Work from Anywhere – Effectiveness of work from anywhere model.

Work from Anywhere – Effectiveness of work from anywhere model.

Indicative Topic: Effectiveness of work from anywhere model.

Brief: As the fear around the pandemic subsides, the debate over the future of the work-from-anywhere (WFA) model has gained attention. TCS is calling its employees back to the office at least three days a week. For instance, Deloitte India and Meesho do not offer WFA as a regular feature to their employees. And CXOs have been calling ‘white collar lethargy’ the new pandemic.

When opinions on WFH and career growth remain poles apart between employees and employers, one question remains the same: Is work from anywhere, not a viable option?

Questions:

1. What has been the approach concerning working from anywhere at various companies in India? How has it evolved in the last two years?

The concept of working from home (or anywhere) (WFH/A) is not a new phenomenon or trend. Initially, companies in India and around the world had been using this as a reward and flexibility work approach mechanism for its most trusted and high-performing employees. Later on, as statutory compliances started including other factors of workplace diversity and inclusion, this was also used as a perk for working mothers in the IT industry. As time progressed and there were changes in the various ideologies and thinking patterns of management, some companies continued to use the WFH option as a reward and some moved back to work from the office. During the ebb and flow of job opportunities in various industries since the industrial boom in India, companies in India shuttled between the various school of thought.

During the pandemic, the concept of WFA took a different turn (for the better). The technological progress made in 3 – 6 months was equivalent to progress made in any 3-year period of the IT Industry’s life cycle. In fact, the IT industry was instrumental in saving costs or increasing revenue for other dependent industries. Companies that adapted quickly to this pandemic working style, reaped the initial bounty that was aplenty. And companies that did not or could not have been left with shallower pockets or have been completely wiped out. In hindsight, technology and deep pockets were the deciding factors in the survival of companies. As India moved deeper into the pandemic, companies realized that WFH/A was here to stay and they started taking corrective actions. Many companies, actually gave up their physical offices and this brought down their operational cost by a good 50%. This cost reduction boosted revenues and many companies then channelized this additional resource into uplifting working conditions and boosting the morals of their employees. Studies and research papers in Research Gate Publications show that the employee happiness index has almost doubled in many companies/industries.

Fast forward two years into the current scenario, we see that working from home is a given to employees and their demands have moved into other avenues. There are new expectations from the company and management have to think of new tricks/ideas to fulfill these demands. As per the research paper published by Dr R Sridevi from Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science, “The Covid-19 pandemic has reshaped the perceptions of employees towards their physical work environment.” Below is the current result of studies published in her research work:

As per the sample study, we can see that IT employees are currently indifferent or neutral toward the current WFH/A option.

Fig 1: Is WFH helping in time management – 47.7% say Yes, to some extent and the rest are divided between Yes, to a great extent, and No.

Fig 2: Was able to learn and grow – 45.6% Neutral

Please share data concerning the above trend.

2. Do you think working from anywhere is viable in the long run since most of the companies, though hybrid, are now taking it back to work from the office?

WFH/A is a viable solution given the socio and economic mind frame of all employees. This is a choice that employees and employers choose to exercise based on need. One drawback of WFH/A is, being available 24/7. This has been often misused by scrupulous and mistrusting bosses to extract additional working hours from gullible employees. The other ugly head of the misuse of this privilege (from the employer’s standpoint) is moonlighting. Companies like Wipro, Infosys and Happiest Minds have fired employees for dual employment and not completing projects on time. In fact, it was Wipro chairman Rishad Premji who triggered the whole debate by calling it “cheating – plain and simple”. On a personal note, (Mr. Pratik Vaidya, MD of Karma Global), has totally been a strong propagator of hybrid working for his employees. “It is all a game of trust! If the employer trusts its employees, it will allow total flexibility. Simultaneously, if the employees trust its employer, it will ensure that they work toward the growth of the company. This way both parties can reap the benefits of their relationship.”

Anything else you want to add/share?

It all boils down to sincerity and mutual respect between employee and employer.