Lockdown easing: Wipro resumes operations in Kochi with 120 employees
About 90% of IT employees and 70-80% of BPOs and SMBs in the sector are estimated to be working from homeCurrently, 93% of Wipro’s billable employees have client approvals to deliver services from home
BENGALURU: Employees in information technology (IT) companies seem to be returning to work, though in a staggered manner. Bengaluru-based Wipro Ltd started operations in Kochi, Kerala, on Monday with 120 people resuming office, chairman Rishad Premji said in a tweet.
“Working in our new normal with social distancing guidelines putting employee safety first. Thank you to the team at Wipro for doing a great job in readying us for this new start," Premji said.
Currently, 93% of Wipro’s billable employees have client approvals to deliver services from home.
Abidali Z. Neemuchwala, chief executive and managing director, Wipro, had told Mint in a recent interview that although they would like more of their employees to work from home (WFH), some critical services need to delivered from office.
“There are certain types of critical work such as testing in our labs for 5G as part of our engineering services, which can’t be done from home. Then there are certain HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy requirements in the BPO business because of which customers may not give approvals to work from home," Neemuchwala had said.
Currently, about 90% of IT employees and 70-80% of BPOs and small and medium businesses in the sector are estimated to be working from home to ensure business continuity, according to reports.
Industry body Nasscom had earlier advised members to start with 15-20% of their workforce returning to offices in the first phase, though home ministry guidelines allow IT and ITeS firms to operate with 50% strength, effective 20 April.
However, given the spread of the covid-19 pandemic, Nasscom later revised its stance and said they are advising companies to operate with only about 10% workforce in phase 1.
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