Letter to BS: Time now to get back to work and take the bull by the horns

This refers to the article “India Inc reboots for life after lockdown” by Surajeet Das Gupta (April 27). He ex­plains various aspects of workplace disruption in India, a lot of which apply to the whole world. Our work culture — also the way we live — is going to change in a drastic manner. Hopefully, all these changes will prepare us better to fight such a calamity in the future.

Getting back to work is crucial and unavoidable — not only for the down-in-the-dumps national economy but also because it is the only way to get rid of the dreaded pandemic. That’s the only way to develop herd immunity and that will happen only when able-bodied people start moving out. More and more will test positive, need isolation, quarantine, treatment, even hospitalisation, some will require ventilators also. Lockdown has worked wonders, arrested the rapid march of the menace and also given us time to prepare for what is bound to come. 

Our governments today are better equipped to tackle the problem than they were before March 25. People have also understood the risks and precautions. Time now to get back to work and take the bull by the horns.
 

Work from home has indeed worked and many companies in the services sector, even manufacturing, will be able to adopt it with ease. Technology enables controls like attendance and answerability as well as virtual interaction, discussion, review and appraisal; new start-ups are already offering help to “set up and maintain small offices at home”. Telcos are ready to provide necessary broadband width. Everyone will save hours of commuting time. Work-life balance will improve and we will drastically reduce toxic emissions into the atmosphere.

Real estate, automobile, travel and hospitality sectors will perhaps be the losers. Their work culture also needs to be changed.

Krishan Kalra  Gurugram

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