Flexibility sought in WFH guidelines for companies in special economic zones

While welcoming the notification from the Ministry of Commerce to extend the duration of remote-working for units in these zones, organisations seek greater leeway in planning their workforce’s return to office

NextGen Healthcare’s office at Ecospace Business Park in Bengaluru is spacious, well-lit, elaborately-furnished and aesthetic to boot. The beauty derives as much from a kind thought as it does from design. The walls of the office are adorned by paintings done by its employees. There is also a breakout area, which is unlikely to be used by these employees ever again.

NextGen Healthcare is all set to give up this office at the special economic zone (SEZ). The decision to vacate the space follows a notification from the Ministry of Commerce concerning Work From Home (WFH) for units in any SEZ.

According to the notification, a company operating from any SEZ can continue with the WFH arrangement for a maximum period of one year, offering this option to 50 per cent of its workforce, including contractual employees. The Development Commissioner of SEZs can use their discretion to approve a higher number of employees (more than 50%) for WFH based on a bonafide reason, which has to be set down in writing.

NextGen Healthcare had switched to a fully-remote working model following the pandemic, and it has decided to stick to it — at least for some more time.

Our pulse surveys have shown employees are not keen on working from office as of now and it is based on their decision and the trust that we have in them that we let go of our office space at the SEZ, say Yasmeen Shaikh, vice-president, Human Resources India and Chandradip Dass, managing director and senior vice-president (R&D), NextGen Healthcare.

In Chennai, an American multinational company with multiple offices, has started consolidating its space, dropping a few addresses in the process, and asking employees to either work from office or adopt a hybrid model that is also on offer.

One who heads a distributed team of 70, straddling cities, Nithya V notes that following the pandemic, there is a tacit understanding that companies would be more empathetic towards the challenges and needs of employees. In keeping with this thinking, the company is not forcing the switch to work-from-office, but making the transition as palatable and organic as possible.