduced working hours once they join back from maternity leave. During the last trimester, the Company will also provide transportation services to expecting mothers through pick up and drop facilities or they will be reimbursed their commuting expenses.

Also during the period of transition, new mothers will be provided a buddy, such as a confidante to lend them support through this phase. During the leave, if employees want to stay in touch with their managers during the leave period, they can do so with ‘keep-in-touch’ days. “Women employees on a long maternity leave may sometimes feel isolated and disconnected from their teams or may want to catch up on work and find out how everything is going. The keep-in-touch days are meant for such women and new mothers as  well as their managers so that they do not lose touch,” clarifies Chincholikar.

Apart from that, counselling services or sessions are also available for new parents to help them clear their doubts, seek professional guidance through the transition and provide a smooth and happy parenthood journey to them. This will also help the new parents at Tata Consumer Products to achieve better work-life balance.

The Company is also providing a nursing lounge for mothers at their Bengaluru and Kolkata offices, and other locations, wherever it is required.

“CUSP has been designed from the heart of the HR team at Tata Consumer products”

Amit Chincholikar, global CHRO, Tata Consumer Products

Apart from ensuring work-life balance while employees move into another phase of their lives, the internal communication and messages pertaining to this programme revolved around spreading an awareness amongst people that parenthood is precious and such joy-giving moments do not come frequently in life. It is better to use the opportunity to spend as much time with one’s partner and child and enjoy the moment to the fullest. Like Chincholikar points out, it is typical of men to think that it the mother is the only primary caregiver for the child. Men need to understand their role as fathers on becoming a parent. “This is why, CUSP ensures that fathers also get time to give undivided attention to their new borns as well as their partners during these days. Earlier, it was treated as a matter of ‘compliance’, but now the mindset has to change to ‘commitment’ when it comes to availing these benefits,” shares Chincholikar.

Rao adds, “In fact, now taking time off from work during the parenthood phase of life has almost become a mandate for all employees at Tata Consumer Products, with their managers also encouraging them to do so.”

The policy is applicable to all employees of Tata Consumer Products in India.

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This decision is based on the data pertaining to COVID-related cases. The organisation will keep a watch on the number of cases and the situation across the US, and then decide on calling employees back to office. The Company is clear about employee safety being its priority.

Facebook is not the only company to delay return to office. Google, Twitter, Microsoft, Amazon and many others have delayed calling their employees back to office. Most companies in the US are mandating that employees produce proof of vaccination if they wish to return to office. Others have told employees who are unwilling to get vaccinated, to submit to weekly testing at the office.

Some offices have gone ahead and allowed employees to work from home forever. LinkedIn, for instance, is offering immense flexibility to its 16,000-strong workforce. Employees can choose to work remotely full time, or embrace a hybrid model, by coming in to office part time, whichever they wish.

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The applications or requests that were not approved were mainly from those employees whose nature of work requires them to use specific equipment or involves personal interaction with customers as reported by Bloomberg.

Earlier, Google’s hybrid work proposal had resulted in a lot of disgruntlement amongst its employees most of whom were not in favour of the same. In fact, a good 75 per cent preferred to work from home rather than return to office. With a senior Google executive being granted his request to relocate to New Zealand and work remotely for a year, employees felt the policy was not fair or evenly applied, especially because the said executive himself had been against remote working in the past.

The tech giant recently extended its return to office plan by a month, in the face of the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19. It has now mandated that Googlers get themselves inoculated before returning to office. All staff members will have to produce a proof of vaccination to enter the workplace. While this policy is being rolled out in the US presently, it will soon be applicable to Google offices the world over, depending on the local situation and availability of vaccines across regions.

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To accomplish this kind of flexibility, the Company has tied up with partners in Delhi and Gurgaon. Employees can book their slots using a mobile application and start working from co-working spaces. Pernod Ricard has resumed its offices at all locations but has given its employees the flexibility to work from anywhere so that they can avoid the fatigue arising from long commutes and also save on commute time.

As of now, the Company has only allowed 25 per cent of its employees to return to office at each location. This capacity will be gradually increased depending on the COVID situation. Presently, only the employees who are vaccinated are allowed to avail the co-working space facility. Of course, those who wish to work from home are allowed to do so.

According to Shrikant Lonikar, CHRO, Pernod Ricard India, the hybrid model will provide employees the flexibility and convenience required to deal with the challenges that come with the work-from-home model, and also give them a chance to escape the monotony, relax and also increase their efficiency.

The Company realises that too much of remote working is impacting the mental wellbeing of its employees and employees are missing real-time conversations with colleagues. Therefore, to ensure the mental well-being of its employees, the Company has initiated a movement called digital fasting on alternate Wednesdays of the month. On these days there are no calls, meetings or mails before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. There are dedicated Lunch hours between 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. daily with no interruptions in the form of meetings or calls.

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A US-based survey conducted by Blind, which sampled 3,000 employees from top-tier companies, including Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, found that employees prefer to permanently work from home than get a $30,000-a-year-raise. A good 64 per cent of the respondents said they would prefer to continue operating from home.

