Since the COVID-19 outbreak, a majority of Indian professionals have shown interest in opting for a more permanent remote work plan. Initially motivated by health and workplace safety concerns, now technology tools and flexible work arrangements have convinced many professionals about the positive aspects of working in an all-digital environment.
Going into 2021, with the status of the COVID-19 vaccine in India still unclear and roll-out likely to last the year, human resource managers must be better prepared to navigate extended remote work arrangements and increasing staff interest in continuing telecommuting even when the pandemic subsides. This may require making necessary changes to company budgets and IT organization, amending company do’s and don’ts, and incorporating some of the lessons learnt and pain points revealed during this year’s almost overnight transition from the office workplace to work-from-home.
Managing an uneasy transition
The Indian workforce was largely unfamiliar with the concept of work-from-home at the beginning of the year when they had to make the transition en masse due to the national lockdown. Moreover, even if it was allowed as part of a flexible HR policy, the teleworking arrangement was not preferred by upper management in several cases due to concerns over employee productivity and managing sensitive project timelines, besides breaks in communication.
However, during the course of what has been a very long year filled with many unknowns, managers and employees have learnt to compromise and work together, all the while embracing new technology platforms and familiarizing themselves with troubleshooting in the digital workplace.
On their part, companies should take note of their staff and management experiences during this period to strengthen their business continuity plans, retain top talent, and update work objectives and HR guidelines if required. Additionally, they need to examine compliance related to cyber security regulations and exposure to risk of malicious attacks, such as via phishing.
Simplified OSP guidelines notified
Meanwhile, the Indian government amended key regulations to remove hurdles that blocked business processing outsourcing and IT-enabled services firms from implementing long-term remote work / work-from-home. This was a key demand of the country’s IT industry lobby, NASSCOM. The Ministry of Communications notified on November 5, 2020 that the government had “drastically simplified the Other Service Provider (OSP) guidelines of the Department of Telecom.”
In this article, we highlight some top tips for businesses to facilitate smoother operations in 2021 while implementing prolonged remote work arrangements.
1. Adapting remote work guidelines to reflect new challenges
This year, companies in India, besides public utilities and those considered essential services, were…