TCS, INFOSYS, TECH MAHINDRA AND OTHER IT FIRMS ASK EMPLOYEES TO 'RETURN TO WORK'! - REPORT

Most of the IT companies allowed employees to work from home for a long time. However, IT companies are currently requesting employees to come back to the city where their office is located and continue working from there. This decision has been taken by IT companies in view of the security breach that some companies have been subjected to recently. IT firms are also insisting employees to use office- owned laptops or desktops instead of using their personal computer in order to make sure their data is safe. 

Employees who fled to their hometowns are disturbed by the demand since its difficult for them to come back to the cities especially when Coronavirus cases are surging.  As per Pune Mirror’s report on the subjects, IT Giants including Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tech Mahindra and Capgemini are calling their employees back to the cities the respective companies are located in. 

With guesthouses, shared accommodations and food messes closed, many employees find it difficult to live in the city. Cooking with little provisions or not staying along with roommates who’ve gone to their respective native places are coming across as challenges to employees who are being requested to return back to the cities by the companies. 

“They are telling us to return and switch to office systems over security concerns. But with COVID19 cases rapidly rising, it will be too risky to travel. I live in Ganjam, a red zone and there are restrictions on my movement, making the commute much more difficult,” An employee of TCS Pune located at Odisha at present, told the Pune Mirror. 

Similarly, an employee from Tech Mahindra shared, “My house contract expired in May and it seemed like a while before things would return to normal, so we moved back to Rajasthan for a few months, as I could Work from Home. But with my employers calling me back now, I will first have to house hunt, that too in a green zone. This will take at least another month.” 

Although staff from the management of few of the aforementioned companies agree that they had requested employees to return, they refuted few claims made by employees.

Pune Mirror cited an anonymous source from TCS’ management who stated, “Only those working on essential services have been told return to their base in Pune or wherever they are posted. They are required to work on office systems as client data need to be secured. Also, we are insisting on this only if the employees live in green zones in this town.” 

A Tech Mahindra Spokesperson reportedly retaliated to the claims and stated, “At Tech Mahindra, we believe in ensuring the health, safety and well- being of our associates. Less than 10 per cent of our total workforce is presently working from the office to sustain essential services.” 

The President of Federation of IT Employees (FITE), Pavanjit Mane opined about this new trend and observed, “On one end, union IT minister Ravishankar Prasad hails WFH as a success and IT tycoons herald it before the media. But on ground, managers at IT firms are sending out a deviant message calling employees back to base. FITE has sought justification from companies for dragging employees into red zones Unnecessary movement inter and intra- state will only lead to new cases in IT hubs and add more pressure on local administration.”