Now that the pandemic is over, remote working seems to be coming to an end. As Covid restrictions gradually lifted, IT companies and startups started exploring the hybrid work model to boost employee productivity. However, the trend is now shifting, with companies making it compulsory for employees to work from the office (WFO), marking the potential end of the remote working era.
Infosys recently ended its work from home rule after nearly four years. The IT giant mandated employees to come to the office three days a week, starting November 20, 2023. Similarly, in October, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) made it obligatory for its employees to work in the office for all five days of the week.
Wipro has adopted a flexible office-presence policy, allowing employees to choose any three days of the week to work from the office. With this policy in place, about 55 per cent of the company’s workforce has opted to come to office thrice a week.
Where TCS’s rationale behind calling employees is to facilitate integration between the new workforce and the company’s large existing workforce, Wipro’s policy emphasises the well-being of both clients and employees. Additionally, the company’s policy is aimed at fostering collaboration, innovation and a high-performing culture through shared perspectives.
HCLTech has also instructed its employees to work from the office three days a week.
In similar lines, Sonata Software, a modernisation engineering company, implemented a gradual return to office. The company first called its middle managers, senior managers and leaders to work in office twice a week. This group makes up 30 per cent of the company’s workforce. After them, now the company has called the rest of its workforce to office starting January 2024, including entry-level and junior management. All are now required to work from the office for a minimum of two days a week.
As per a recent survey, the concept of 100 per cent remote jobs is gradually fading in India, with the workforce adjusting well to working from the office while using the work-from-home (WFH) option once or twice a week based on need or team schedules. The survey also revealed that a significant number of respondents would embrace a four-day workweek, with 35 per cent willing to work from the office every day in exchange for it, and 43 per cent open to extending their workday for an extra day off.
This shift emphasises the need for organisations to align with employee preferences and create a win-win situation for productivity and engagement.
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