India Inc struggles to get employees back to office

The Covid-19 disruption has changed the way we live and work. While companies had to fast-forward digital transformation, their workforce adapted to remote and hybrid operations to ensure work continuity.   
As economic activities are returning to normalcy, India Inc is now facing subtle pushbacks in getting its workforce back to the office.
 
However, mass resignation reported at Mumbai-based startup WhiteHat Jr after it asked its employees to get back to office has put the spotlight on the problem facing India Inc: Employees don’t want to return to office full-time. 
 
According to a November 2021 survey by Nasscom and job portal Indeed, around 70 per cent of IT companies were trying to make the hybrid model work effectively. The survey found that 66 per cent of the respondents had reported higher employee satisfaction working remotely.

Now, let’s examine the present employee outlook and the steps taken by India Inc.
In March 2022, a financial daily reported the finding of a survey where six out of every 10 employees who responded were prepared to quit their jobs instead of returning to the office.  

The same survey by recruitment firm CIEL HR Services found that a similar number of employees ready to forgo a higher-paying job that required them to come to the office. This view is prevalent among employees in sectors like IT, outsourcing, consulting and BFSI, along with tech start-ups.

According to a recent Business Standard report, companies across sectors are proceeding cautiously.
In June 2020, FMCG player CavinKare had said that it would rent out its corporate office and its 300+ employees might work-from-home permanently. At present, CavinKare’s corporate office is still in the WFH mode and in-person meetings are held once in 15 days.

In April 2020, TCS called out for a 25/25 model. Under this model, by 2025, 25 per cent of the IT major’s workforce would work out of its facilities, without spending more than 25 per cent of their time in office.  
 
HCL Technologies, meanwhile, has identified 40-50 per cent of employees who can work from home permanently.

For its part, upGrad has established offices across multiple locations in multiple cities. This has allowed its workforce to choose their preferred work location.
 
Over at ITC, employees can work-from-home for up to two days in a week. However, this is subject to approval. And, in case of an emergency situation, work-from-home is allowed for up to 15 days in a month.

For many who have moved back to their hometowns, it will be difficult to convince them to return to the high rents and long office commutes of the metros. Some prefer continuing from their hometown. Hybrid work models might not be enough to retain such talents. However, there are other options.
 
There are many advantages for India Inc too in adapting to the changed circumstances. Not to mention, the changes seen in the nature of work, like the hybrid model, might not go away even if the pandemic does.

Getting employees back to work will be a continuing challenge, especially if Covid-19 cases rise again. Even if and when the pandemic ends, companies might find that they have to the employee location and not the other way round. What about you? Would you give up an attractive paycheck for work from home?