“It could be reasoned that working from office would be better for their future subroles or promotions. Their daily productivity may also be linked to the annual increment. Hence, their output, which is better from office, will dictate their career growth, promotions and annual increments”

Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power

Motivate employees with incentives

The onus of motivating employees to return to office may lie with the company itself. Along this line, a Japanese manufacturing company, Disco Corp., set up a system by which those working remotely deposit a certain amount of their salary into a fund, which gets divided amongst the employees who come in to work from their office.

In India, some smaller companies are reportedly offering their employees salary hikes to return to their pre-pandemic workspace. In order to understand whether such a monetary incentivisation could work for a larger organisation, HRKatha contacted Pankaj Lochan, CHRO, Jindal Steel and Power.

Lochan, who oversees a workforce of about 39,000, believes that such a strategy will not be sustainable for a company of such a size. He, however, suggests that employees can be reasoned to return to office by the company if their output or productivity is significantly better while operating from the physical office. “It could be reasoned that working from office would be better for their future subroles or promotions. Their daily productivity may also be linked to the annual increment. Hence, their output, which is better from office, will dictate their career growth, promotions and annual increments,” he says.

“For Emami Agrotech, being a very hardcore FMCG, production-driven operation, we weren’t considering work from home as a continued policy. Now, however, we have been able to develop a sound mechanism. Hence, we put out a policy for permanent work from home for certain identified roles, where output isn’t compromised”

Maneesha Jha Thakur, president-HR, Emami

For Lochan, managing employees while working from home isn’t really an option, since Jindal Steel is a manufacturing company. For companies where it is a factor, he suggests that annual increments could be made to vary upon the employee’s preference. For instance, if employees opt to work from home, and hence their net output is reduced, their appraisal would be in the five per cent bracket. Those who work from office, could get an appraisal in the 10 per cent bracket.

Any shift has to be gradual

For Maneesha Jha Thakur, president-HR, Emami, working remotely after the pandemic wasn’t a policy change that the Company’s agrotech initiative was considering to continue. However, since the mechanism for remote work was smoothened over the last year or so, they have decided to move forward with it. “For Emami Agrotech, being a very hardcore FMCG, production-driven operation, we weren’t considering work from home as a continued policy. Now, however, since a year has passed, we have been able to develop a sound mechanism. Hence, we put out a policy for permanent work from home for certain identified roles, where output isn’t compromised,” she says. However, she believes that the shift to remote operation has to be gradual for a company. Hence, working from office once or twice a week is something that Emami is considering to do as part of the transition.

Employees have welcomed the hybrid approach and feel motivated by the work-life balance, convenience in terms of commute as well as face to face connect with colleagues it provides, Jha suggest.

Take away things from people who work from home. Roles have specific requirements. Discovering the potential of working from home.

“People who are not in favour of rejoining office and prefer to continue remote work will have two options, to change their role within the company, or seek a job in another company”

Abhijit Bhaduri, HR leader & author, Dreamers & Unicorn

Talent will find its own space

Abhijit Bhaduri, HR leader & author, Dreamers & Unicorn believes that the process of reopening will lead to a major rejig. People who are not in favour of rejoining office and prefer to continue remote work will have two options, to change their role within the company, or seek a job in another company. In other words, talent will find its own space. Therefore, a reshuffle is inevitable.

“Suppose I move to a remote location, or for personal reasons am unable to work from office — I’d have to figure out ways to manage my work remotely and still deliver. If my employer feels that work can’t be done remotely, I’d have to look for an organisation, which allows me to work from home. So, I’d have to change the role or the employer in order to continue working remotely,” he explains.

Companies can, however, look at increasing the salary of employees for office work, if the differential to find and train a replacement for the employee is high.

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This arrangement will result in cost saving as facility expenses will be reduced drastically. However, the Company will invest significantly on technology to enable remote work and ensure that all its 75,000 employees are able to connect seamlessly and collaborate, irrespective of their location, without fearing any security breach.

The Company is reportedly planning to turn its physical office spaces into centres of collaboration, which the employees can access whenever required for team activities or important meetings. Apparently, many employees of Cisco have worked remotely for years, even before the pandemic struck. About 63 per cent of Cisco staff worked from its physical offices for three to five days a week.

A significant 77 per cent of Cisco employees had made it clear in an internal survey that they preferred remote working. In fact, they preferred to work outside their offices for three to five days a week.

Post the pandemic-induced lockdown, Cisco India’s 12,500 employees began working from home. Its workforce was restricted to around 10 major cities before the lockdown. Post the pandemic, the workforce spread over 300 cities across India.

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The tech major expects to inoculate its entire workforce this quarter. Only about 74 per cent have been vaccinated right now, but soon 100 per cent will be.

Most companies in the IT sector are seriously working on their ‘return to office’ plans, taking into account the pandemic situation and the vaccination status of their employees.

