PM Modi repeats ‘work-from-home’ call amid West Asia crisis; but will IT companies bring it back?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to citizens to work from home wherever possible to conserve fuel amid the West Asia crisis has rekindled hopes among lakhs of IT employees.

However, industry executives and employee representatives say a large-scale return to remote working is unlikely without a formal government directive.

Addressing a gathering in Vadodara on Monday, Modi urged people to reduce fuel consumption by using public transport and electric vehicles, avoiding non-essential foreign travel and opting for work from home wherever feasible.

"The West Asia crisis is one of the worst in the decade; just as we overcame the COVID-19 pandemic, we will come out of this also," the Prime Minister said.

The remarks come at a time when tensions in West Asia have disrupted global energy markets and prompted the government to call for conservation measures.

The Prime Minister's appeal has raised expectations of India's technology workforce that companies may relax office attendance requirements that have gradually tightened since the end of the pandemic.

Employee bodies want formal advisory

NITES has written to the Ministry of Labour and Employment seeking an advisory directing IT and ITeS companies to allow mandatory work from home wherever operationally feasible.

In a formal representation submitted to the ministry, the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) said that reducing the daily commute of lakhs of IT professionals would significantly contribute to national priorities, including fuel conservation and environmental protection.

“The Indian IT sector had already successfully implemented large-scale work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic without disruption to productivity or business continuity. The IT/ITeS sector has both the infrastructure and capability to once again support national priorities through remote working,” NITES President Harpreet Singh Saluja said.

Another employee body, FITE, said companies were unlikely to act on the Prime Minister's appeal unless it was followed by an official communication from the Centre or state governments.

"The request has to go beyond a political speech. Unless there is an official communication from the IT Ministry, Labour Ministry, or the PMO, companies are unlikely to implement work-from-home measures seriously," FITE committee member Pavanjit Mane said.

Why WFH is unlikely

According to a Moneycontrol report, industry executives expect most companies to stick to their current hybrid models rather than roll back return-to-office policies. Pareekh Jain, CEO and lead analyst at EIIRTrend, said IT service providers are likely to maintain the status quo.

"Companies that had stricter return-to-office mandates are likely to become more flexible rather than risk being seen as going against national interest. If the situation escalates further, firms may encourage more remote work, provided clients are comfortable with it, as they would not want to be on the wrong side of public opinion,” Moneycontrol quoted Jain as saying.

IT industry body Nasscom said technology firms are already adopting prudent energy management measures, including enabling remote or hybrid work where operationally appropriate.

"In light of the ongoing Middle East tensions, companies have adopted prudent energy management measures across campuses, including optimising non-essential consumption, rationalising select facility services, and enabling remote or hybrid work where operationally appropriate to reduce overall energy usage and commuting," Nasscom said.

The industry body, which represents India's $315-billion technology industry, said the sector continues to operate on well-established hybrid models, with work-from-home and office attendance calibrated according to role requirements and customer needs.