Working harder from home? You’re not alone

The ongoing pandemic has given ‘normal’ a new meaning for people and organisations. No more daily commutes to work, tea-breaks at the cafeteria, chats around the water cooler or after-work networking. Work From Home (WFH) has put paid to all that! As India enters another phase of the lockdown, new HR practices and rules will have to emerge.

In fact, industry representatives from the IT and ITES sectors, where WFH rules have been relaxed till end-July have sought changes to legislation to allow WFH, including moving equipment out of special economic zones. Most employers are also concerned about their staff’s ability to deal with the isolation resulting from WFH, and its impact on their mental health.

So, companies are taking various measures to ease stress such as constant communication, daily updates, regular interventions from trusted seniors, awareness building, and even virtual Zumba lessons.

Working in the new normal 

Across sectors, most companies have been quick to adjust to the new normal. Mayank Mittal, CEO of IT firm Qualitrix, says that the [IT] industry has already adjusted to a remote working model and has been able to manage the change well. Companies have equipped their employees with relevant tools including Office 365 and Microsoft Teams to make remote collaboration seamless and efficient. Internal digital campaigns and virtual campuses with 1000+ learning modules ensure continual engagement, according to Pradeep Bakshi, MD and CEO, Voltas. The company has conducted town halls and leadership announcements through these platforms.

Helping employees cope with stress 

Organisations are taking pre-emptive measures to help employees cope with anxiety. Transin Logistics, for instance, has tied up with COVID Saathi – a support helpline run by doctors and working professionals – to stay in constant touch with staff through webinars and helplines. According to Sundreysh Sarup, MD, Logistics Plus India, the company has a dedicated HR phone line available for staff in distress, with an escalation matrix to reach out to in case of personal emergencies.

The post-lockdown scenario 

Forward-thinking companies are already putting processes in place for when the lockdown is fully lifted. Logistics Plus’s internal business continuity plan (BCP) has post-lockdown processes in place. According to Sarup, no employee will be allowed to come in more than twice a week. “We have identified all those who can manage WFH, and efforts have been made to deliver any items they need (printers/scanners, etc.) to their residences,” he adds.

To ensure smooth operations, Robinsons Global Logistics has split its operations team into two to maintain social distancing and as a back-up, in case one team is affected, according to company CEO, Aditya Vazirani. Sanket Mukund Sheth, Founder & MD, Elixia Tech, doesn’t anticipate normalcy to return for months, which is why the company is staggering the return of its staff. Zaiba Sarang, Co-Founder, iThinkLogistics, says her company would create two or more shifts a day post the lockdown, while Shesh Kulkarni, MD, Noatum Logistics, said only 30% staff was back in their Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru offices – even as employees in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai continued to work from home.

For all you know, WFH may become ‘normal’. According to Aaryav Gupta, Director-Global Business, Pridel, companies may just consider continuing WFH in the long run even after everything stabilises since it is cost-effective. If that is the case, it is sure to be a win-win for both employers and employees so long as these coping measures continue to remain in place.