By the end of the June quarter, HCL had 1,76,499 employees. It had added about 7,522 people and posted an attrition of 11.8 per cent. While the Company had taken on about 14,600 freshers last year, it is looking at onboarding at least 20,000 freshers this financial year. In the second quarter itself it hopes to onboard 6,000 fresh graduates.

Two days ago, 76-year old Shiv Nadar, chief strategy officer and managing director,HCL, resigned from the post of MD. He will continue to lend his advice and support as chairman emeritus and strategic advisor to the board for five years.

In July 2020, Nadar had resigned from the post of chairman, letting his daughter, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, take over. She thus, became the woman to chair a listed Indian information technology company.

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Earlier, Google had announced that it planned to have its staff working from office for at least three days a week, starting September. The Company envisioned 20 per cent of the staff working remotely, and another 20 per cent from new locations, with their salaries being adjusted as per the cost of living of the new locations and local market.

While the Company is still finalising the ‘return to office’ plans, employees seem to be anxious about transfers and pay cuts. In addition, there is an overall uncertainty and confusion in the air.

Staff became even more frustrated when a senior vice president revealed his plan to relocate to New Zealand to work remotely for one year. Interestingly, this senior executive was the one who was against remote working for those below a certain rank. However, although the Company had come out saying that he actually supported remote work and his move to New Zealand had been officially approved earlier, but simply delayed owing to the pandemic.

With reports of most professionals preferring to quit their jobs rather than return to working from office, it remains to be seen how Google’s ‘return to office’ strategy plays out.

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Now to achieve that, an ideal workweek has to be deliberated upon by each company, and on a broader scale, each country. Productivity is directly correlated to an employee’s stress levels. Hence, working long hours for days on end may prove to be detrimental to their physical as well as mental health. The key task of identifying the ideal number of workdays per week can lead a company to not only enhance its productivity, but also increase its attractiveness to the top talent of the industry.

“India is not ready for a four-day workweek considering the kind of challenges, work style, and the thought process of the employers, other than the MNCs predominantly. Indian companies cannot afford to have so many days off”

Adil Malia, chief executive, The Firm

Countries, such as Japan and Iceland have recommended that companies permit their staff to opt for a four-day workweek. Iceland made the decision after the national government, in association with its capital, Reykjavik’s City Council, found that productivity levels rose or remained the same when working hours were cut short for a sample population of 2500 people working in the city.

Challenges for the Indian market are altogether different. Gauging the ideal Indian workweek, which has been badly affected by the pandemic, is a task best left to people working in the field.

Adil Malia, chief executive, The Firm, feels, “India is not ready for a four-day workweek considering the kind of challenges, work style, and the thought process of the employers, other than the MNCs predominantly. Indian companies cannot afford to have so many days off.”

The change in operations, brought on by the pandemic, is also highly significant when talking about work-life balance. The adoption of the hybrid model has shown us a new and better approach to develop work timings.

“The biological clock matters a lot. Some people are very engaged in the morning. It’s not about clocking in 9-6. It’s about figuring out how one can complete the task of the day, and when exactly one is most productive”

Bidisha Banerjee, global group vice president, learning culture and employer branding, Welspun Group

“In my opinion, 5 days is the best workweek because most companies are still not on a 5-day workweek. In the current situation, the best would be three days of working from office and two days of working from home. The days on which the employees work from home and office must be predetermined by their respective departments,” Malia suggests.

The hybrid model of work has resulted in a more output-oriented evaluation of employees by their companies. “This change must be welcomed,” says Malia.

“Compensation is an outcome of value. That is why, one has to evaluate the role one plays. How many hours one puts in has no relevance to the compensation. Output is not correlated with the number of hours put in. Unfortunately, Indian mindsets are still stuck in the Mohendojaro style of working, where number of hours decided the level of diligence and loyalty,” he explains.

The ‘work from anywhere’ concept has also introduced a better work-life balance for many employees, since it gives them a greater leverage over their work tasks.

Bidisha Banerjee, global group vice president, learning culture and employer branding, Welspun Group, explains that the hybrid, work-from- anywhere concept is here to stay. “I think it has made us understand our body clock and also appreciate the fact that work is not equivalent to the number of static hours of just being present,” she says. Emphasising on how one can pay better attention to the way one’s system operates, she further explains that individuals can themselves optimise their day by identifying the times during which they are the most productive.

“The biological clock matters a lot. Some people are very engaged in the morning. It’s not about clocking in 9-6. It’s about figuring out how one can complete the task of the day, and when exactly one is most productive. With ‘work-from-anywhere’, one can complete one’s work, spend time with family or watch a movie, all in the span of the12 hours that one is awake,” Banerjee explains.

She also believes that five days of work per week is ideal, but companies should consider a reduction in the number of daily meetings. She suggests that a ‘silent day’, where employees can work and reflect, can be a valuable incorporation to the operation of a company, given that it can reduce stress levels and give employees some time to reflect on their own output.

