[Sandy Damodaran]

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/...076280848.html

While I do not know about the impact of this policy economically, This if implemented, is awesome for those in IT like me. I'm an individual contributor, with no interest in HR team building activities and random festival celebrations.

Wish it goes through. As a added benefit, this might tricle down into better development of Tier3/4 cities/towns.

[rd18]

Originally Posted by Sandy Damodaran

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/...076280848.html

While I do not know about the impact of this policy economically, This if implemented, is awesome for those in IT like me. I'm an individual contributor, with no interest in HR team building activities and random festival celebrations.

Wish it goes through. As a added benefit, this might tricle down into better development of Tier3/4 cities/towns.

Oh okay, was about to ask about it. Was under impression that companies are being forced to call employees back to office to preserve their SEZ benefits.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...le65661068.ece

[thugz_doge]

Originally Posted by rd18

Oh okay, was about to ask about it. Was under impression that companies are being forced to call employees back to office to preserve their SEZ benefits.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...le65661068.ece

Well, my company has asked employees to return to base location by December citing the previous announcement(the one which you shared).

Now, ministry is saying that they'll allow WFH? Why can't they stick to one thing?

[anti21]

Originally Posted by Sandy Damodaran

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/...076280848.html

While I do not know about the impact of this policy economically, This if implemented, is awesome for those in IT like me. I'm an individual contributor, with no interest in HR team building activities and random festival celebrations.

This is big news. Hearsay was that there was pressure on Government by Builders to not allow to happen and to force the companies in SEZ to bring back their employees.

This would directly affect the overinflated housing and commercial market in Metro cities both pricing and rent wise. Companies that rent offices would downsizes offices and I am not sure what the companies that have their own buildings would do. Since people running the Government have money directly or indirectly invested in these infrastructure projects. If the value of these projects comes down, it directly affects them. Consequently, this would also affect the donations which are needed in an election year for both State and National Level.

But on the other hand, this would boost the growth in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities where the employees would start working from. It will also result in emergence of companies from those cities because statistically speaking some of those employees would eventually form a company.

Let us see what happens. This might be a move to entice the taxpaying service class and youth votes that is pretty much dejected by current tax status and benefits provided by Government.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by anti21

This is big news. Hearsay was that there was pressure on Government by Builders to not allow to happen and to force the companies in SEZ to bring back their employees.

+1

Not only builders, but even unions and secondary service sectors (read:vote banks) in metros. There's a large service industry operating who support these large corporates working in SEZ zones, which will be greatly impacted by this decision.

But this is a massive shift in government views, a complete 180 degree turn to what the ministry has been saying over the last 2 years. It'll will be interesting to see how each state further implements it.

[ValarMorghulis]

I think the best possible win-win for everyone (employees, companies, the builders, auto unions, restaurant lobby etc.) will be if the companies ask for a 2/3 day work in office per week kinda thing.

Traffic will ease up a bit and everyone will have their livelihood as well.

[SoumenD]

Lets see if the firms allow this officially. Music to ears

I feel a lot of people (taxi/cab operators, builders etc) won’t be happy with this development.

Link

[.sushilkumar]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

if the companies ask for a 2/3 day work in office per week kinda thing.

If this is to happen than better we start 5 - 6 days a week as it was before covid. Need of the hour is to move people to tier 2 & 3 cities for the overall deveoplemt and reduce pressure on Metros / cosmopolitan cities. Builders, Unions, People with ulterior moves & vote banks will not come to improve infra. Govt need to look beyond the selfish moves of these & take a call based on what's good for the people.

I am one of those planning to move myself to a Tier 2-3 city with lesser air pollution and relatively better facilities once there is a absolute clarity on WFH situation.

[UD17]

Originally Posted by Samurai

When I worked in USA, plenty of my colleagues did moonlight with full knowledge of the employer. They were moonlighting in the same industry too, while ensuring they are not competing with their primary employer.

In North America where living costs are much higher, the people (lets say a junior employee or a contract employee) has no option but to enroll for other job.

In our North American office, many shop floor people drive taxis after office hours/weekends and declare that to the HR and its perfectly allowed.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by UD17

In North America where living costs are much higher, the people (lets say a junior employee or a contract employee) has no option but to enroll for other job.

Hehe, with this as justification I suppose people can now rightfully do daylighting as well:

https://www.allbusiness.com/working-...1581587-1.html

Originally Posted by UD17

In our North American office, many shop floor people drive taxis after office hours/weekends and declare that to the HR and its perfectly allowed.

