Employees of private firms in Gurugram may have to work from home until end of July

VS Kundu, monitoring official for Covid-19 preparations in Gurugram, said on Sunday that all those who have offices in the city should prefer working from home model till the extent possible.

Private firms in Gurugram may have to ask their employees to work from home till the end of July as district officials have hinted at allowing gradual resumption of work in offices of IT, IT-enabled services and other companies in the district.

Gurugram Police directs a commuter at Jharsa village – one of the coronavirus containment zones, during lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, at Sector 39, in Gurugram, India, on Friday, April 24, 2020. (Yogendra Kumar/HT PHOTO)

VS Kundu, monitoring official for Covid-19 preparations in Gurugram, said on Sunday that all those who have offices in the city should prefer working from home model till the extent possible. Kundu is also the chief executive officer of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA).

Speaking with HT, Kundu, who is also the additional chief secretary of Haryana government, said that given the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, the administration was looking at gradual resumption of work at offices of private firms operating in the city, while maintaining social distancing and safety norms.

“It is my personal estimation under prevailing situation that some staff in non-essential and routine offices in Gurugram may have to work from home till July-end. No such advisory or order has been issued by the government. The directions of the central and state governments will be meticulously followed in Gurugram in this regard,” said Kundu.

Gurugram is home to a large number of IT, ITes, and BPO companies, which have been forced to close their offices since March 25 after the lockown was announced by government. A number of these companies have successfully managed to ensure that their workers are able to work remotely so that the business continuity is not disturbed.

In a broader context, Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala said on Sunday that the lockdown will have to be lifted gradually in a phased manner. “Everything cannot be done everywhere at the same time. So, the things have to be re-opened gradually according to the situations. To prevent damage to economy, it has been decided to open the sale and production of everyday essential commodities first,” said Chautala in a statement released on Sunday. He also made it clear that liquor shops will stay closed till May 3.