Jacob Jacob, GCHRO, Malabar Group, also agrees on adopting an output-centric rather than a time-bound approach to work. He feels that the changes brought in by the pandemic will lead to shedding of the conventional working mechanism and adoption of a more output-focused paradigm moving forward. “In India, with the current situation, I don’t think we need to be bound by conventional norms. It should be more about the ways of managing work in a hybrid environment today, where it is output that matters. As long as one is able to achieve one’s output on any of the other days, I think one should be given the flexibility to manage one’s time accordingly,” he says.

“In India, with the current situation, I don’t think we need to be bound by conventional norms. It should be more about the ways of managing work in a hybrid environment today, where it is output that matters”

Jacob Jacob, GCHRO, Malabar Group

“As long as work is being done, give the employees flexibility and freedom. Evaluate employees on the basis of their contribution and their performance. Given the way the pandemic pushed companies to move towards digital and work from home, I think, going forward, it has to be driven by employees’ contribution and potential,” Jacob continues.

He also feels that although remote operation has brought in a positive change, office work is also crucial for employees to maintain an even keel. “Employees need to check in to offices because the fabric of the Indian mentality requires those water-cooler conversations and discussions over coffee, etc,” he points out.

Leaders must respect employees’ personal time

Although remote operation coupled with work-from-office has brought about a positive change in the lives of many employees, it is the job of the leaders to make it better by respecting the personal time of their employees. The hybrid work model can only aid in better work-life balance for the employees if their leaders ensure that their time is valued. “Organisations and leaders who have shown the maturity to understand when and when not to disturb their employees, have certainly managed to add immense value and even positively change the way life will look like in the future.

Leadership, where the personal time of employees is not considered, will disengage the employees,” Adil Malia says.

In conclusion, even though the manner of operation has changed for most companies — quite dramatically for some — over the last year, it has only introduced a better and more productive path. For an Indian setting, most agree that working for five days a week is ideal and optimal. Not only does it ensure output for the company, but the two days off are sufficient for employees to manage their personal lives as well. However, with the hybrid work model, better work-life balance can be attained only if the employees are able to manage their time judiciously.

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There is confidence among employers, as well as authorities that after having successfully handled two waves of the pandemic, the state is ready and well equipped to handle any crisis, if the need arises, and therefore, it is time to return to office.

This comes as a big relief for many small businesses that are dependent on the IT sector for their income, such as cabs, food outlets and security agencies, among others that have been incurring losses ever since the work from home model was adopted.

Not all companies can afford to have all their employees working from home, as it requires relevant facilities and technological support 24×7. Additionally, over a year of working from home is making professionals seek social interaction.

Some multinationals are still undecided whether to reopen before each one of their employees is fully vaccinated, that is, with the second dose of the vaccine. Some feel it is safer to continue with remote work till the number of positive cases falls further.

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The employees of the tech multinational feel that with this return to work policy, which they will be required to follow with effect from September, will force them to choose between all that they had gained from remote working and quitting the Company for good, like many of their colleagues had already done.

Many employees have come together to oppose the return to office policy, and written to the leaders of the Company requesting for more flexibility in the proposed hybrid approach.

Apple, however, maintains that its work culture is built on collaboration and personal interaction, which is very significant to the firm’s future.

The Company has responded to the employees’ letter by saying that those who wish for a permanent work-from-home arrangement will have to obtain a formal approval from the senior executives directly.

At least 80 employees have put their names to the letter, which is one of the rare forms of revolt witnessed by the Company.

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Earlier, the Company’s return-to-office policy expected employees to spend at least three days a week in office and the rest working from anywhere, starting September 2021. However, now it has made the policy even more flexible, requiring employees to spend at least half their time in office.

The American ride-hailing company, decided to revamp its policy after it saw discontentment amongst the workforce. With this move, Uber becomes one of the many tech companies that have decided to let their employees spend more time working remotely.

Like most organisations worldwide, Uber has also come to realise that a significant amount of work can be managed virtually, even though the physical interaction at the physical workplace is missed. Therefore, the Company will not be rigid about employees achieving their weekly 50 per cent target. Also, employees may work from any office closest to their present location. However, this arrangement is likely to affect the compensation, depending on the location.

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In 2019, Microsoft in Japan had experimented with a shorter work week and discovered that it led to a 40 per cent increase in productivity. Conversations around shorter work weeks have been going on for some time, but only in the margins. The fact that Japan has taken it into account in its national policy is a very positive sign, considering the country has been known for its strict work culture and workaholic population. In fact, Japanese professionals are notorious for putting in about 100 hours of overtime for prolonged periods.

According to the new policy, an extra day off from work will allow employees leisure time and ensure work-life balance, which will have a positive effect on their well-being. This, in turn, will improve productivity and work in favour of the economy.

A shorter work week, it is hoped, will help retain good performers who may otherwise think of quitting to be able to spend time with family.

This will also improve the birth rate in the country, which has been plunging at an alarming rate. It is hoped that with shorter work weeks, the youth will be able to spare more time to think about marriage and starting a family.

