IT employee welfare body Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) on Monday requested the Ministry of Labour and Employment in a letter to issue an advisory implementing mandatory work from home for IT and ITES companies. This is barely a day after PM Narendra Modi’s appeal to companies to adopt work from home among other measures to save fuel due to the ongoing Iran conflict.
NITES said that the step taken for an “appropriate period was in the larger national interest,” and would significantly contribute towards reduction of “fuel consumption, traffic congestion, environmental burden and unnecessary travel while preserving uninterrupted economic activity through digital means.”
“In light of the ongoing Middle East tensions, companies have adopted prudent energy management measures across campuses, including optimising non-essential consumption, rationalising select facility services, and enabling remote or hybrid work where operationally appropriate to reduce overall energy usage and commuting,” industry body Nasscom said in a statement Monday.
It added that the technology industry in India continues to operate on well-established hybrid work models, with organisations calibrating work-from-home and in-office arrangements based on role requirements and customer needs.
Stressing that India’s technology sector has well-established business continuity frameworks and distributed delivery models Nasscom also said that the hybrid work models are part of the industry’s broader approach to operational resilience and sustainability.
“While this remains an evolving situation, we are closely monitoring developments and remain engaged with industry stakeholders and government authorities to ensure a coordinated and responsible response,” it added.
In its letter, NITES recalled the COVID-19 pandemic when the IT/ITES sector demonstrated its ability to work from home effectively without disruption to productivity or business. Major tech companies, multinational corporations, support services, software development teams, customer operations, backend functions and digital delivery units continued to function efficiently from remote locations post that period for several years.
It also noted that under current conditions, lakhs of people were required to travel for hours to work which can be done from a remote location. The IT sector currently employs more than 5.4 million professionals in the country.
The body also clarified that the objective of such an advisory is not meant to be confrontation with employers but “collective national cooperation.”