Declaring to your current employer is not an option for many in India. Most employers have this as part of their hiring contract that you won't do so, regardless of the conflict of interest being applicable or not.

Daylighting and Moonlighting have been a practice forever, every since humans started working in 'jobs'. We are only reading more about it in Media these days as I guess some management at large companies is facing music for non-performance and they are just pushing out excuses for the same.

[Samurai]

Imagine the reaction of all the Amway and similar MLM agents towards these moonlighting restrictions.

[lazy]

Good announcement by the government - they're squarely to blame for not developing the infra to keep road congestions at reasonable levels, this is the least they could do.

For jobs that can be done remotely, am of the firm opinion, WFH should be a choice given to the employee.
Team building and bonding can happen over a pre-planned 1-week-in person work once in 3 months.

Too many upsides, and all the downsides barring one, seem frivolous or reeks of fear of managers/bosses losing control. Which one downside - not all employees can have a silent room for themselves in their house for office work. Solution exists, trust Indian ingenuity.

Provide employee reimbursement for 500 mbps or 1 gbps broadbands, good camera-audio-monitor setup, work desk chair setup, keyboards etc; still 100x cheaper than the concrete-glass monstrosities sitting over reclaimed farmlands and lakes. Not to mention the unbelievable amounts of fuel and power savings that can be avoided.

All those folks talking about RTO return to office, primarily want to sit in their plush cabins, dress up to work, like the display of respect from the office staff/security etc.

Someone who is working in the technology space and says work from office is essential, is on the quick road to antiquation.

cheers
lazy

[Vishal.R]

Originally Posted by Samurai

When I worked in USA, plenty of my colleagues did moonlight with full knowledge of the employer. They were moonlighting in the same industry too, while ensuring they are not competing with their primary employer.

Most of the offshore teams of Indian service providers works on time and effort billing, i.e per hour billing, so clients can have issues if they come to know if a "resource" is working on other assignments.

As other members have mentioned, most of these service companies themselves sometimes put resources on two projects without disclosing to client, which is also an unethical practice similar to an employee is working to other assignment "without disclosing to employer".

For product companies, their only concern would IPR, otherwise as long as a person provides desired output it won't affect. some of the roles are such that It won't have fix set of daily work but need to perform duties as an when required, so employers would be ok, if employee spend time elsewhere.

Originally Posted by SoumenD

That's not moonlighting as long as you are paid by the same employer & they are aware of who all you work for.

Yes but it can still be considered moonlighting for client if they are not aware about same resources deployed to different assignment while company is charging for full eight hours per day.

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned

What you have put forth as in your own words is 'priviliged'. A separate room, back up invertors, etc are actually a for some people.

Yes but acquiring that luxury in smaller city can be cheaper compared to renting a smallest accommodation for living in tier-1 cities. For most of the freshers in service companies, it is difficult to afford rented house by own (without sharing), so compared to that It may come out cheaper to invest in backup etc..

Someone with native home in very remote area, can setup base at bigger town / small city nearby (even capital of native state) having batter infrastructure, which can still be more convenient compared to live in tier-1 city in other part of country.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by lazy

All those folks talking about RTO return to office, primarily want to sit in their plush cabins, dress up to work, like the display of respect from the office staff/security etc.

Can you really blame them? This used to be my cabin for 13 years, until the beginning of the pandemic. It really feels good work from such a cabin and be the boss. Then I started another company which is 100% WFH for all staff. Now I sit at home all the time, where I am not the boss.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

Service companies such as Infy, TCS, etc. will continue to run like cattle sheds and ask to swipe 9.5 hours daily. While smart companies and companies with good management will try to see how to leverage WFH with satellite offices for, say, two days connect a month. A good Zoom video call is enough to get 99% of the work that is done in software services industry along with twice a month or in every 2 months personal connect. Even weekly hybrid i.e. 3 days WFO and 2 days WFH, is just an overkill.

I think you are being overly harsh on companies like Infy, TCS, Wipro etc. While I think having to swipe 9.5 hours is an overkill, employee productivity is a genuine concern from WFH.

I work at one of the Top 3 Tech companies in the world (most people rank it as No.1 especially in employee benefits) and we have had problems with long term WFH so much that we are now asking people to come in 3 days a week. Before this was not being tracked but now it will be most likely be enforced. I see employees taking advantage of this WFH flexibility by hardly being online during work hours, low productivity, and very low levels of collaboration.

This problem is exponentially bigger when you try to ramp up new employees especially with regards to company culture.