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Tata Consultancy Services sees more women joining the workforce with the implementation of the hybrid model of work, as more work gets done beyond the office. While the physical offices will be retained to serve as critical centres, TCS does not expect a 100 per cent work-from-office situation any time soon. However, it seems that most of the employees at TCS are in favour of returning to office, and therefore, TCS has come up with the plan to implement a third option — satellite offices. This is an extension of the hybrid work model, where, in addition to working from home and from the office, there would be a third option to work from a satellite office.

This, the Company hopes, will make the workplace more diverse and will encourage more women to comfortably take up full-time jobs. In the longer run, the GDP will also grow and the economy of the country will get a boost.

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The accounting firm has not made it mandatory for employees to work from office for any specific or fixed number of days. So, staff members have the option of not going to office at all if they so desire, and continue to work from home for good, as long as they are able to serve the needs of their clients.

The Company has come to realise that it is possible to trust the employees and have faith in their decision-making. Deloitte is sure that the employees will be able to achieve work-life balance with this power to choose when to work, where to work from and how much to work.

An internal survey undertaken by Deloitte had revealed that 96 per cent of its employees were keen to enjoy the liberty to choose their work pattern or model, while 81 per cent were looking forward to working from office for up to two days in a week. A significant 86 per cent of the employees ranked ‘collaborating with team colleagues’ and ‘interacting with others’ in the top three ways in which they were desirous of using their office workspace in the future.

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The Bank is considering implementing an operating model which will involve remote working options for specific roles and hybrid working for others. The Bank has come to realise the need to digitally deliver banking services, which has led to its digitising a significant portion of its operations and services to better serve its customers.

It is rapidly moving towards paperless functioning. With relevant applications in place, mobile banking has become the norm for most customers. The Bank is confident that except for a couple of services which can be delivered well via the physical branches, the customers are increasingly taking to dealing and transacting via their phones. In its attempt to ready the Bank for the future, BoB will ensure an ideal mix of both physical and digital presence. In line with this goal, BoB has launched the ‘BOB NOWW’ (New Operating model and Ways of Working) initiative under which the branch network will be rightsized and customer touch points will be increased through digital formats.

The Bank is working to serve customers better with tailored offerings that are customer centric. The initiatives being considered to achieve this goal will also result in cost optimisation and facilitate growth by creating more value for all stakeholders. In addition, its ‘mobile first’ initiative focusses on making the mobile app the main interface with the customers.

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Employees have been informed that they are expected to work from the office thrice a week, and remotely up to two days in a week. The leaders will decide which of the employees will work from home and which ones will work from office. If employees from the corporate office do not wish to work from office thrice a week, they will be required to submit a special application to be excused. Some of the staff will be allowed to adhere to 100 per cent remote work for up to four weeks annually.

Earlier, Amazon had been keenly advocating return to office and had expected part of its workforce to return to office in the summer, and the remaining a couple of months later. However, the move had been criticised with most workers assuming that Amazon will, in all likelihood, do away with remote working altogether once restrictions are lifted, prompting the Company to alter its work policy.

Amazon has rolled out this new work policy maintaining that it is evolving with the times and learning to adapt with the changes that are occurring regularly owing to the pandemic. The Company maintains that it is trying to strike a balance between flexibility for its workforce and satisfaction for its customers.

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The organisation would prefer employees to be in office at least half the time, and encourages office visits for team building and bonding.

The social-media firm is planning to open its offices in the US to at least 50 per cent capacity in three months’ time, and by October, it hopes to reopen fully. All of this year, employees have the option to work for up to 20 business days from any location other than where they reside. In fact, by January 2022, employees from the 60,000-strong Facebook workforce can move from the US to Canada or from Europe, Africa and the Middle East to any location in the UK, if they so desire. Earlier, this option to relocate was only available to techies or those in recruitment.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook, has admitted that fears pertaining to productivity being adversely impacted by remote working have been put to rest in the past year and a half. In fact, some employees have been more productive than before. Studies have shown that employees would rather quit their jobs than return to working from office!

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By allowing nursing mothers to work from home, their health along with their babies’ can be safeguarded. This recommendation has been made in keeping with Section 5(5) of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017(the Act), which provides that wherever the nature of work being handled by a woman is such that she can do it from home, the employer may allow her to do so after availing of the maternity benefit for such period and on such conditions as the employer and the woman may mutually agree.

Not just during COVID, but allowing the flexibility to nursing mothers to work from home wherever the nature of work allows to do so, shall ensure that they continue to work without hassles and are not forced to quit the workforce. Therefore, if this provision is genuinely implemented it will enable more women to actively participate in the labour force. This kind of flexibility will ensure the good health of new mothers and their babies, and result in an overall healthy and happy workforce.

The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 protects the employment of women during the time of maternity and makes her eligible for a ‘maternity benefit’ – that is, full paid leave of 26 weeks – to take care of their infants. This Act is applicable to all establishments employing 10 or more employees.

