WFH ending for TCS employees? Check latest update on work from home rules

New Delhi: Even if IT companies choose for the hybrid model of working in the long run, which comprises working from home on certain days and in the office on others, the hybrid model will be approached in a variety of ways. When it comes to the hybrid approach, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) talked about the 3Es — Enable, Embrace, and Empower — in an e-mail issued to its staff.

Embrace

There are too many environmental distractions in the work from home environment, such as housework, child schooling, and pet care, to name a few. It is quite easy to fall into a "always online" lifestyle when there is no obvious division or border between work and home. This necessitates some thoughtful consideration and the prioritisation of 'living holistically' over 'eat-work-sleep.'

Enable

While a person may be ready to embrace the future of work from anywhere, TCS stated in an article titled 'the future of work from anywhere' that an equally crucial issue to address is if our organisation is ready to enable the necessary ecosystem to 'work from anywhere.'

Organizations must focus on and provide the necessary conditions and environment to facilitate remote working, rather than just lip service, marketing discussions, and press releases. "One of the most significant issues that a company has today is that the external ecosystem, regulations, laws, and norms have yet to develop with the 'New Normal,' and thus operate as a hindrance rather than an enabler for "Work From Anywhere."

Empower

Both organisations and individuals must be empowered to work from anywhere in innovative ways. Socio-technical solutions must be used to connect the person and organisational environments. Individuals, teams, and management all have unique requirements and issues that must be taken into account.

TCS has also created hot desks and occasional operating zones to allow its employees to connect to the global workforce by plugging in their systems in any office throughout the country. It has also implemented a 25 multiply 25 policy, under which no more than 25% of the company's colleagues are required to work from an office at any given moment, and they must spend no more than 25% of their time in the office.

Infosys Hybrid Plan

Infosys had announced a three-phased plan to get staff back to work, and the company also wants to allow employees to join the company physically in the future. "We have already rolled out the first phase in April, and those who are in their home places where DCs (development centres) are located, or in the upcountry town near to the DCs, are being urged to come to the office twice a week," said Nilanjan Roy, the company's Chief Financial Officer.

In the second phase, he said, the company will encourage people living outside of DC towns to begin making plans in the coming months to see if they can return to their base development centres. "In the long run, we're looking at a hybrid style of employment," Roy explained, "depending on the clients, regulatory climate, and a lot of other factors."