Infosys changes remote work policy, asks select employees to come office 10 days a month
Companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Amazon, and Google have already shifted away from remote work policies implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Infosys Ltd has asked certain employees in entry- to mid-level positions to work from the office for a minimum of 10 days a month. These employees had been working remotely full-time since the onset of the pandemic, while the company's other staff members still have the option to work remotely.
In an email to select employees in entry- to mid-level roles, the company asked them to come in for that minimum number of days, starting November 20. Since the pandemic, they had been allowed to work remotely full-time, and the company’s other employees are still permitted to do so, Bloomberg reported.
The change in Infosys's remote work policy comes after co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy's controversial statement urging young Indians to work 70 hours a week for the country's development.
The news from the country's no.2 software services exporter comes at a time when companies across the globe are reversing or modifying their "remote work" policies that were put in place at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, citing reasons ranging from higher efficiency to better collaboration.
Infosys CEO Salil Parekh during the post-earning conference call on October 12 indicated that specific client work or certain types of engagements may require working in the office, but the company overall supports a flexible work approach.
"There are some instances, for example, with specific client work or a specific type of engagement where we feel it’s better that everyone is working together,” Infosys CEO said. “But in general, our view is we want to support this flexible approach. It’s something that we believe is appropriate given how we’ve set up the work-from-home infrastructure.” he added.
This move is part of a global trend where companies are adjusting their remote work policies implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic. Reasons for this shift include improved efficiency and enhanced collaboration.
Tata Consultancy Services has already requested that employees return to the office for five days a week.
Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google have also instructed their employees to work from the office for at least a few days each week.
Inputs from agencies