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However this happiness didn’t last for long. Remote working turned out to be monotonous and people started missing their commute to office. For many, commute time was the ‘me’ time.

There are several other reasons why people miss their commute time, or rather why it is important.

Three very prominent benefits come to mind when we think of the commute time to office.

“It was like a personal time for people to carry out small activities to re-energise themselves and also broaden their horizons, which really helped them stay engaged at work.”

Jacob Jacob, group CHRO, Malabar Group

Switch on – switch off phenomenon

If we were to ask someone what they thought was the most challenging part of working from home, the most common answer would be, the inability to mentally draw a line between work and personal time. The commute time helped us create that line. When one dressed up and travelled to work, a ‘switch-on’ button seemed to get enabled automatically. It would turn on and the day would just begin. On the commute back home, the sense of having completed certain tasks made that switch turn off. The feeling of ‘Yes, my work is over, so let’s switch-off’ used to take over and help one unwind. However, now, that switch is gone, and as a result, many people are facing mental health problems.

Sharing one example, Kamal Vatnani, India leader – people & culture, Ensono, admits that sometimes he is tempted to respond to a mail or a call just after his morning exercise. At other times, he even skips a bath in the morning if there is work. In pre-COVID times, the commute helped him create a mental divide between work and home.

“There is an interesting change that I am noticing these days. Earlier people used to request for work-from-home to skip commuting to the office. But now, they are so mentally exhausted, they are requesting for working-from-office,” shares Vatnani.

“There is an interesting change that I am noticing these days. Earlier people used to request for work-from-home to skip commuting to the office. But now, they are so mentally exhausted, they are requesting for working-from-office.”

Kamal Vatnani, India leader – people & culture, Ensono

‘Me Time’

For many people, the commute to work was their personal time — the ‘me time’ they had to themselves. This time was used to listen to music, catch up on reading, tune in to the news, watch a movie or a show or simply take a power nap. That precious one- or two-hour long journey helped one recollect and reenergise oneself.

“It was like a personal time for people to carry out small activities to re-energise themselves and also broaden their horizons, which really helped them stay engaged at work,” says Jacob Jacob, group CHRO, Malabar Group.

Introspection

The commute was also a time when people could introspect and examine their own self to see how they could improve at their work. Serious thought was given to what had been said and what should have been said at a meeting; or different or better ways of doing the same routine task.

“Whether people are missing their commute time or not depends on which part of the country or city they are living in.I do agree that 80 to 90 per cent of employees will be missing office, but are they really missing their commute time? I personally don’t think so. I live in Bangalore and the city traffic is so bad that I feel blessed that I don’t have to commute to work every day.”

Jitender Panihar, CHRO, MoEngage

A global study found that managers and team leaders were more impacted by the elimination of the daily commute, more than the average employee. Ever since work-from-home became the norm, managers have been spending more time than usual on responding to mails, calls and messages.

What can be done?

“While it is next to impossible to replace the commute time, one can certainly block an hour or so for oneself in the entire day,” suggests Vatnani, who has factored this into his daily work schedule.

There is also another interesting side to this story. Jitender Panihar, CHRO, MoEngage, feels that whether people are missing their commute time or not depends on which part of the country or city they are living in. He and some other close friends at work, personally do not really miss their commute time. They are enjoying the flexibility to manage their work well.

“I do agree that 80 to 90 per cent of employees will be missing office, but are they really missing their commute time? I personally don’t think so. I live in Bangalore and the city traffic is so bad that I feel blessed that I don’t have to commute to work every day,” admits Panihar.

However, there are also stories from Mumbai, where people have made good friends while travelling to work on local trains. It was part of their social life.

All said and done, people do look forward to commuting to work once again. It keep them active, moving and in good health. Whether it impacted their productivity at work or not, is feed for another discussion.

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Despite the physical distance, staff of EGI were connected via the Company’s digital operating model, which also kept each one of them well engaged and allowed them access to all necessary work infrastructure. This resulted in smooth functioning and also provided the employees with a welcome workspace, which resulted in high productivity. This led the Company to come up with the WFA policy.

The new WFA policy, will allow all those employees whose physical presence is not required in office the flexibility and convenience to work from anywhere in India, even once offices begin to reopen.

Being cloud native, EGI has always had a digital operating model, making its “work-from-home” transition, extremely seamless. The company has established daily governance protocols to keep a check on employee and business health and ensured employee discipline through regular monitoring of business operations, via virtual mediums.

Melvin Gladstone, chief HR officer, Edelweiss General Insurance, believes that “WFA is an investment and commitment to employee happiness and well-being. With this flexible model, we have ensured that safety of our employees is not compromised, while work productivity is also maintained.”

Edelweiss General Insurance has also implemented many other Covid Care initiatives to support its employees. These including, 24×7 online teleconsultation with doctors to address any medical and health related concerns; counselling sessions with psychologists for employees to talk to experts and unburden themselves; webinars with medical experts to allay fears and address all questions on COVID-related topics; yoga and meditation sessions focusing on building immunity and reducing stress. To ensure that employees do not experience burnout, they will be given a break from meetings on the third Thursday of every month.

