Companies across sectors spent years bringing employees back to office citing productivity and collaboration concerns. PM Modi now wants some Covid-era flexibility reconsidered.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the second day in a row, asked private and government sector companies to allow work-from-home for their employees.
He made the remarks again on Monday while inaugurating Sardardham Hostel in Vadodara. He initially called for flexibility for employees in sectors where it is feasible to bolster the country’s push for self-reliance by reducing dependence on crude oil imports as the war in West Asia continues, during an event in Hyderabad.
To companies that have spent over two years trying to bring workers back to office, and have settled on either two-day or three-day hybrid models or five-day in-office presence, the choice to go back completely to work-from-home does not appear to be an option.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Annual Business Summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Infosys co-founder and Founder and Trustee of Pratithi Investments Kris Gopalakrishnan on Monday said that “going back completely also is not warranted”, while pointing out that one “should be looking at work from home” mode of working.
“Having said that, probably we should be looking at work from home, etc. In a partial way, not fully. Maybe one day or something like that. Not all the people are together. Because we have all gone back to the office. Now, going back completely also is not warranted,” he said while speaking to ANI.
Companies ended WFH citing productivity and collaboration concerns
Companies, including IT giants like Infosys, TCS, Tech Mahindra and international tech giants Google, Meta, X and Amazon, took significant effort to bring workers back to office. In the international banking sector, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs removed WFH as the pandemic’s grip loosened, returning employees to a strict five-day office schedule.
Indian companies across sectors have largely settled into either a hybrid or full-time work-from-office model.
Some Indian tech giants like TCS have switched back to a full five-day work-from-office model, while Infosys allows 10 WFH days per month.
TCS, Amazon, JPMorgan among firms who pushed RTO post-Covid
These companies cited lack of in-person collaboration, failure to transfer company culture to newer employees and loss of productivity as key reasons.
“We strongly believe that they need to come to work so that the new workforce gets integrated with the larger workforce of TCS. And that is the only way they will learn and understand and internalise the TCS values and the TCS way. So yes, we are asking people to come all days in a week,” TCS Chief Human Resources Officer Milind Lakkad had said in October 2023, when the IT giant became one of the first to revoke WFH completely and put on hold its 25 by 25 plan.
The company had asked its workforce to return to offices because of the need to deepen value systems and its belief in productivity gains from co-working.
Wipro, starting January 2026, requires employees to spend at least six hours in office for a minimum of three days a week, signalling a shift from merely “punching in and leaving early” towards prioritising meaningful in-person collaboration.
However, companies were urged again, for the second day in a row, by the Prime Minister to rethink these policies in the national interest, much like during the pandemic.
PM Modi backs virtual meetings, flexible remote work again
Highlighting the benefits of digital technology, the Prime Minister said offices should increasingly rely on virtual meetings and flexible remote-working arrangements.
“West Asia crisis is one of the worst in the decade; just as we overcame COVID-19 pandemic, we will come out of this also,” the Prime Minister assured while addressing the public following the inauguration of the hostel in Gujarat.
“Use cars responsibly and promote carpooling. Those who own vehicles should take more people along in a single car. Digital technology has now made many things much easier. With the help of technology, many arrangements become very beneficial for us. It is important that both government and private sectors encourage virtual meetings and work-from-home,” he said.
