New Delhi: The information technology (IT) industry may not get back to the old style of working from the office and around 75 per cent of the workforce may continue to work from outside office going ahead, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney said on Friday.
He said the IT industry showed resilience during the lockdown, with up to 97 per cent of its workforce working from home or anywhere they found suitable to serve not just domestic but global clients also.
“We are very excited at what happened at that point of time (during lockdown). Now it is a fact, I can’t imagine going back to the old way of working and I am told by the industry as well, going back to the old ways of working is almost out of question.
“It is quite possible that 75 per cent of the workforce will continue to work outside a formal office and yet be equally or more productive,” Sawhney said at a Microsoft event.
The government on Thursday announced simplified guidelines for BPOs and ITES companies to reduce the compliance burden on them and to facilitate “Work From Home” and “Work From Anywhere” framework.
The new rules for Other Service Providers (OSPs) seek to create a friendly regime for “Work from Home” and “Work from Anywhere”, while removing frequent reporting obligations for such companies.
The move assumes significance as the industry had been asking for relaxations for “Work From Home” to continue on a permanent basis as the sector moves towards a blended working model in the post-COVID-19 era.