Additionally, 14 days of COVID care leave has also been introduced for employee who test positive or are taking care of affected family members. A vaccination drive will be organised to get all employees and their families inoculated in a phased manner. If required, employees will be given three months’ salary in advance as a financial support in case of any COVID-related emergencies.

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The majority of Fidelity International’s staff will have the flexibility to manage their own working pattern — flexibility in terms of where they work and when they work. Although some of the roles are location dependent or require pre-defined hours, driven by client needs, this new way of working will give employees as much flexibility as possible. However, the Company’s offices will remain important centres of community, collaboration, creativity and learning.

Anne Richards, CEO, Fidelity International, admits that over the last year, they have learned that they “can adapt brilliantly as individuals and as teams and run our business in a way that we never imagined possible.”

Richards shares that the “employees have told us that they value having more choice and flexibility with regard to where and when they work. They also want the opportunity to meet their colleagues, learn from their peers and be part of the buzz of the office. Based on this feedback, we will continue to evolve our office spaces to give all employees the chance to come together and help foster creativity and collaboration. “Satisfied employees leads to satisfied clients. Therefore, we believe this is a real and positive step change for our people, our clients and our business. It is also an iterative process and we will continue to listen, learn and build on our experience from the last year.”

Fidelity International offers investment solutions and services and retirement expertise to more than 2.5 million customers globally.

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The office environment is meant for people to spend time working, on a set agenda. The workplace is controlled and owned by the employees and the management. At home, on the other hand, things are different. Neither the employees nor the management have any control on the work schedule, because the home — which is the new workplace — is not owned by just one person, but a whole family — spouse, kids, parents. So, keeping oneself organised and focused, amidst the innumerable distractions of domestic life is quite a challenge.

That is not all. As industry experts point out, managers are not always very conscious of the personal space of the employees. So, all in all, as the majority feel, there is a very thin line between work and personal time, and that too is rapidly vanishing.

“I believe that the larger share of the responsibility will rest with the employees. In our organisation, for instance, we do not fix any log-in or log-out time and our employees also honour the practice with honesty. There will be many other organisations following a similar practice. It is the employees who need to be honest and organised.”

Ravi Kumar, head – HR, Roche Diabetes Care India

Who is responsible?

Who is to be blamed? Who is responsible for this disruption caused in our work–life balance? Is it the employees who are unable to organise themselves and be disciplined or is it the management that needs to structure and clearly define the working schedule for the employees, and make that line between personal life and work life thicker?

HR leaders unanimously agree that the responsibility to set things right should be shouldered by both employees and employers alike. But who should have the larger share of the responsibility?

“I believe that the larger share of the responsibility will rest with the employees. In our organisation, for instance, we do not fix any log-in or log-out time and our employees also honour the practice with honesty. There will be many other organisations following a similar practice. It is the employees who need to be honest and organised,” says Ravi Kumar, head – HR, Roche Diabetes Care India.

Striking a balance

According to Kumar, people have been unable to clearly set boundaries for official work and personal work. “Physically and mentally, people have not been able to divide their work time and personal time,” shares Kumar.

So, as per Kumar, employees need to create a balance between their work life and personal life and organise themselves in such a way that they stay productive and strike a balance.

“Employees need to be organised and disciplined to create a work-life balance. On the other hand, the managers also need to be very mindful of each and every employee’s personal time. The managers will need to structure the work schedule on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. This will help them keep everything on track and ensure business continuity.”

A senior HR leader from the engineering and manufacturing sector

On the other hand, Manish Majumdar, an HR consultant, also believes that the responsibility needs to be shared but the larger share needs to be managed by the employers and managers.

“In many companies I have observed that managers are rarely conscious about the personal time of their team members. Actually, this reduction of ‘commute time’ which employers keep referring to has become a curse for the employees. Managers think that employees are all at home and unable to go out anywhere, and therefore, can be called up any time. But this should not be the case,” mentions Majumdar.

Sensitising managers

In fact, Majumdar shares that, even companies who were very particular about not disturbing employees post working hours during pre-pandemic days, seem to have forgotten to follow the practice.

Majumdar opines that organisations should focus on training their managers to be conscious of people’s time and respect everyone’s personal space. On the other hand, he also believes that HR should focus on connecting with people, keeping a check on whether they are made to work extra hours and collect this data. They should then coach employees on how they can manage their time working from home, give them tips on developing workspaces within their houses and facilitate them with the required tools and technology for better productivity.

“In many companies I have observed that managers are rarely conscious about the personal time of their team members. Actually, this reduction of ‘commute time’ which employers keep referring to has become a curse for the employees. Managers think that employees are all at home and unable to go out anywhere, and therefore, can be called up any time. But this should not be the case.”

Manish Majumdar, HR consultant

One of the HR leaders from the engineering and manufacturing industry who did not wish to be named, agrees that the responsibility of creating the right balance between work and personal life needs to be shared by employees and employers both.

