Firms resurrect covid alert but stop short of WFH move

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Vedanta Group. “Our respective businesses are continuing to build on health awareness alongside communicating with employees in town halls as we see upward numbers of covid cases. Adhering to basic precautions like ‘mask must’, and sanitisation are key." During the nearly two years of the pandemic, companies had applied the WFH protocol, but over the past year, they are making it essential for employees to return to office.

So far, corporates are clear that they will continue with their hybrid policies. “The surge is still (too) small for us to make changes in our hybrid work culture. Employees are coming to office 2-3 days a week, and this will continue," said S.

Venkatesh, group president of HR at RPG Enterprises. “Those who show any signs of an infection will have to work from home." Meanwhile, recruiters say it is unlikely that hiring sentiments will be affected. Staffing firm Teamlease Services does “not foresee a slowdown in hiring activities", said Kartik Narayan, CEO, staffing.

The hiring market is on an ebb now and is expected to pick up over the next couple of quarters. The IT sector has been struggling the most with getting employees back to office as they were also battling high attrition. During the covid lockdowns, many tech workers left to work from locations closer to their homes, reducing rental demand.

Managers are now mandated to get most employees back to office for three days a week. “Since November, fully vaccinated employees have been returning to work three days a week. We continue to adhere strictly to local directives and take necessary precautions to make sure all safeguard measures are in place," said Wipro in a statement.