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Sigh of relief for ‘faraway’ employees
Private companies have come to the rescue of their employees living in far-off places by throwing open their guesthouses to save them commuting woes during the Commonwealth Games.
Private companies have come to the rescue of their employees living in far-off places by throwing open their guesthouses to save them commuting woes during the Commonwealth Games.
Most of these companies, based in Noida and Gurgaon in the National Capital Region (NCR), provide pick and
drop services to their employees living far away from
their offices.
“There’s practically no easy way to travel to Noida from my residence. That is why I used to take the office cab. It takes me more than an hour daily to reach office, but at least it’s a hassle-free ride,” said a marketing executive employed with a leading multi-national company in Noida.
However, restricted movement of private vehicles across Delhi borders due to tight security during the Games has forced many companies to temporarily discontinue their cab services. Instead, the companies have offered options to their employees like working from home and changing their work timings.
Now, they have decided to offer temporary accommodation closer to office, especially to their female employees.
“We are being told that office cabs won’t ply during the Commonwealth Games. We can either use public transport
or as a final resort move temporarily to the company guesthouse,” said Meenakshi Pradhan, a software engineer from HCL Technologies Ltd. Pradhan is a resident of Faridabad, Haryana.
HCL Infosystems has a maximum workforce based out of Noida. However, they have made provisions for the rest
of the employees to work from home and directly interact with the customers without coming to office.
“For the convenience of our employees, we have taken various steps. Although most employees from our branch live nearby, other branches have made adequate arrangements," said an HCL Infosystems spokesperson.
Companies based in Gurgaon have also made similar arrangements for their employees as majority of them come from far away places.
“We at American Express have offered our employees multiple solutions, including providing temporary accommodation,” said an American Express spokesperson.
Employees, too, have welcomed the initiative of their employers. “Rather than getting stuck in traffic jams for hours, it is better to have alternative arrangements ready,” said Piyush Malhotra of Genpact.