He believes that when one is working from home, one cannot work in peace all the time as there is bound to be interference. On the other hand, managers are also anxious to follow up frequently.

“Employees need to be organised and disciplined to create a work-life balance. On the other hand, the managers also need to be very mindful of each and every employee’s personal time. The managers will need to structure the work schedule on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. This will help them keep everything on track and ensure business continuity,” shares a senior HR leader from the engineering and manufacturing sector.

Maintaining work-life balance has always been a challenge, and this challenge has only grown during these times when organisations are following a hybrid work model. A balance can only be struck if the employees and their managers work in harmony and invest genuine efforts to make this happen.

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Tim Cook, CEO, Apple, has asked the staff to return to the office three days a week September onwards. Since last year, the staff has been working remotely. However, now that at least half the American population has received the vaccine and restrictions have been eased, the staff is being asked to return to office for three days a week.

In an official communication, Cook highlighted the fact that while technology can bridge the distance between people, there are some things that can be experienced only by working physically from office.

The employees will be allowed to work from home for up to two weeks in a year, if they wish. This move is hoped to give employees a change of scene, while being closer to their families.

In the same message, Cook encourages employees to get vaccinated expressing the fact that he is looking forward to in-person collaboration, meetings and sense of community.

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KPMG has announced that it will follow a strategy of ‘four-day fortnight’ and will also invest in introducing collaborative spaces and remote-working technology. The Company had consulted its employees in March 2021, before introducing such changes, and many of them expressed the desire to work from home.

After doing an in house survey, KPMG found out that 87 per cent of employees enjoyed working from home as they did not have to spend time on commuting, while 76 per cent enjoyed the flexibility that work- from-home offered them and 65 per cent admitted to a better work-life balance.

The Company has full faith that the employees will be able to design their work days as per their needs and will serve the clients of the Company with full enthusiasm and sincerity.

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An employee survey had revealed that a significant 90 per cent of the respondents preferred to work remotely even after the pandemic.

Offices of the Bank will reopen depending on the situation in each geographical location.

Like most other organisations, worldwide, Deutsche Bank will also invest in restructuring and redesigning offices in keeping with the new modes of working.

With many clients opting to go the digital way, the number of customers physically visiting the branches has reduced drastically. Remote advisory sessions are preferred online by many, as are other digital products. Therefore, the Bank is considering closing many branches in 2021. This will result in about a thousand job losses.

Deutsche Bank posted its strongest quarterly profits in seven years, probably as a result of the cost reductions brought about by restructuring. Also, the number of loan losses dropped with the economy slowly recovering from a pandemic-induced recession.

The Bank was reportedly able to reduce its cost base for 13 quarters consecutively and shrink its internal workforce by 2,300, to 84,400, as compared to last year.

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This came to light when Arvind Krishna, CEO, IBM, was speaking at a Bloomberg Future of Work seminar. With about 10 to 20 per cent of IBM employees working remotely, there is some worry about how culture within the organisation will be built. Those in people management roles will find it difficult to grow with limited ways to take on more responsibilities or build a culture within teams.

While 10 per cent of IBM’s US employees have already started working from office, this is a lower percentage than in Australia and China. However, in Western Europe, its offices have not opened for staff yet.

The company has over three lakh employees working from offices spread across 175 countries. With the hybrid approach set to take over, some of the Company’s 70 million square feet office space will be closed. It will retain more than half of the space it currently has and remodel the same to suit collaborative working, because clearly, any solitary work that needs to be done will be managed from home entirely in future.

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It has introduced the Mental Health Day Off, calling it the Dolphin Day. This leave will help employees clearly demarcate work hours/office and personal hours/friends and family time. These days will be timed such that they can be combined with weekends so that employees can get enough time to rejuvenate, relax and resume work with enhanced energy and positive thinking.

Its ‘Unlimited Leave Policy’ provides leaves as per the requirements of employees without questioning them about the need.

With the work-from-home culture gaining traction, the Company has decided to offer a ‘monthly data stipend’ and a ‘home office set-up stipend’ to help employees with the infrastructure costs of operating from home, and ensure comfortable working conditions.

Sucheta Mahapatra, Indian MD, Branch International, said, “The workforce of any firm is the core engine for growth. At Branch International, we want to set examples on work culture and employee benefits.”

Not ignoring the employee-engagement agenda, the Company has been regularly organising engagement activities, such as ‘lunch and learn about other departments’ for ice-breaking, happy hours, game nights, virtual lunches and more. Additionally, global events, such as Branch Olympics and Branch Anniversary Trivia have also been designed to boost engagement activities.

The Company has come with a unique and one-of-its-kind concept — BOLD Stipend — wherein employees are offered a chance to keep learning and upskilling. Short Branch Opportunities for Learning and Development, this stipend is a boon for employees committed to a lifelong, ongoing and ever-continuing learning process. It provides an annual stipend to employees to learn anything that will help them perform their jobs better, be it communication skills or technology-related courses or even official degrees and certifications.

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